Time and again I keep hearing pregnant women and mothers complain about how their backs stiffen and hurt.
But most importantly, they’re seeking for a safe way to relieve the pain or crack their backs carefully.
The growing belly creates stress on your back muscles and spinal cord, which causes pain to an extent.
Besides, hormonal changes can also cause pressure on your back and neck muscles.
This is why I decided to put together this article on how to crack your back while pregnant.
And to think that this is a major concern for pregnant women, I suppose this guide is a necessary one after all.
Cracking your back while pregnant can be painful but it can help relieve the pain in your back, neck, and shoulders.
It can also improve your posture and flexibility.
Ways on How To Crack Your Back While Pregnant
When you’re cracking your back, you’re adjusting your spine.
And those popping sounds you get while cracking tend to create a sense of relief—something like the “aha moment” feeling.
However, those popping sounds are not necessary to feel relieved whenever you have to loosen yourself from those stiffed areas.
Just make sure you’re not forcing anything or doing it too much.
During pregnancy, your body produces a hormone called relaxin that helps your ligaments stretch and makes your joints more mobile.
That’s why pregnant women often experience back pain.
Relaxin also softens the discs between the bones in your spine, which are located near your spinal cord and nerves.
If you have back pain during pregnancy, talk to your doctor about ways you can manage it safely.
Meanwhile, here are 10 ways on how to crack your back while pregnant.
Child’s pose (Balasana)
Get into the child’s pose by kneeling with your bottom resting on your heels, knees slightly wider than hip-distance apart.
Lean forward until you are resting on your forearms, shoulder-width apart.
Let your head hang down and focus on breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth while you hold this position for up to a minute.
This pose is one of the best ways on how to crack your back while pregnant and is also great for relieving stiffness and pain in the lower back and hips.
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Lie flat on your stomach with the tops of your feet pressed to the floor while your legs position straight behind.
Straighten your hand with the palms pressing to the ground just below your elbow and shoulders
Slowly arch your back up off the floor as far as possible (avoid straining your back), holding for ten seconds before releasing back down to the floor.
Repeat up to five times or until you feel some relief in your lower back muscles.
Cat-Cow Pose (Bitilasana)
This pose is a very good one during pregnancy because it relieves you of back pain and helps to keep the spine flexible.
Also, at any stage during the pregnancy (especially the second or third trimester), this position still works and can be done between 30 seconds to a minute (preferably).
To do this pose, you have to go on all fours like a toddler, then move the pelvis forward and backward.
Sometimes this pose can cause pain in your wrist. If that happens, slowly lower your forearms to the ground.
Keep your wrist below your shoulders while your knees are positioned below your hips.
And if your knees can’t bear hard floors, use a yoga mat to soften the feel.
Lying Down Twist
The lying-down twist is another pose to consider while considering how to crack your back while pregnant.
To achieve this, lay on your back and stretch out both arms horizontally.
Ensure they’re in line with your shoulders.
Bend both of your knees, bringing your feet close to your buttocks. Also, position the soles of your feet in a way they’re well fixed to the ground.
Now swing both of your knees to the left, till the point where it touches the ground.
The right knee and thigh have to be resting on the left knee and thigh.
While doing this, simultaneously turn your head to the right, looking through your arm to your palm (the opposite direction of where you swung your knees).
Repeat this process for both sides and make sure you turn your head to the opposite direction of wherever you’re swinging your knees to.
Each position (on each side) should be held for about five breathing cycles.
The lying-down twist is an amazing way of opening and strengthening the lower back. They open through the chest and the shoulders.
While doing the pose, certain spot checks need to be considered. For instance, ensure your shoulder blades are touching the ground.
However, one of the shoulder blades will probably get off the ground while the body is twisted in a given direction and that’s okay.
Just ensure one remains fixed to the ground because that’s the condition that makes this position effective.
While holding the pose, do an inhalation and exhalation routine as you twist. It helps you to relax deeper and detoxify your body.
The inhale brings fresh oxygen to the abdominal organs while the exhale flushes them out.
Occasionally bring your head to the center and straighten your legs and body (torso).
Ab Crunch With Exercise Ball
This ab crunch requires an exercise ball.
Don’t worry if you don’t have one.
You can always get them from Amazon at cost-effective rates, ranging from $14 to $50.
To do this exercise, sit upright on the exercise ball with both feet touching the ground.
Now walk your feet to keep them ahead of your knees. Keep walking until your lower back touches the exercise ball.
Your torso should be inclined with your hips lower than your shoulders, while both feet remain flat on the ground with your knees bent.
