Pregnancy is a phase of life in a woman’s life when she undergoes many major and minor body changes and experiences sensations and feelings which she has never experienced before. One such sensation that a pregnant woman may experience is rib pain. Many pregnant ladies complain of rib pain during the third trimester of pregnancy but some may experience this even earlier. This pain in the ribs can range from mild to extreme and is often discomforting. This soreness of the ribs is caused due to pressure of the growing uterus or due to the kicking or punching of the baby. Rib pain is more prevalent while in the sitting position.
There are some ways through which you can find relief from rib pain during the time of pregnancy. The following are some of the most effective methods:
Relief and Treatment
While there is no permanent cure or method of completely eliminating the pain, you can find temporary relief by following some of the tips mentioned below:
- Make sure you wear loose fitting clothes during the time of pregnancy so as to minimize the feeling of discomfort.
- When you are in the lying down position, make sure you make yourself extremely comfortable by supporting yourself with cushions.
- Make sure you do not hunch over and sit as straight as you can. While supporting your back, you must make efforts to create more room.
- For pregnant women, sitting down in one position can be even more painful for the ribs and hence make it a point to get up for short breaks or short walks.
- If you are experiencing a lot of pain in the ribs, then you can try using cold packs or heat packs for temporary relief.
- Exercises which help you to stretch out can prove effective for relieving the pain.
- A nice hot shower with luke warm water is another way to relieve the pain and avoid it from coming back atleast for a few hours.
- If the pain in unbearable, then you must contact your doctor and ask for a medications. But remember that you must avoid medications to as much extent as you can during pregnancy.
Exercise for Treating Rib Pain During Pregnancy
Stretching or doing some light exercises is the best solution for avoiding rib pain. Below given are some of the instructions that you can follow:
- Stand facing a wall and keep your feet about 40 cms from it.
- Now cross your arms right in front of your face and lean the crossed arms on the wall by sliding them above your head level. Stretch yourself as much as you can in this position.
- You must hold this position as long as possible and till it is comfortable for you to do so.
- What this exercise does is that it tends to lift the diaphragm up and also lifts the ribs.
- If the pain in the ribs is caused due to the baby’s hard head wedged under your ribs, this can be a very useful stretching exercise.
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