During pregnancy, a number of biomechanical and hormonal changes occur that can alter
spinal curvature, balance, and gait patterns by affecting key areas of the human body. This can
greatly impact quality of life (QOL) by increasing back pain and the risk of falls. These effects are
likely to be the ultimate result of a number of ...
During pregnancy, a number of biomechanical and hormonal changes occur that can alter
spinal curvature, balance, and gait patterns by affecting key areas of the human body. This can
greatly impact quality of life (QOL) by increasing back pain and the risk of falls. These effects are
likely to be the ultimate result of a number of hormonal and biomechanical changes that occur
during pregnancy. Research Question and Methodology: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this systematic review sets out to
analyse all available literature relating to the biomechanics factors caused by pregnancy and assess
how this might reduce QOL. Fifty papers were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review based
on the PUBMED and SCOPUS databases. Results: Angles of lordosis and kyphosis of the spine are
significantly increased by pregnancy, but not consistently across all studies. Back pain is
significantly increased in pregnant women, although this is not significantly correlated with spinal
changes. Increased movements of centre of pressure (COP) and increased stability indexes indicate
postural control is reduced in pregnancy. Trunk range of motion, hip flexion, and extension are
reduced, as well as decreased stride length, decreased gait velocity, and increased step width; again,
not consistently. It is likely that each woman adopts unique techniques to minimise the effects, for
example increasing step width to improve balance. Further research should focus on how altered
limb kinematics during gait might affect QOL by influencing the human body, as well as assessing
parameters in all planes to develop a wider understanding of pregnant biomechanical alterations