Hiramoto N1
1Hiroshima International University, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Higashi-hiroshima, Japan
Background: Postpartum women often have physical symptoms triggered by pregnancy and childbirth, such as low back pain ,pelvic girdle pain and urinary incontinence. Although posture is considered to be a cause of the above physical symptoms, there are few studies on posture in postpartum women.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical symptoms in postpartum women, and to compare the saggital spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt of postpartum women with non-parous women.
Methods: 17 women at 3-12 months post-childbirth comprised the study group, and 10 non-parous women volunteers comprised the control group. Postpartum women were inquired about their experience of physical symptoms after childbirth; low back pain, pelvic girdel pain, urinary incontinence, shoulder stiffness, and the others.
Spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt in relaxed standing were measured with the Spinal Mouse® to calculate the means for thoracic and lumbar curvature, sacral inclination. Sacral inclination angle refers to posterior tilt of the pelvis when the value is a small or negative number. Thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles mean kyphosis and lordosis if the value is positive or negative, respectively.
Groups were compared using the paired-t test.
Results: The mean age, height and body weight of the postpartum women were 32.2 ± 3.0 years old, 158.5 ± 5.0 cm, and 49.1 ± 5.3kg. They were 8.1 ± 2.2 months postpartum and had 1.5 ± 0.9 children. Those of the control group were 32.3 ± 3.7 years old, 158.4 ± 7.7cm, and 50.3 ± 6.1kg. There were no significant differences in age, height or body weight between the two groups.
The number of the symptoms were, in decreasing order, low backpain (n=13, 76.5%), urinary incontinence (n=9, 52.9%), shoulder stiffness (n=6, 35.3%), pelvic girdle pain and knee or hip joint pain (n=5, 29.4%), and the others were wrist joint pain, and diastasis recti abdominis.
In the study group, the means of the calculated spinal curvatures were: sacral inclination 10.5 ± 4.0°, thoracic curvature 39.8 ± 7.9°, lumbar curvature -23.8 ± 4.9°. The sacral inclination 18.6 ± 4.2°, thoracic curvature 40.4 ± 8.1°, lumbar curvature -34.6 ± 5.2° were determined for the control group. There were significant differences in sacral inclination and lumbar curvature between these two groups (p 0.01).
Conclusion(s): Many postpartum women showed low back pain and urinary incontinence and the other symptoms in this study. Those symptoms may affect some difficulties for daily activities, especially taking care of children, for the postpartum women. They showed a flat lumbar spinal curvature or decreased lumbar lordosis, and posterior pelvic tilt. These spinal curvatures may be caused by the dysfunction of trunk muscles related to the pregnancy or delivery.
Implications: The curvatures of postpartum women in this study are useful for the basic knowledgement for physical therapy. The relationship between spinal curvatures and physical symptoms need be examined and and identify strategies for prevention and treatment of physical therapy in the future.
Keywords: Postpartum, spine, posture
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 16K12127.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical symptoms in postpartum women, and to compare the saggital spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt of postpartum women with non-parous women.
Methods: 17 women at 3-12 months post-childbirth comprised the study group, and 10 non-parous women volunteers comprised the control group. Postpartum women were inquired about their experience of physical symptoms after childbirth; low back pain, pelvic girdel pain, urinary incontinence, shoulder stiffness, and the others.
Spinal curvatures and pelvic tilt in relaxed standing were measured with the Spinal Mouse® to calculate the means for thoracic and lumbar curvature, sacral inclination. Sacral inclination angle refers to posterior tilt of the pelvis when the value is a small or negative number. Thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles mean kyphosis and lordosis if the value is positive or negative, respectively.
Groups were compared using the paired-t test.
Results: The mean age, height and body weight of the postpartum women were 32.2 ± 3.0 years old, 158.5 ± 5.0 cm, and 49.1 ± 5.3kg. They were 8.1 ± 2.2 months postpartum and had 1.5 ± 0.9 children. Those of the control group were 32.3 ± 3.7 years old, 158.4 ± 7.7cm, and 50.3 ± 6.1kg. There were no significant differences in age, height or body weight between the two groups.
The number of the symptoms were, in decreasing order, low backpain (n=13, 76.5%), urinary incontinence (n=9, 52.9%), shoulder stiffness (n=6, 35.3%), pelvic girdle pain and knee or hip joint pain (n=5, 29.4%), and the others were wrist joint pain, and diastasis recti abdominis.
In the study group, the means of the calculated spinal curvatures were: sacral inclination 10.5 ± 4.0°, thoracic curvature 39.8 ± 7.9°, lumbar curvature -23.8 ± 4.9°. The sacral inclination 18.6 ± 4.2°, thoracic curvature 40.4 ± 8.1°, lumbar curvature -34.6 ± 5.2° were determined for the control group. There were significant differences in sacral inclination and lumbar curvature between these two groups (p 0.01).
Conclusion(s): Many postpartum women showed low back pain and urinary incontinence and the other symptoms in this study. Those symptoms may affect some difficulties for daily activities, especially taking care of children, for the postpartum women. They showed a flat lumbar spinal curvature or decreased lumbar lordosis, and posterior pelvic tilt. These spinal curvatures may be caused by the dysfunction of trunk muscles related to the pregnancy or delivery.
Implications: The curvatures of postpartum women in this study are useful for the basic knowledgement for physical therapy. The relationship between spinal curvatures and physical symptoms need be examined and and identify strategies for prevention and treatment of physical therapy in the future.
Keywords: Postpartum, spine, posture
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 16K12127.
Topic: Musculoskeletal; Musculoskeletal: spine; Women's & men's pelvic health
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Hiroshima International University
Ethics committee: the Hiroshima International University ethics committee
Ethics number: H17-035
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
