Why do leg muscles hurt during pregnancy? Physiological changes during pregnancy

Future mothers are afraid of any unpleasant sensations that arise in their body. Especially often pregnant women are worried. Most often, such pains can be explained by physiology, because there is an increased load on all systemic organs. In some situations, muscle pain can be a signal of a serious pathology that is dangerous not only for the female body, but also for the fetus.

Causes of muscle pain in pregnancy

The main cause of muscle pain is hormonal changes in the body. The uterus is supported by a round ligament, during pregnancy it begins to tighten and stretch, so the woman has discomfort.

In pregnant women, the abdominal muscles, both straight and oblique, are very tense and stretched. Those who did not strengthen the abdominal muscles, did not go in for sports at all, endure the tension especially hard. Soreness in the abdominal muscles is not treated separately. But, when it becomes intense and constant, it is urgent to consult your doctor.

Often a woman is most worried about pain in the groin muscles. The discomfort is explained by the effect of the hormone relaxin, which affects the ligaments. In pregnant women, the inguinal muscles can be disturbed in case of varicose veins of the vessels of the womb, as well as an infectious disease in the pelvic organs.

In some situations, the pain does not affect the groin muscles, but only they hurt. Such discomfort is provoked by serious kidney diseases, malfunctions in the digestive system, and constipation.

It is important to know! About 70% of pregnant women experience back pain. They are caused by increased production of the hormone relaxin.

In the dorsal muscles of the pregnant woman, the intervertebral ligaments and pelvic bones relax and expand. The muscle is constantly in hypertonicity, so there is severe pain.

During pregnancy, due to increased body weight, the center of gravity begins to shift. A woman may experience short-term and severe pain in the lumbosacral region, which is explained by compressed vessels and impaired blood flow in the tissues.

The muscles of the legs can also hurt, most often due to flat feet - these reasons provoke muscle hypertonicity. Attention! When the pain in the legs becomes unbearable, a vascular network appears, it is urgent to contact your doctor. Sometimes a mother may be prescribed to wear special compression underwear to reduce pressure in the vascular walls.

Pain in the chest muscles appear with hormonal imbalance. There are such causes of pain:

• The mammary glands increase in size.
• The breast is preparing for the lactation period.
• In the chest, blood circulation and lymphatic outflow increase.

Seizures in a pregnant woman

Sometimes a pregnant woman complains that she is worried about cramps at night. Unpleasant sensations are explained by a lack of vitamins and minerals. Convulsions appear if a woman lacks potassium, magnesium, calcium, while a large amount of phosphate or sodium. An unpleasant convulsive state is typical for pregnant women who lack B vitamins.

It is dangerous when convulsions are triggered by low blood glucose levels. It is she who provides energy to the pregnant woman. If a woman does not eat properly, she may develop convulsive syndrome.

Varicose veins lead not only to pain, but also to the appearance of edema, circulatory disorders. Pregnant women are not recommended to abuse strong tea, coffee. They contain a large amount of caffeine, and it leads to the fact that the body is completely dehydrated, and there are painful sensations in the muscles.

When does a pregnant woman need urgent medical advice?

• The pain does not decrease even when the woman changes body position or comes to rest.
• Muscle pain is sudden, intense and sharp.
• Muscle pain that does not go away within three days.
• Heat.
• There is a sign "", in which tachycardia, sharp pains are disturbing, blood pressure drops, the skin turns pale.
• When strange vaginal discharge begins to appear.

The danger of muscle pain for a pregnant woman

The main threat of muscle pain is the risk of abortion. The main complications include such pathological conditions :

• Rupture of the uterus.
• Aneurysm.
• ectopic pregnancy.
• Hematoma.
• Rupture of an artery.

Examination of a pregnant woman with muscle pain

The first thing to do: forget for a while about physical activity, different types of stress. Remember! During pregnancy, it is forbidden to wear heavy, overexert.

Your doctor may order a blood test that can measure your white blood cell count. It is imperative to pass a urine test to check the organs of the urinary and renal systems.

Methods for the treatment of muscle pain in pregnant women

The attending physician recommends trying to relax and rest, usually this is enough to get rid of the discomfort in the muscles. When pain is provoked by a serious pathological process in the internal organs, appropriate treatment is prescribed.

It is very important that a pregnant woman pays attention to the state of her nervous system, she can often be subjected to serious stress, and they negatively affect the abdominal muscles.

