Physical Activity and Pelvic Girdle Pain in Pregnancy- A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Physical Activity (PA) is an important component of a healthy pregnancy, for both the mother and her child. Sedentary lifestyle during pregnancy may increase development of pregnancy related musculoskeletal discomforts. Studies show that 25% of women experience severe Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) during pregnancy and 8% are severely disabled due to PGP. Aim: To analyse the association between the PA and PGP during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at antenatal outpatient department, Sri Ramachandra Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India from November 2019 to March 2020. Total 250 mothers were screened and finally 150 participants were selected. They were asked to fill-up the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire (PPAQ), Pregnancy Musculoskeletal Dysfunction Scale (PMDS) to assess the PA level and musculoskeletal dysfunction. Mothers who complaints of PGP were clinically diagnosed and were asked to fill the Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ). Data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: A total of 26 (17.33%) pregnant women in this study had PGP. The association between the total PA and PGP showed that the risk of PGP decreased as the PA increased which was statistically significant (p=0.03). PGP was also significantly associated with increased body weight (p=0.014). Conclusion: It was found that there was an association between total PA and PGP in pregnancy. Increased PA is associated with reduction in PGP. Hence, moderate PA is recommended during pregnancy.