Helping new mothers reduce injury risk.

• Position: Back - Brief Article

Although 40-50% of pregnant women initially complain of back pain, it usually resolves within a week or two of delivery. However, their chance of having it again increases after the baby is born. Back pain can result whenever you lift or carry a child, Baltimore, Md., orthopedic spine surgeon Alan M. Levine points out. "At first, new moms are lifting seven to 10 pounds 50 times a day, and by 12 months, they likely are chasing and lifting a 17-pound child. Two years later, mothers will be lifting a 25-pound to 30-pound child."

To help them avoid back problems, Levine, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, developed 10 prevention tips that will reduce injury risk:

* Begin exercising soon after delivery to restore abdominal and back muscle tone. Just ten minutes of stretching exercises on the floor each day will restore hip and back flexibility. This can be done when the baby is taking a nap.

* Try to get back to your normal weight within six weeks after giving birth.

* Do not stretch your arms out to pick up a baby. Bring him or her close to your chest before lifting. Avoid twisting your body.

* To pick a child up from the floor, bend at the knees (not at the waist), squat, tighten your stomach muscles, and lift with your leg muscles.

* Remove the tray when you are trying to put a baby in or take a tot out of a high chair.

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