Water exercises can help relieve back and pelvic pain – two symptoms that affect many pregnant women.
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(Photo: barkertherapy.com) |
Among healthy pregnant women, those who engage in water exercise once a week experience less back pain and take fewer sick days compared to those who exercise on land weekly.
More than one-third of women experience back pain during pregnancy, which increases the risk of experiencing back pain even after giving birth, according to Swedish researchers.
To compare the effectiveness of water-based versus land-based exercises in reducing back and pelvic pain in pregnant women, researchers assigned 390 healthy pregnant women to participate in one of two exercise forms, once a week.
The exercises were specially designed for pregnant women, including 45 minutes of exercise followed by 15 minutes of relaxation. Women began their workouts at the 19th week of pregnancy.
The results showed that pregnant women who exercised in water reported less back pain compared to those who exercised on land, and while none of the women exercising in water had to take sick leave due to back pain, six women in the land exercise group did.
“Pregnant women should be encouraged to continue physical exercises for as long as possible. Water exercise is both simple and cost-effective,” the researchers noted.
M.T
