MUSCULOSKELETAL CHANGES IN PREGNANCY

Pregnancy is a normal physiological condition that alters the biomechanics, hormone regulation and vascular dynamics to provide a suitable environment for fetal growth. These physiological alterations are associated with a diverse array of musculoskeletal problems. The musculoskeletal changes vary and intensify as pregnancy progresses through the trimesters. The first trimester includes low back pain and muscle cramps the second includes low back pain, cramps, edema, and carpal tunnel syndrome, whereas the third includes mental stress, leg cramps, edema, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Low back pain is the most common condition, with a prevalence of approximately 30% to 70%.The higher prevalence is due to socio-cultural and environmental factors like housework and working conditions, multipara, increased body mass index before pregnancy, anxiety, depression, violence, and poor antenatal care. The major reasons for musculoskeletal pain include 1) Hormonal surges that increase joint laxity, creating joint pain 2) Weight gain, changing the center of gravity and altering posture, producing low back pain and pelvic girdle pain 3) Fluid retention compressing the soft tissue, presenting conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome and tarsal tunnel syndrome and 4) Neuro-mechanical changes which can disrupt gait, leading to imbalance and reduced equilibrium, which increases the risk of falls. These factors lead to changes in the structure from decreasing bone density to softening the ligament, changes from posture to neurological and vascular alterations. This literature will have an explanation about how the given factors hormonal surges, weight gain, fluid retention, along with other factors work synchronously to create the pain during and after pregnancy.