Upper back pain and chest tightness during pregnancy?

Pregnancy itself is a very difficult thing for women, especially in the middle and late stages of pregnancy. Not only is it inconvenient to move, but it also causes some discomfort to the pregnant mothers. For example, some pregnant mothers experience back pain during pregnancy. In fact, these are all normal phenomena, and pregnant mothers don’t have to worry too much. After a woman becomes pregnant, her belly will gradually grow, which can easily cause the back to tilt backward, causing back pain.

Back pain in pregnancy refers to symptoms such as pain and soreness in the back of a pregnant woman during pregnancy. This is a common symptom in pregnant women and there is no need to worry too much. However, some pregnant women may experience other symptoms in addition to back pain. At this time, you need to pay attention and seek medical attention if necessary. As the fetus grows, the pregnant woman's abdomen needs to stretch to accommodate the enlarged uterus. Because the abdominal muscles stretch far beyond their normal stretch during pregnancy and lose their normal role in maintaining body posture, the lower back has to bear more weight and pressure to maintain body posture.

Causes:

1. The uterus needs to expand space

As the fetus grows, the woman's abdomen stretches to accommodate the enlarged uterus. Because the abdominal muscles stretch far beyond their normal stretch during pregnancy and lose their normal role in maintaining body posture, the lower back has to bear more weight and pressure to maintain body posture.

2. Secretion of relaxin hormone

During pregnancy, the concentration of the hormone relaxin in the pregnant woman's body is 10 times that of a non-pregnant woman. The function of relaxin is to relax the joints in the pelvis so that there is room for the baby to pass through the birth canal. Unfortunately, relaxin may also cause looseness in other joints in the body, leading to inflammation and pain.

The causes of this pain are the same for pregnant women as for everyone else. Poor posture, improper lifting techniques, weak or tight muscles, or injuries can cause back pain by putting stress on the ligaments, muscles, pelvis, and joints. Generally speaking, pregnant women who experience this type of back pain already had problems before pregnancy. Back pain is often worse in the afternoon or evening, or after you've been standing for a long time. This is because the weight of you and your baby causes your muscles to tire and your ligaments to loosen slightly.

Differential Diagnosis

Chest tightness and shortness of breath in pregnant women: After pregnancy, you may experience chest tightness and shortness of breath, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy when exhaling. Excluding heart problems, this is a normal phenomenon. First, the enlarged abdomen during pregnancy causes increased abdominal pressure, which affects the respiratory movement of the diaphragm and thoracic respiratory muscles. Secondly, compression of the inferior vena artery and vein reduces the amount of blood returning to the heart, and the fetus's metabolic waste is discharged into the mother's blood, causing a slight imbalance of the mother's blood electrolytes, mainly mild acidosis.

Lower abdominal pain in pregnant women: During pregnancy, lower abdominal pain caused by blockage or malnutrition of the uterine vessels and poor circulation of qi and blood is called pregnancy abdominal pain. The pathogenesis of this disease is mainly blood deficiency, qi stagnation, deficiency-cold, etc., which lead to obstruction of the uterine vessels or malnutrition of the uterine vessels, poor circulation of qi and blood, and thus abdominal pain. The lesions are only in the uterine vessels and have not yet damaged the fetus. However, in severe cases, the fetus may be affected due to uterine vessel blockage, blood circulation obstruction, and fetal malnutrition.

Stomachache in pregnant women: Stomachache in pregnant women refers to a disease in which pregnant women often experience pain near the heart or a strong burning sensation in the stomach.

Mitigation methods

prevention:

1. The best way to treat shoulder pain during pregnancy is to give overworked muscles adequate rest. In addition, avoiding heavy lifting and applying local heat or massage to the pain area can help.

2. In order to avoid and reduce lower back pain during pregnancy, women who are planning pregnancy can stretch and move the joints of the body before and during the early stages of pregnancy (the first 3 months). You can consult a specialist for appropriate actions.