Thus, a pregnant woman should carefully monitor her health. Every unusual sensation should be alarming, because it can threaten your baby. It is recommended to constantly consult with your doctor, do not hide from him what is happening in your body. The gynecologist-obstetrician will tell you what to do next. It will also answer the question of how to prevent the occurrence of muscle pain. You may need to be further examined to find out the causes of discomfort.

Muscle pain during pregnancy is by no means uncommon. A pregnant woman's body goes through a series of physiological changes to accommodate the growing fetus. Pain and discomfort during pregnancy can be symptoms of a variety of problems; however, if you find out that the muscles are the source of pain, then you can get rid of discomfort in a variety of ways.

Steps

Change your lifestyle

Do physical stretching exercises. Increased muscle stiffness can lead to muscle soreness. Try stretching to relieve some tension. Stretching exercises help prevent further increases in muscle tension and reduce pain.

Maintain a healthy weight to avoid overtraining your muscles. The ideal weight gain for the entire duration of pregnancy should be 10-15 kg. Many women put on extra weight during pregnancy, so it's important to talk to your doctor about healthy weight gain (just enough to keep your fetus growing, but no more).

Reduce the intensity of physical activity. Despite the importance of aerobic exercise, it should be remembered that during pregnancy it is necessary to refrain from excessively intense exercise. During pregnancy, you can not exhaust and overload the body, as this can increase pain.

• For pregnant women, the load should be given at a slower pace and in a lighter form. If you're active in the gym, running, cycling, try switching to more moderate activities like yoga or Pilates to reduce muscle strain.
• It would be nice to go swimming, as it gives a very moderate load on the body.

1. Massage the painful areas. Massage provides good blood circulation and oxygen supply to sore muscles. This speeds up the recovery of injured muscle tissue. Oxygen is very important for maintaining the integrity of cells, ensuring their functionality and ability to recover in case of tissue damage.

   Apply ice to the affected area to relieve inflammation. A cold compress with ice in the first 24 hours after the onset of muscle pain can reduce muscle inflammation to a minimum, as it causes narrowing of blood vessels. At the same time, discomfort is reduced due to the fact that the ability of nerve endings to send pain signals to the brain is reduced.

   • To make yourself an ice pack, wrap ice cubes in a towel and apply to the affected area for 20 minutes.

2. Use a heating pad. The use of a heating pad can also reduce muscle pain. The basic principle is to use ice for the first 24-48 hours after the onset of pain, and heat to treat chronic or more persistent pain.

3. Try taking simple pain relievers to reduce pain and inflammation. If the above lifestyle changes and proper nutrition do not help you, then simple painkillers will help you deal with muscle pain during pregnancy. For example, you can relieve pain with a remedy such as paracetamol.

   • Talk to your doctor about what medications are safe (and safe) for you to take during pregnancy.

   Change your diet

   1. Be conscious about your diet. During pregnancy, it is very important to eat a balanced diet, and not just help the fetus grow as big as possible, as certain nutrient deficiencies can also contribute to muscle pain.

      • Eat foods rich in magnesium, a critical mineral for fighting muscle pain. Therefore, eating magnesium-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, boiled spinach, salmon, chard, sesame or broccoli helps with muscle pain.
      • Calcium-rich foods are also useful - calcium acts in conjunction with magnesium, helping to restore muscle performance. Calcium is found in many dairy products, and can also be taken as a dietary supplement (depending on whichever is more convenient for you).
      • During pregnancy, it is recommended to take additional vitamins B6 and B12, especially in case of muscle pain.

   2. Increase your protein intake. Protein is needed in order to repair damaged muscles. For a pregnant woman, the ideal daily protein intake should be at least 70 g. Include at least one type of protein product in every main meal.

      • Good sources of protein include lean meats, beans, shellfish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, and tofu.

   3. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Another cause of muscle pain during pregnancy can be dehydration. You may not be thirsty, but your muscles will need more water to function properly, so make it a habit to drink plenty throughout your pregnancy.

      • Try setting an alarm to go off every hour to remind you that it's time for a drink.

Pregnancy is a time when great changes take place in the body of the expectant mother. From the moment of conception and from the beginning of the development of the fetus, changes occur that affect all vital systems, organs, tissues and, in general, the entire body of a pregnant woman. Now is the time to listen to your body and pay attention to pain and any discharge, because sometimes they can carry some complications.

