Hysterectomy: A Potential Source Of Back Pain In Women

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Back pain is a potential complication following a hysterectomy (from a professional such as Rawtani Meera MD). In fact, according to the Office on Women's Health, as many as 32 percent of post-hysterectomy women report some level of back pain. But since the factors that can cause back pain after you've had a hysterectomy vary, it helps to be able to identify possible sources of your discomfort so that you can take steps to ease the pain.

Positioning During Surgery

Sometimes back pain, after a hysterectomy, is short-lived and occurs as the result of the positioning of your body for the surgery—legs raised in the air with your head below your feet.

Back pain after surgery also can come from lying in bed more than normal. You may get some relief by lying on one side with a pillow placed between your knees instead of lying on your back. But if you prefer to lie on your back to sleep, placing a pillow under your knees helps to take pressure off your back.

Reduced Mobility During Recovery

Less physical activity following a hysterectomy is another factor that can lead to back pain. If you don't feel up to getting out of bed at first, move around while you're in bed to avoid getting a stiff or sore back. A simple exercise you can do in bed requires bending your knees up, holding them together and then rolling them gently from side to side.

While it's important not to overdo it at first, you need to gradually increase the level of your activity. It's only natural to have less physical strength at the start of your recovery, but you should get up and begin walking around as soon as possible. When you feel able, taking short walks on even surfaces is an effective way to improve your fitness level.

Formation of Adhesions

Back pain that continues after you have a hysterectomy can come from adhesions—fibrous strands of scar tissue often made up of collagen molecules. Although adhesions are the body's way of helping you heal by binding tissue together, sometimes adhesions bind muscles that are supposed to move. When adhesions form on smooth muscles in the pelvis following a hysterectomy, the pull they place on these muscles can cause back pain and limit movement.

The Wurn Technique is an alternative therapy method that physical therapists use to relieve back pain by dissolving these collagen fibers with the use of manual techniques. This method of treatment includes stretching techniques and massaging movements to help decrease your pain and regain your mobility.  

Loss of Bone Density

If the surgeon removes one or both of your ovaries as part of your hysterectomy, your body will produce less estrogen. This results in your bones losing density and puts you at risk of developing osteoporosis. 

Osteoporosis can affect any bones, including those in the spine. Bones that become weak and less dense can fracture easily, causing pain. Spinal compression fractures can cause severe pain that worsens, particularly when you stand, walk, twist, or bend. If you suffer back problems following a hysterectomy, discuss with your doctor potential bone loss and the preventive treatments available.   

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13 June 2016