Practicing doorway chest stretches can also be helpful because they, too, will help rotate the shoulders up and back, which can also help lift the ribs away from the uterus. This lifts the diaphragm and rib cage up off the uterus. Hold the position for as long as comfortable. Then lean your crossed arms on the wall sliding them up the wall above your head and stretching yourself up as far as possible. With your feet 40cms from the wall, cross your arms in front of your face. Here is a really effective exercise for temporary relief. Slouching will compress your abdomen and result in more pain. Try to make sure that you sit up straight with your shoulders back. Practicing good posture is especially important. Rib pain during pregnancy can cause the greatest discomfort when you are in a sitting position. Fluid and electrolyte balance is affected leading to fluid retention in the body (as seen clearly at the ankles). The lymphatic system requires the diaphragm to work as a pump to aid the flow of lymph back into the venous system and heart. The extra weight pulls your shoulders forward and down, and places strain on the upper back, neck, and often results in pain around the rib cage.Īs the baby grows, motion of the ribs and thoracic spine becomes restricted affecting chest and diaphragm movement.
During pregnancy, your breasts may increase by one full cup size or more. This pressure on your ribs and diaphragm may also result in shoulder pain, because there are nerves in the diaphragm which can refer pain into the shoulders.Īs your breasts become larger, they also place pressure on your ribs. Hence this rising pressure pushes the rib cage out sideways and forwards, resulting in pain in the front of the lower ribs, also known as rib flare. It can force the diaphragm upwards by at least 4cm towards the end of pregnancy. This ascending uterus thus progressively obstructs the descent of the diaphragm, which is needed for deep breathing. It may also make you feel short of breath. This is the uterus ascending as the abdomen becomes stretched upward and outward with the growing baby. Many expectant women will experience the baby beginning to press up under her ribs and chest. Your diaphragm will have to work harder which may result in the feeling of ‘getting a stitch’ as the diaphragmatic muscles fatigue. Hence, it is this lowering of the carbon dioxide that leads to pregnant women to becoming breathless on activity. She also exhales more carbon dioxide which triggers the already sensitive respiratory system to increase the respiratory rate slightly. It is estimated that a woman will require about 20% more oxygen than normal at term. The demand for oxygen is increased in pregnancy because the basal metabolic rate and the mass of the expectant mom increase as well.
Pain occurs in and under the ribs as your uterus grows. You may have discomfort on either side, or both sides, though it is commonly worse on the right side of the ribs. Your rib cage may feel mildly sore or extremely tender and bruised. Rib pain during pregnancy can be a persistent problem, especially during the third trimester. It, therefore, leads to a rib cage and back pain
This not only alters your posture but also draws your shoulder down, causing pain in the ribs and back Increasing breast size:As the breasts grow, their increasing weight puts more pressure on the rib cage and lower back.The frequency of the movements increases each day, getting harder and stronger Also, the breech position of the fetus will put additional pressure on the rib cage, causing pain The baby’s movements and intrauterine position:The position and movement of the baby will put constant pressure on the ribs, creating discomfort and pain in the ribs.Those with bigger babies and shorter waists are highly prone to rib fractures during pregnancy. It comes to a stage where all the organs are pushed towards the ribs, building pressure in the muscles and making breathing difficult. The growing baby and uterus:As the baby grows, the uterus expands, taking more room in the womb.Here is why you may experience pain in the ribs when you are pregnant.