"Lauren Rotation" - How to Prevent Lower Back Pain in Pregnancy.

LUMBAR POSTERIOR FACET SYNDROME IN PREGNANT WOMEN OR
PREVENTING LOW BACK PAIN IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Pregnant women are prone to get (mechanical) back pain (70% of pregnant women), with some cases going on to become recurring and chronic (more serious).
Since the predominant source of Low Back Pain in pregnant women is of lumbar posterior facet origin, most of the same basic assumptions and practices can also be applied to this group, much as it is in my patients with PFS (Posterior Facet Syndrome).

THE LAUREN ROTATION
Dr. David Sibley MD-FAAOS of the Physicians Spine Institute in Beverly Hills,
Consultant, United States Davis Cup Tennis Team, Mercedes Benz Cup and
Diplomat of American Board of Orthopedic Surgery etc… has proven conventional medicine wrong with his research, that with dynamic movement one can improve and rebuild connective tissue and cartilage between facets of the spine. The Lauren Rotation does exactly that. This exercise reduces low back pain in individuals suffering from PFS by “cushioning” the facets by rebuilding the connective tissue, as well as improving posture, muscu-skeletal strength, flexibility and gait in the lower lumbar, pelvic and hip region in pregnant women.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTION
The exercise is performed by placing one’s hands on a table, or a sofa back, bending at the hip (90 degree angle). The back needs to be flat and horizontal, abdominals pulled for support. Especially when pregnant. The Right leg is then lifted or extended back and rotated in as large of circle as is possible (by opening the hip joint ) around the side, forward and back down in a very controlled movement. This rotation should be repeated 10-15 times in one direction. And then repeating the same with the Left leg, after which the Right and Left leg will perform a rotation in the opposite direction. This exercise can be performed for 1 – 2 sets of each leg going in both directions first without any additional resistance. A person’s leg can be heavy enough to start. When the exercise gets easier to perform, ankle weights can be added and made incrementally heavier.
This exercise if performed 2-3 times a week can not only prevent low back pain, but it will also strengthen and firm gluteus, outer & inner thighs, oblique’s, abdominals, and low back muscles. Because of the work by the “gait controlling” gluteus medius during this exercise, a “new-mom-to-be” can also prevent or minimize the infamous “pregnancy waddle” in her last tri-mester by doing the “Lauren Rotation”. Waddling is due to slack gluteus medius muscles and can have serious effects on a woman’s back and alignment for years after pregnancy.

Birgitta Lauren - www.expectingfitness.com