Do spinal and epidural anesthesia during cesarean section cause back pain?

This is an automatically translated article.

Posted by Doctor Dinh Van Loc - Department of General Surgery, Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital

Back pain after cesarean section is the most worried thing for mothers when learning about the method of "painless delivery" and spinal anesthesia, epidural anesthesia. Scientifically, there is no research that shows that postpartum back pain is caused by anesthesia.

1. Spinal anesthesia is not the cause of postpartum back pain

In fact, 50% of women who do not use anesthesia "painless delivery" during childbirth, still have back pain after giving birth. Postpartum back pain can be caused by the following reasons: the change in the shape of the spine during pregnancy, stretching of the ligaments in the lumbar spine, inappropriate posture when living, sitting,... However, if the pain is painful due to epidural or spinal anesthesia at the injection site, it resolves on its own in 48 hours.
Up to 50% of mothers have back pain in the first month after giving birth. However, back pain due to complications from epidural or spinal anesthesia is quite rare, especially pain that develops after many years of stabilization without serious problems related to previous anesthesia. .
Spinal anesthesia for caesarean section or continuous epidural for painless delivery is a technique that involves the introduction of anesthetic drugs with analgesic effect into the spinal cavity or epidural space to inhibit the conduction process. Pain is felt from the spinal cord to the brain.
Complications of epidural or spinal anesthesia most commonly occurring during or shortly after anesthetic administration include: tremor, pruritus, hypotension. In addition, back pain at the needle puncture site and headache may appear in the first days because the needle causes a small injury to the ligament between the two vertebrae and the pain will disappear as soon as the needle wound is healed.
The location of spinal anesthesia for caesarean section or epidural for painless delivery is also in the lumbar region. Therefore, many people assume that it is the cause of back pain without knowing that the associated cause of postpartum back pain has been hidden since the beginning of pregnancy.

2. What causes women to have back pain after giving birth?

Calcium deficiency
During pregnancy, the mother needs adequate calcium, phosphorus and other nutrients such as folic acid, vitamins A, D, B1.... However, if the diet Women at this time can not meet the calcium needs, the body must get from the mother to make up for the fetus and cause osteoporosis.
After giving birth, the mother's health is still in a relatively weak state and has not yet recovered. On the other hand, the mother has to breastfeed often, the amount of calcium is lost again, creating the opportunity for back pain to start
Physiological ligament stretching
During pregnancy, the pregnant woman's body produces more The hormone helps the ligaments of the pelvis to relax in preparation for the birth of the baby. This loosens the joints and ligaments connecting the pelvis and spine, making the back less stable, causing pain. After giving birth, the pelvic ligaments are still loose, so back pain is inevitable.
Breastfeeding position
Many mothers who have the psychology to let their baby breastfeed comfortably have unintentionally caused the body to strain and bend to the fullest, straining the muscles of the neck and back, causing back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain. This is quite common in the first 1-2 months after giving birth.
Not only that, the habit of often bending forward, looking closely at the baby is also a factor that leads to back pain after cesarean section
Overwork or lying still
After giving birth, there are Two groups of women are most prone to back pain: first, lying still all day; Secondly, working too hard in some cases when health has not yet recovered, women have worked and walked a lot, causing ligaments to stretch and causing back pain.
In addition, some women lie on the mattress too hard, often wear high heels, stress... are also prone to back pain after giving birth.

Thus, to prevent and improve back pain after giving birth, women should have a scientific diet combined with massage and gentle exercise to not be tormented by pain.
The epidural technique has now been applied at Vinmec, helping pregnant women experience painless, gentle labor successfully. At Vinmec, there is a team of experienced and professional anesthesiologists who will help pregnant women experience the safest, painless delivery.
To learn more, please call hotlines of hospitals or register for online consultation with Vinmec HERE.