Abdominal pain

The body of every pregnant woman is unpredictable and mysterious. The ongoing processes amaze and even frighten many expectant mothers. In the first weeks of pregnancy, the stomach hurts, and mothers immediately begin to panic with such pains, but most likely this is just a restructuring and changes in the body so that the course of the disease is successful and the fetus develops under normal conditions.

brown discharge

Also, a special excitement appears when brown discharge comes from the vagina. Of course, we can say that this is the norm, since there is a stretch, but in most cases, such discharge indicates a possible threat of pregnancy. For this reason, if the stomach hurts during pregnancy and brown discharge appears on the underwear, then you should urgently contact a gynecologist.

Abdominal muscle pain

During pregnancy, significant changes also accompany the abdominal muscles, namely the rectus muscles, which run from the ribs to the pubic bone. Until a woman becomes pregnant, the rectus abdominis muscles, which belong to the group of skeletal muscles, form the press, and during pregnancy they support the uterus.

The rectus abdominis and skeletal muscles during pregnancy are forced to support much more weight than before. And because of this, sometimes the abdominal muscles hurt during pregnancy.

If a woman before pregnancy did not lead an active lifestyle and did not do basic physical exercises or exercises, then her skeletal muscles will be less elastic, for this reason the risk of sprains and injuries increases. And in order to avoid stretching and injury, you will need to devote time to special stretching and strength exercises.

Pregnancy can be safely called a time of great changes in the body of the expectant mother. From the moment of conception and as the fetus develops, there are significant changes affecting all vital systems and organs, tissues and the body as a whole. These changes also affect the muscles, primarily the smooth muscles that line the uterus, the walls of blood vessels, the intestines, and surround the eye and hair follicles.

Some smooth muscle groups seem to relax during pregnancy. For example, relaxation of the smooth muscles of the arteries is necessary to dilate blood vessels and reduce pressure - this ensures an increased supply of blood, and with it oxygen and nutrients to the placenta. The smooth muscles of the intestines, in turn, also relax, so that the mother, and with her the baby, receives more nutrients from food.

Strong changes accompany during pregnancy the abdominal muscles - the so-called rectus muscles, which run from the ribs to the pubic bone. Before pregnancy, the rectus abdominis muscles, which belong to the skeletal muscle group, formed the press, but now they support the uterus. The skeletal muscles, including the rectus abdominis, during pregnancy are forced to support and move much more weight than before. And if a woman neglected physical exercises before pregnancy, her skeletal muscles are less elastic, and therefore the risk of injuries and sprains increases. In order to avoid injuries and sprains, it is necessary to devote time to special stretching and strength exercises.

The pelvic floor muscles also experience stress during pregnancy: during the bearing of the baby, they seem to serve as a support for him, and if the birth takes place naturally, these muscles take part in “pushing out” the baby. Often, after childbirth, the muscles of the pelvic floor are weakened: the reason for this may be the rupture of the tissues of the perineum, cutting the perineum to aid in childbirth. Subsequently, a decrease in the elasticity of the pelvic floor muscles can cause weakening of the muscles of the urethra: in this case, a small amount of urine can involuntarily be released through it (especially during laughter, coughing, during physical exertion). You can avoid these problems by resorting to special exercises aimed at strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor.

During pregnancy, the load on the back muscles also increases. The fact is that as the fetus develops, the mother’s center of gravity changes, and hence the usual position of the body. If before pregnancy the back muscles were not strong enough, during the bearing of the baby, the posture of the pregnant woman may change, and her back often hurts. The only way out of this situation is to develop a muscular corset even before pregnancy: you can’t pump back muscles in a position, you can only keep them in good shape.

It is known that in parallel with the development of the baby in the womb, the weight of the pregnant woman also grows - accordingly, the load on the muscles of the legs increases. It is not uncommon for pregnant women to experience cramps in the calf muscles. In order to prevent swelling, varicose veins, you can again use gymnastics for pregnant women, which includes exercises for the muscles of the legs. Cramps of the calf muscles, in turn, occur in pregnant women as a result of a lack of essential vitamins and minerals - calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin D, E and others. In the last stages of pregnancy, in the last trimester, cramps in the calf muscles can provoke varicose veins or inferior vena cava syndrome.

