Original articles
The relationship between the passage of time and factors associated with back pain in postpartum
2007 Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 2_36-2_45
Details
2007 Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 2_36-2_45
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between back pain and the length of time in postpartum, and to identify the factors associated with those pain symptoms.
Methods
The data were collected three times for postpartum women; one day; five days and one month after delivery. A questionnaire was carried out and the investigation was based on the results of this.
Results
There were a total of 67 postpartum women who were able to provide follow-up data until one month after delivery. The prevalence of back pain of those who completed a full term pregnancy were 58 (86.6%), one day after delivery there were 31 (46.3%), five days after delivery there were 35 (52.2%); one month after childbirth there were 32 (47.8%). Significantly, back pain decreased to around 50% for early postpartum (p<0.001). However, during the following month postpartum there was no significant decrease, and low back pain tended to be persistent.
The back pain intensity five days after delivery was strong so there was much pregnant body weight gain (r=0.392, p<0.01). The degree of difficulty in daily living due to back pain five days after delivery was great, and the physical difficulty of being in labor was great (r=0.381, p<0.01), and therefore the degree of distress in daily living by episiotomy and perineal laceration were also great (r=0.513, p<0.01). In addition, those who suffered with back pain five days after delivery, tended to have only engaged in light labor during pregnancy (p<0.05). If the back pain intensity one month after delivery is strong, the loss of weight rate is small (r=-0.336, p<0.01).
Conclusion
In many cases back pain decreased in early postpartum. However, one month after delivery, back pain persisted in more than 40% of postpartum women. The persistence of back pain in postpartum was associated to the above-mentioned weight gain during pregnancy, physical stress during delivery (supine persistence and perineal breakdown), and the slow rate of weight loss postpartum.
