Pregnancy and Joint Pain - Some Remedies

There are many well known side effects of pregnancy and joint pain is just one of them, although perhaps less well known than morning sickness, swollen ankles and back pain.

It is perhaps, reasonable to expect that there will be additional wear and tear on the joints because of the increase in weight and the redistribution of that weight due to pregnancy and joint pain is the inevitable result. The pelvis, hips, knees and ankles in particular are prone to becoming painful and hormonal changes can contribute to this as well.

In addition to the joints, the muscles which connect them are at risk of overuse as they compensate for the change in body weight and mass particularly in women who didn't usually take exercise prior to becoming pregnant.

Joint pain in pregnancy can be overcome with not too strenuous exercise, for women of any level of fitness. In addition to benefiting the joints, exercise taken on a regular basis can contribute to a shorter period of labour and quicker recovery after the birth.

It is important to consult your doctor before embarking on any exercise regime but generally speaking, low impact exercise is fine during pregnancy including stretching and strengthening work outs and some aerobics too. Don't do anything which affects the abdomen such as sit ups, crunches or weight training after the first three months of pregnancy.

Great exercises for the pelvic floor and hips are simply done at home:

• Tighten your muscles as if you're stopping urination; hold for a count of four. Do this several times about three times a day.

• Squat while holding in your abdominal muscles and pushing back your shoulders. Use a chair or some such for support and to aid standing up again.

• On hands and knees, tense abdominal and buttock muscles which will raise your back like a furious cat; relax and repeat.

Other exercises which will benefit your joints are walking, swimming, dancing and yoga. Specialist pre-natal classes are also a good idea.

While exercising, don't forget to drink plenty of water as this will benefit your baby as well as yourself and don't exercise to the point where you're really tired out.

There are some natural supplements that you can take during pregnancy and joint pain can be eased by these. Consult your doctor before starting to take supplements and remember that some can be actively harmful to your unborn child.