TITLE:
Exercise and pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy. Are there any associations?
AUTHORS:
Lene Annette Hagen Haakstad, Elisabeth Wiken Telenius, Kari Bø
KEYWORDS:
Exercise; Pelvic Girdle Pain; Pregnancy; Work Strain
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.3 No.7,
August
13,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: To date, there is scant knowledge and inconsistent results
about physical activity, exercise and job strain in relation to pelvic girdle
pain (PGP). Hence, the aims of the present study were: 1) determine prevalence
of PGP and severe PGP during pregnancy and 2) compare background and
lifestyle factors in addition to total physical activity level (at work,
commuting, housework and recreational exercise) in those who experienced PGP
and those who did not in pregnancy. Methods: Healthy pregnant women (n = 467)
were allocated to the study from Oslo University Hospital, Norway. The
participants filled in a validated self-administered questionnaire, Physical-Activity-Pregnancy-Questionnaire
(PAPQ) in gestation-week 32 - 36. The questionnaire contained 53 questions with nine specific questions addressing PGP.
The key question on PGP was asked cross-sectionally and also posed
retrospectively for pre-pregnancy, 1st and 2nd trimester (During this pregnancy, did you experience any PGP?) (“Yes
versus No”). Results: More than
half of the women (57.5%) reported to suffer from PGP, with 18.4% reporting
severe PGP. Compared the no-PGP group, women with PGP were significantly more
likely to be sick-listed, multiparous, they perceived their job to be
physically demanding, as well as had physically demanding household chores,
including childcare. In addition, they were more prone to have experienced PGP
in previous pregnancies and suffered from
urinary incontinence (UI) in the current pregnancy. Most women with severe
PGP reported to be sedentary in the 3rd trimester; however they
performed more strengthening exercises at home than the women without PGP. Severe
PGP also showed an association with standing/walking ≥50% at work. Conclusion:
Women who exercised regularly in the 3rd trimester were less
likely to report PGP, while job strain was associated with higher prevalence of
PGP. There is a need for a prospective study with larger sample size to further
evaluate if exercise has any causal association with PGP.