Low back pain and kinesiophobia in pregnant women

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

During pregnancy, many pregnant women experience lumbopelvic pain due to mechanical, systemic, and hormonal reasons and this pain and fear of movement (kinesiophobia) causes daily life limitations.

OBJECTIVE:

To examine low back pain (LBP), kinesiophobia, disability, and related conditions that develop together during pregnancy.

METHODS:

The was a cross-sectional and analytical study. The presence, severity, and duration of pain in the lumbopelvic region were questioned. Postpartum LBP was evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire, disability using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), pain intensity using a visual analog scale (VAS), physical activity levels using the physical activity level during pregnancy questionnaire and the international physical activity questionnaire short form, and kinesiophobia was evaluated using the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia.

RESULTS:

The study comprised 120 pregnant women with a mean age of 27.4 $\pm$ 6.1 years. It was observed that 42.3% of the pregnant had LBP ( $n=$ 69). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 73.6 $\pm$ 16.2 kg/m², and the mean VAS score was 5.5 $\pm$ 2 cm. When we divided the group according to the presence of LBP, age ( $p=$ 0.49), gestational week ( $p=$ 0.75), and gravida ( $p=$ 0.81) were similar. BMI ( $p=$ 0.038) and ODI scores ( $p<$ 0.001) were higher in the group with LBP.

CONCLUSION:

LBP in pregnant women has a higher frequency than in the normal population, regardless of age, gestational week, and gravida. Obesity appears to be a risk factor for LBP and increases disability. Kinesiophobia in pregnant women is significantly associated with obesity and disability. Unless there are contraindications, a physically active pregnancy process and regular exercise should be recommend.