Pregnancy is an exciting journey for your little one, but it comes with a few hiccups, like neck pain. Have you lost count of how many sleepless nights you have spent during pregnancy? Are you stuck with neck pain and unable to find a solution? Pregnancy is not an easy journey for everyone. It comes with a lot of body and hormonal changes. Neck pain is widespread during pregnancy. Lifestyle changes, lousy posture, and your growing belly create changes in the body. These changes add up tension and ultimately cause strain and neck pain. Here’s the solution to all your problems. Let’s discuss how to treat neck pain during the third trimester of your pregnancy.
What are the causes of neck pain during the third trimester?ย
The journey of being a mother has never been easy. A lot is going on in your body during the third trimester. These body changes support the growing baby. Here are some significant causes of neck pain during the third trimester.
- Changes in posture: A bending posture while using the phone and working in the office.
- Added weight: Changes in the weight due to the baby changes the spinal curvature leading to neck pain.
- Interrupted sleep: Sleep disturbances are expected during the third trimester. These back-and-forth changes in the posture to find a comfortable position to sleep have an impact on your neck and back.
- Ectopic pregnancy: Suppose you’re 4-12 weeks pregnant and experiencing unbearable pain. Then there must be chances that your egg is not growing in the uterus. You need an immediate follow-up with your doctor.
- Hormones: Relaxin and progesterone cause muscles to loosen to create space for the baby. It also causes neck pain.
How to treat neck pain during the third trimester?ย
Growing a baby inside you is not going to be a silver bullet. But you can try and test simple exercises to ease neck pain during the third trimester.
- Take care of your posture: Keep your head in a neutral position. Try to maintain a balanced posture while sitting or working. Keeping your head and back straight improves spinal curvature, thus reducing neck pain.
- Invest in a pregnancy pillow: Buying a pregnancy pillow will be your best investment in this period. This pillow will become your best friend. It supports your belly. Not only this, but it also helps improve neck, back, leg, and hip joint pain.
- Go for cold or warm compresses: You can take a warm shower or use a heating pad to relieve the pain. Try to use ice packs for over twenty minutes a day on your neck to ease the stiffness.
- Take your supplements: Lack of proper nutrition can also be the cause of neck pain. Eat vegetables and fruits to compensate for the nutritional deficiency in the body. Taking minerals and supplements advised by your gynecologist also relieves the pain.
- Tennis ball trick: You can also use a tennis ball to ease the nagging pain. Use the softball against the wall and between your back. Start rolling it from one side to the other. You can adjust the pressure by using the body weight.
- Neck massage: Massage will relax the muscles of your neck and ease neck pain. Ask your partner or family member for a neck massage. Try coconut oil, lavender oil, or olive oil for massaging. You can also opt for prenatal massages.
An insight from mamahood
Most of the time, neck and shoulder pain gets better with these remedies, but if your neck ache gets worse over the period and spreads over various areas of the body, or pain gets associated with headache and tingling sensations or numbness, report to your doctor immediately.
