Relationships Between Perinatal Physical Activity and Pain During Labor and Postpartum

Objective: Physical activity (PA) and pain are bidirectionally related during pregnancy. There are limited data on how prenatal changes in PA relate to labor and postpartum pain. The current study examined associations between PA change from the second to third trimester (increasing vs. decreasing) with (1) labor pain, (2) postpartum hospitalization pain, and (3) the likelihood of increasing versus decreasing PA at 6-months postpartum (relative to the third trimester). Methods: A sample of pregnant people with overweight/obesity were enrolled in a longitudinal study between 12- and 20-weeks' gestation (n = 257). A subsample, with at least three pain ratings documented (n = 233), were included in the current analysis. PA change was characterized with the Paffenbarger. Pain was assessed regularly during labor and postpartum hospitalization from 0 (no pain) to 10 (most pain). Labor and postpartum pain were summarized using minimum/maximum pain ratings, percent improvement in pain following analgesia, and overall pain burden. t-Tests compared pain between the PA groups, and chi-square analyses examined the likelihood of increasing versus decreasing PA at 6-months postpartum. Results: The increasing PA group (n = 52; 22%) reported lower minimum pain scores (d = 0.46) during postpartum hospitalization. Most individuals with decreasing PA between trimesters two and three reported increasing PA at 6-months postpartum. Conclusion: Relative to individuals with decreasing PA, individuals with increasing PA experienced less pain during postpartum hospitalization highlighting potential benefits of prenatal PA for postpartum recovery.