Back Pain after Cesarean Birth

Current statistics show that 30% of the birth in USA occurs through cesarean section. Back pain is common among most women after pregnancy; however, the condition becomes most debilitating for women giving birth through cesarean section. The reason behind this is the injection given for spinal anesthesia. 40 percent women giving birth through cesarean section are likely to develop chronic postnatal back pain.

Back pain due to cesarean birth can be triggered by two factors; the first one is the trauma occurring in the ligaments, nerves, muscles or skin of the woman’s back owing to the insertion of spinal needle; and the second one is post-dural puncture headaches (a condition marked by gradual leaking of the cerebrospinal fluid).  The back pain of the second variety is mostly accompanied by neck pain and headaches and tends to get worse when the woman stands or sits; women suffering from this form of postnatal back pain experience significant relief from pain when they lie down.

The pain in the site of insertion starts bothering the new mothers when the anesthetic starts wearing off; this means the woman starts experiencing back pain due to needle insertion after 2 to 6 hours of undergoing the surgery. Back pain induced by post-dural puncture headaches, on the other hand, occurs between 12 hours and 5 days of the cesarean birth.

Both forms of postnatal back pain subsides within a week of giving birth; however, in rare cases a woman may suffer from this pain for a period of few weeks. If the back pain triggered by severe case of puncture-headache, the doctor may ask the patient to undergo a treatment called ‘blood patch’. Blood patch treatment involves injecting of the patient’s blood into her own dural place. This treatment procedure is known to offer instant relief from the pain in the neck, back and head.

If the new mother experience signs like discharge, fever, redness in the site of the insertion along with back pain, she should seek immediate medical attention to eliminate the possibility of serious consequences.

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