Could your back pain be coming from your hips?
When your hips are out of line, which so commonly happens to moms — the result can be lower back pain, knee pain, ankle and pelvis pain, and even digestive issues.
We all have back pain from time to time, but as moms we tend to get it more often (and even more so if you have Diastasis Recti - don't know what diastasis recti is check out this article HERE)
This back pain may not just result from a weakened core due to diastasis recti, but could be a result of mis-aligned hips - or as I like to call it MOM-HIP
So what is "mom-hip"?
Watch any mom in the store or walking down the road with a toddler and a baby and you will see the classic "mom-hip".
You know toddler on one hip and other hand pushing a stroller, OR baby bucket seat on one arm and toddlers hand in your other hand, and don't even talk to me about the change bag ...
That whole mom carry everything syndrome that we all have (out of necessity I might add) is one of causes if hip misalignment.
Which essentially means that your hips are out of alignment - often with one hip being higher than the other.
What are the main causes of this "mom-hip" or hip misalignment
1) Giving birth, when the babies head puts more pressure on one ischium than the other - check out this article HERE for more information
2) Carrying your child on one hip (normally the same hip)
3) Carrying a change bag (or large purse) whilst standing/walking in poor posture
4) Crossing your legs when seated (that is if you even get time to sit!)
What can I do?
Carrying your child
Our bundles of joy get heavy quickly!
And we are often in a hurry multi-tasking so we try to compensate for our heavy load by using whatever means possible—a jutted hip, arched back, twisting your torso.
When carrying your child try to:
STOP
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Arching your lower back.
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Jutting out your hip to support your childs weight.
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Tucking your bum under
START
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Center your kid in front of you.
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Use your arms and core to hold their weight.
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Switch sides often if needing to put them on one side to multi-task
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Get them to walk more
Carrying the change bag/purse
We tend to stuff our change bags with everything that we might possibly need and then end up both bulky and heavy!
And if we carry them (or a purse) on one side we tend adjust our posture to compensate
Stop
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Carrying a big change bag or purse.
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Don’t wear it in the same position i.e. on the same shoulder.
Start
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Lightening your load.
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Find a cross-body bag which can better distribute the weight. Or ideally a backpack option.
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If you are wearing a traditional one-strap purse, switch sides frequently.
Crossing your legs
Sitting with your legs crossed puts your hips in a twisted position, which can lead to the rotation of one of your pelvic bones.
Watch this video on sitting for what to do instead.
If you are concerned about your pelvic alignment, and overall posture please schedule a full posture assessment with me below.
Chiropractors and some physical/physio therapists are specifically trained to identify pelvic misalignment.
Share your thoughts below! And if you found this interesting please share.