Speaking of muscles during pregnancy, one cannot help but recall the muscles of the chest. During the bearing of the baby, under the influence of hormones and preparing for breastfeeding, the breast increases in size. Accordingly, the load on the pectoral muscles increases. Special gymnastics will help to avoid sagging breasts and maintain their shape - and it is advisable to perform exercises to strengthen the pectoral muscles even before pregnancy.

Most of all women during pregnancy feel muscle pain in different areas of their body - this is almost inevitable. There are so many explanations for this that almost all such pains are considered normal. Meanwhile, in some cases, the expectant mother is obliged to consult a doctor when her muscles hurt during pregnancy in order to prevent dangerous complications.

Muscle pain in early and late pregnancy

There are different muscle groups in our body, and all of them are affected by the onset of pregnancy. Some of them begin to relax, others, on the contrary, are reduced. And, of course, a new state and mode of operation cannot pass without a trace. Often, a pregnant woman experiences discomfort and pain in the muscles, and sometimes pain in the bones, tendons, or even internal organs gives off to the muscle tissue. And such changes begin from the first days after conception, when the female hormonal background begins to rebuild.

First of all, the level of the hormone progesterone increases significantly, which creates all the conditions necessary for the development of the embryo and prepares the breast for the upcoming feeding. One of these conditions is the relaxation of the smooth muscles lining the surface of the uterus (so that the uterus does not contract and does not reject the fetus) and the walls of the blood vessels (so that they can more easily withstand the load and better transport blood, the volume of which is now significantly increasing).

At the same time, the hormone estrogen is activated, which stimulates the growth of the uterus. But its increased amount is associated with a violation of the electrolyte and water-salt balance in the body, which is fraught with muscle pain as well.

In addition, from the first days after conception, the hormone relaxin begins to be produced, the main task of which is to prepare the body of a pregnant woman for the upcoming birth. Relaxin helps to soften the tendons, ligaments and divergence of the pelvic bones, which is necessary for a more successful progress of the baby through the birth canal. But such processes also cause many "side effects". For example, the musculoskeletal system becomes weaker, the pubic bones diverge, and pain occurs in different areas. As a rule, a woman begins to feel them at a later date, starting from the second trimester. They are also joined by abdominal pain due to training contractions, which may appear after 20 weeks.

In general, the entire musculoskeletal system is involved in the process of changes with the onset of pregnancy. As a result, muscles in the chest, abdomen, back, lower back, pelvis, groin, and legs can hurt. And even the heart muscle thickens, because it has to pump up to 6-7 liters of blood!

In general, there are a large number of factors that can indirectly or directly cause muscle pain in pregnant women at different gestation periods. And some uncomfortable sensations may have a completely different localization, but feel like muscle pain. Among these reasons, physicians call, in particular:

• activity of female sex hormones during pregnancy;
• muscle weakness;
• carrying multiple or repeated pregnancies (with each subsequent abdominal muscles weaken more and more);
• training bouts;
• constipation, bloating;
• infectious, inflammatory processes (mainly in the organs of the genitourinary system), they mainly "give" to the groin;
• neurological disorders (nerve infringement, hernia);
• cardiovascular pathologies;
• inflammatory processes in the musculoskeletal tissues;
• infringement of inguinal hernias;
• injury.

Muscles of the abdomen, back, perineum, legs hurt during pregnancy

All sorts of muscle pain is experienced by most pregnant women at different gestation periods. Weak, physically undeveloped, inelastic muscles hurt more often in women who do not regularly engage in sports or physical education, do not maintain muscle tone. Indeed, in this case, “not trained” muscle fibers cannot easily stretch and contract, which happens during the period of bearing a child.

A big risk factor is also excess weight, which aggravates the course of pregnancy in general. Among other things, a large body weight exerts strong additional loads on the musculoskeletal system, which even without this increase under the weight of the growing uterus and fetus.

