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Upper Back or Shoulder Pain occurs in a lot of women starting all the way from pregnancy to mostly postpartum. I was consistently active throughout my pregnancy and still suffered from Upper Back and Left Shoulder Pain “on” and “off” a big chunk of my Early postpartum phase and I can easily break it down as to why:
1. Your Breasts are Bigger in Size
During pregnancy and postpartum, your breasts are bigger in size and sometimes even disproportionate. This increased weight (mostly fat) is now carried by your cervical and thoracic spine causing your shoulders and upper back to be pulled forward.
This increased pull is present 24x 7 on your spine that could eventually or pretty soon start to put increased stress on your joints in the neck/upper back and shoulder.
2. Increased Carrying/Lifting of the Baby
All of a sudden you are now lifting and carrying the baby in your arms several times a day. Not to mention, as the baby grows the weight on your arms will increase putting even more load on your cervical/thoracic spine.
3. Feeding the baby (Breast or Bottle)
Feeding the baby several times a day whether it is breast or bottle requires a lot of looking down and usually leads to a slouched posture that adds up to the forward pull on your cervical and thoracic spine.
Your baby is too cute to not give them eye contact while feeding.
4. Less to No time to Exercise
This one caught me by surprise - as we all make plans to resume our exercise routine as soon as medically cleared (is that only me?). With a newborn, you could easily find yourself with no time to exercise between lack of sleep, your own postpartum recovery and taking care of the baby.
This lack of movement can have a huge negative impact on these aches & pains that may not seem like it on the surface.
Making diligent time to exercise was the only way I could get it done and it does require a lot more effort postpartum. Baby wearing and long walks became my go-to pretty easily as it allowed me to still spend time with my baby as well as get some time to exercise. Not to mention, the baby started enjoying the outdoor views too.
5. Decreased Sleep
Last but not the least, lack of good quality sleep can have a much bigger impact on your physical as well as emotional recovery postpartum. Your body heals itself during a sleep cycle and releases some good hormones after you have had quality sleep. Missing those regular sleep patterns and additional lifting of the baby at night is another big contributor to upper back or shoulder problems.
With that being said, these issues if not addressed right away could easily turn into chronic pain and even serious problems further down the road.
Are you a pregnant or postpartum mom experiencing upper back or shoulder problems? I feel you mama. Feel free to reach out by filling the short InquiryForm here or you can also reach out to me via Email at taruna@healthwatcherspt.com
P.S: I realize that time is a big constraint especially for postpartum mamas and hence we have time saving Customized Online resources just for you!