Now place your hands behind your head or on the floor or just leave your hands on your chest, contract your abs toward your spine, and lift your head, arms, and shoulders up and forward.
Ensure the ball is not placed on a smooth or slippery surface, to keep it from slipping out from under you. Respond to any discomfort by quitting immediately.
Seated Side Stretch
The seated side stretch is targeted towards the side body which includes the obliques (the flat muscle that forms the external layers of each of the abdominal wall) and other small muscles between your ribs.
To achieve this pose, you begin by taking the sukhasana pose (the cross-legged position).
Now place one hand to the ground (by your side) with your palm well fixed to the ground as well.
The next thing you should do is lift the other arm over your head and bend to the other side.
While you’re bending to the other side, your torso should be extended as well in the same direction.
Hold this pose for at least 5 seconds then switch to the other side. Finally, don’t force more than it can bend.
Single-Leg Hamstring Stretch (Seated)
The single-leg hamstring stretch is a pose carried out to target places like the hamstrings, the lower back, and the adductor muscles.
Just in case you need to joggle your memory a little, the hamstrings are skeletal muscles at the back of your thigh that enhance leg movements like walking, climbing, squatting, etc.
3 muscles make up the hamstrings and that includes the Biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus.
While the adductors are just any muscles that draw a part of the body towards its median line or the axis of an extremity.
So, to do this pose, sit upright, then extend one leg straight (diagonal) in front of you with your other leg bent to enable the sole to rest on the inner thigh of the leg that’s already positioned diagonally.
Now lean over and hold onto your foot (the diagonal one) for about 2 seconds.
Then return to your upright position and turn inward towards the space between your legs.
Lean over towards the bent foot, placing your forehand on the floor also holding up for about 2 seconds as well.
Keep repeating this action on both feet.
While holding your positions, inhale as you lift your torso and exhale as you lean forward, holding onto your foot.
In positions like this, sometimes the floor could be painful for the bent knee. If that happens, use a yoga mat or place a pillow under the bent knee.
Understand: Because of your pregnancy, you might not be able to get your hands to hold onto your diagonal foot.
If that happens to be the case, don’t bother. Just place your forehands on the floor and carry on with the exercise.
If you carry out this exercise appropriately, you’d feel the stretch in your inner thigh and lower back.
Seated Spinal Twist
The seated spinal twist is a pose designed to straighten the spine and the back.
This pose eases up the nervous system and helps you relax during pregnancy.
To do this pose, sit upright in a cross-legged position or just attach one foot to the other thigh.
Now place your hand on the opposite knee while the other hand is placed behind you.
Twist your body towards the direction of the hand being placed on the opposite knee and look behind you.
Hold this position for about 5 to 10 seconds then carefully return to your normal position and repeat the action on the opposite side.
Unlike other twists, I love this particular pose because it’s not that intense for the pelvic region provided you thread carefully with it.
The Bridge Pose
This position is great for the pelvic region and relieves lower back pain. It also extends toward stretching the hip flexors.
To do this pose, lie flat on your back. Now bring your knees upward and push your feet towards your buttocks so the soles of your feet are flat on the ground.
Maintaining that position, lift your pelvic area to create a diagonal line from your chest to your knee joint while your feet are still flat on the ground.
Hold this position for about 10 to 15 seconds (depends on how long your body can last in that position) then slowly lower your body to rest.
Repeat the action for as much as you can.
Tip: to hold this pose longer, place a yoga bolster under your hips to support the suspension.
Standing Shoulder Opener
Last on the list is the Standing Shoulder Opener, designed to ease up the hamstrings, the lower back, and the chest region.
To do this pose, get a chair with a back (waist level).
Stand at arm’s length behind the chair with some space behind you as well.
Now bend forward and place your hands on the back of the chair, with your hands stretched, and your legs and thighs well straightened, hinging at the hips.
Make sure when you bend forward towards the chair, your hands are positioned in line with the height of the chair (or whatever feels comfortable for you).
Hold this position for about 10 to 20 seconds, release yourself to rest a little then repeat.
Conclusion
For the most part, it’s important for pregnant women to seek advice from a doctor before engaging in most of the above-mentioned poses.
Morning sickness, energy levels, or general discomfort is something most women encounter during pregnancy and they also influence how active you’ll be in carrying out the aforementioned exercises.
The idea is, if, at any point in carrying out any stretch or exercise, you feel any sort of discomfort, just stop immediately and take a good rest.
Do let us know what you think in the comment section.