However, even slender athletic girls are not immune from the appearance of muscle pain with the onset of pregnancy. Most often, pregnant women hurt such muscles:

• In a stomach. We are talking about the rectus abdominis muscles, which stretch vertically on both sides of the abdomen - from the lower sections of the sternum to the pubic bone - and are separated from each other by a strip of connective tissue - the so-called white line. The function of these muscles is to maintain the abdominal press. But during pregnancy, they mainly hold the uterus and other internal organs. The abdominal muscles are constantly stretched under intra-abdominal pressure, and this can cause pain, as well as provoke excessive stretching of the press muscles - diastasis. Pain can be provoked by physical activity, trauma. In the middle of the term, pain in the navel may appearwhen the uterus presses on it with the greatest force.
• In the lower abdomen. Here, pain is usually felt in the ligaments that hold the uterus. The uterus is not only constantly growing, but also gradually rises higher and higher, leaving the boundaries of the pelvic ring. At the same time, the ligaments with which this organ is attached are increasingly stretched - and this is accompanied by painful sensations. In addition, from the first weeks, the muscles of the uterus can come into tone, and this tension is accompanied by soreness (and it can radiate to the perineum), and often also by bloody discharge from the vagina (and in this case, you should definitely consult a doctor urgently) .
• In the back, waist. The more the tummy grows, the more the posture of the expectant mother changes. The center of gravity of the body shifts, the internal organs are pushed out of their usual places, and as a result, the spine and back are forced to strain more to maintain balance. If a pregnant woman wears heels, then this tension and, accordingly, the pain increase. The muscles of this zone are constantly in a tense state, and over time, pain in the lower back and back appears. It should also be noted that it is this area (along with the lower abdomen) that is affected by the pain that occurs during contractions: it is of a girdle character.
• Between the legs, in the groin. It is in this area that the muscles and ligaments relax, and by the end of the term, the bones also diverge. This is necessary to facilitate the progress of the baby in childbirth, but such processes are often accompanied by pain in the perineum and even the development of symphysitis (inflammation of the pubic joint). Problems are more likely to occur in physically unprepared women, and the risks increase with each subsequent pregnancy. Varicose veins, urogenital infections, constipation, inguinal hernia, etc. can be causes of groin pain. A woman may feel pain in the perineum due to kicking the baby, especially if it is located across the uterus. A few days before the onset of labor, the baby's head will begin to sink into the pelvic ring - and there is a painful feeling of pressure between the legs.
• In the legs The legs, probably, have the biggest burden, because they are forced to "carry" the weight, which is increasing every day. Even gait changes, due to an increase in body weight, blood circulation in the lower extremities worsens. In this regard, the legs during pregnancy are very tired and can hurt, especially with flat feet. Painful calf cramps often occur (especially at night, during sleep), which can also be caused by a lack of trace elements, and inferior vena cava syndrome appears.

What to do if the abdominal muscles hurt during pregnancy

Muscle tissue needs to be trained and maintained in good shape. And one of the reasons is that this will avoid the appearance of muscle pain during pregnancy or significantly reduce such manifestations. But during the bearing of a child, increased physical activity is prohibited. A woman is only allowed to attend special classes for pregnant women.

Well strengthen the muscles of the perineum Kegel exercises, which are allowed to be done by pregnant women.

In any case, the motor load at this time should be quite active, as far as the state of your health and the course of the pregnancy itself allows. Daily walking will serve as a good prevention of excess weight, headaches, constipation and other problems.

A prenatal bandage will help to facilitate the wearing of the tummy, but you should definitely consult with your doctor on this matter: is it advisable to use it, is it permissible and what kind of bandage should you choose specifically for you.

To avoid leg cramps, you should ensure that you get enough potassium, calcium, magnesium, B and E vitamins in your diet, as well as stop smoking and do not abuse caffeine.

In general, if the muscles hurt due to the onset of pregnancy, then this trouble will simply have to be experienced: soon after the birth, it should disappear. Transient pains are considered normal, the causes of which are directly pregnancy.

But in some cases, muscle pain should be a reason to see a doctor if it:

• occurs abruptly, suddenly, is intense and intensifies;
• does not disappear and does not decrease when changing the position of the body, at rest;
• does not disappear for three or more days in a row (even if the pain is not severe);
• accompanied by fever, dangerous vaginal discharge or other signs;
• occurs in the perineum and sharply radiates to the lower back, accompanied by an increase in blood pressure and a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen (indicates the development of polyhydramnios);
• combined with a drop in blood pressure, increased heart rate, blue skin (signs of an "acute abdomen");
• accompanied by retention or incontinence of urine, feces.

Such pain, most likely, is pathological in nature and requires the search and elimination of the cause that caused it.

Especially for - Larisa Nezabudkina