Pregnancy induced biomechanical, hormonal, and vascular changes can increase the risk of musculoskeletal problems in pregnancy. As your baby grows, extra weight can place mechanical stress on the back, hip, and pelvis. Additionally, hormonal changes cause the surrounding ligaments and muscles to loosen and relax, which can place more stress on joints. Finally, fluid retention leads to compression of soft tissue structures. As a result, musculoskeletal pain is extremely common.

Musculoskeletal problems have been shown to be a major source of disabilities and loss of work among pregnant women. Although these problems are common, you should not accept them as a side effect of pregnancy. In many cases, physiotherapy can effectively treat and resolve your pain. For example, it is known that if pregnancy related pelvic pain is left untreated, it can last for up to 2 years. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you seek advice from a trained physiotherapist.