title: [Low back pain during pregnancy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low back pain is a common complaint among pregnant women. It is estimated that about 50% of pregnant women complain of some form of back pain at some point in pregnancy or during the postpartum period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of low back pain during pregnancy and its characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study with low-risk pregnant women. After approval by the Human Research Ethics Committee and receiving written informed consent, we included pregnant women over 18 years of age and excluded those with psychiatric disorders, previous lumbar pathologies, and receiving treatment for low back pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We interviewed 97 pregnant women. The frequency of low back pain was 68%. The mean age was 26.2 years and the median gestational age was 30 weeks. Fifty-eight pregnant women declared themselves as brown (58%). Most (88.6%) were married or living in common-law marriage, fifty-six (57.7%) worked outside the home, and 71 (73.2%) had completed high school. Low back pain was more frequent during the second trimester of pregnancy (43.9%), referred to as a "burning" sensation in 37.8% of patients, with intermittent frequency in 96.9% of the women. The symptoms got worse at night (71.2%). Resting reduced low back pain in 43.9% of pregnant women, while the standing position for a long time worsened it in 27.2% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low back pain is common in pregnant women, has specific characteristics, and is more frequent in the second trimester of pregnancy. This indicates the need for prevention strategies that enable better quality of life for pregnant women.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Emília Coelho Costa
authors.initials: MECC
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil; Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (Unesp), Botucatu, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luciana Cavalcanti
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cristovam Alves
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Lira Terceiro
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Deyvid Ravy Lacerda
authors.initials: DRL
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Neves
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gustavo Araújo
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Cozer
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), Recife, PE, Brasil; Neuropsiquiatria e Ciência do Comportamento, Universidade Federal da Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brasil; Sociedade Médica Brasileira de Acupuntura, São Paulo, SP, Brasil; Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologista, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil; Hospital Barão de Lucena, Recife, PE, Brasil. Electronic address: taniacouceiro@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Tania Cursino de Menezes
authors.initials: TCM
authors.lastname: Couceiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Frequency and characteristics of low back pain; Frequência e características da lombalgia; Gestantes; Lombalgia; Low back pain; Pregnant women