Project R-10858

Co-financing Axa Research Fund: Improving maternal health by identifying and tackling predictive factors for the development of low back pain during pregnancy and postpartum. (Research)

Pregnancy-related lumbopelvic pain (PLBP) affects 50-90% of pregnant women. Though considered as a normal part of pregnancy, 10% continues to experience disability and a reduced ability to work 10 years postpartum. The multifactorial etiology of PLBP remains poorly understood. Therefore, novel predictors of PLBP need to be identified. To date, studies on predictors of PLBP mainly focused on motor output, e.g., abdominal muscle weakness, increased lumbar lordosis and impaired postural control. In contrast, the role of sensory input and particularly proprioception, crucial for optimal motor output, has not been studied. Nevertheless, it has been shown that lumbar proprioceptive impairments and a disturbed body perception contribute to back pain in the general population. Moreover, though it is well-known that psychological factors, e.g., fear, influence PLBP, their predictive role in PLBP is understudied. This longitudinal study will therefore investigate differences in sensory-related factors (lumbar proprioception and body perception) and fear (i.e., fear of movement and pregnancy-related fear), ànd their association, in women with and without PLBP, throughout pregnancy until six months postpartum. Moreover, we will study whether sensory impairments and fear predict PLBP during late pregnancy and postpartum. The results will advance the current understanding of the predictors of PLBP and help to optimize its prevention and management.

01 June 2020 - 31 August 2020