Identifying the muscloskeletal pain in women during and after pregnancy

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify musculoskeletal pain among women who are pregnant and giving birth by cesarian or normal vaginal section. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 602 women (41 pregnant, 582 women postpartum) with mean age 31.61±7.65 years, were included and interviewed in the present study. All subjects were selected randomly in Denizli region and all of them gave their informed consent for participation. 41 pregnant women (6.81%), 125 women (20.8%) delivered by cesarian section, and 457 women (75.9%) delivered normal vaginal section completed a questionnaire dealt with musculoskeletal pain including headache, spinal pain(neck or back pain), and lower extremities joint pain. The questionnaire was constructed on the basis of the literature. RESULT(s): Five hundred and thirty five (88.9%) of 602 women complained musculoskeletal pain. A significant majority of pain was detected as low back pain in pregnant women (61.0%) and in postpartum women (56.3%). Pregnant women also had significantly higher ratio of headache (41.5%), hip pain (34.1%) and leg pain (34.1%), otherwise the postpartum (0-1 year) women had significantly higher value of hip pain (p<0.01). In postpartum nulliparios women, knee pain was significantly higher relative to the matched the other women (p<0.05). Multiple pain complaints were common in both pregnant women and giving birth women. CONCLUSION(s): In this present study, spinal pain particularly low back pain was common musculoskeletal problem in women during pregnancy or after pregnancy. The results of this study suggest that health providers should evaluate musculoskeletal pain for example low back pain in order to plan the most suitable program for pregnant or postpartum women to improve their quality of life.