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Biomechanical Adaptations of Gait in Pregnancy: Implications for Physical Activity and Exercise

  • Chapter
Exercise and Sporting Activity During Pregnancy

Abstract

During pregnancy, women experience several changes in the body’s physiology, morphology, and hormonal system. These changes may affect the balance and body stability and can cause discomfort and pain. The adaptations of the musculoskeletal system due to morphological changes during pregnancy are not fully understood. Few studies clarify the biomechanical changes of gait that occur during pregnancy and in postpartum. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the available evidence on the biomechanical adaptations of gait that occur throughout pregnancy and in postpartum, specifically with regard to the temporal, spatial, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of gait and balance.

The highlights of this chapter are the following: (1) Pregnancy requires biomechanical adjustments as shown by several publications in the last 20 years. (2) Adaptations due to pregnancy are recognized to provide safety and stability. (3) Most studies performed a temporal, spatial, and kinematic analysis, and few studies performed a kinetic analysis. (4) There is lack of consistency in the results of biomechanical studies due to different methodological approaches. (5) The adaptation strategies to the anatomical and physiological changes throughout pregnancy are still unclear, particularly in a longitudinal perspective and regarding kinetic parameters. (6) The main biomechanical adaptations during pregnancy are gait speed reduction, longer double-support time, and increased step width, and ground reaction forces decrease. (7) There is lack of information regarding the effects of physical activity and exercise, risk of falls, and low back pain on the biomechanical adjustments. (8) Exercise adaptations can be provided in order to increase adherence, safety, and effectiveness.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Coordination is defined by the ability to use the senses, such as sight and hearing, together with body parts in performing tasks smoothly and accurately. In American College of Sports Medicine, Riebe D, Ehrman JK, Liguori G, Magal M. ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Tenth edition. ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2018.

  2. 2.

    Balance is defined by the maintenance of equilibrium while stationary or moving. 34. Ibid.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Rio Maior, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha & Marco Branco

  2. Laboratory of Biomechanics and Functional Morphology, Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha, Marco Branco, Liliana Aguiar, Filomena Vieira & António Prieto Veloso

  3. Universidade Europeia Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Liliana Aguiar

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  5. António Prieto Veloso
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Correspondence to Rita Santos-Rocha .

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  1. Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Rio Maior, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha

  2. Laboratory of Biomechanics and Functional Morphology, Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha

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Santos-Rocha, R., Branco, M., Aguiar, L., Vieira, F., Veloso, A.P. (2019). Biomechanical Adaptations of Gait in Pregnancy: Implications for Physical Activity and Exercise. In: Santos-Rocha, R. (eds) Exercise and Sporting Activity During Pregnancy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91032-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91032-1_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-91031-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-91032-1

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