Featuring Dr. Maziar Badii, MD, FRCP

Duration: 1 minute, 27 seconds

Back pain in pregnancy is typically a pain that’s felt deep down in the lower back, and it tends to shoot down into one or both buttocks.

Typically, it doesn't radiate all the way down into the calf or foot, although pregnant women can get herniated discs and sciatic-type pain. The most common one is a low-grade pain deep down that extends into the buttocks. And following some simple rules of thumb can help with that kind of pain, both to avoid it and what to do if you start experiencing that kind of pain.

Keep in mind though, that low deep pain in the lower back or deep down in the pelvis can sometimes, especially in the later parts of the pregnancy, be a sign of pre-term or term labor.

So if there is any question that you might be going into labor, it’s of course important to see your healthcare professional. Also keep in mind that if the back pain is quite severe, in fact, if it’s out of proportion to the pain that you’ve had before the pregnancy, or throughout the earlier parts of the pregnancy, especially if it’s accompanied by things like vaginal bleeding or discharge, it’s important to see your healthcare provider or your family physician, or your specialist to make sure that you’re not dealing with something serious that needs urgent attention.

You might visit a rheumatologist for information on what is, conditions, side effects, symptoms and treatments related to prenatal back pain, joint pain during pregnancy, and musculoskeletal conditions.

Presenter: Dr. Maziar Badii, Rheumatologist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Rheumatologist