Occurrence of combined pain in the lumbar spine, pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis among pregnant women in the extreme south of Brazil.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and characterize the occurrence of low back pain (LBP), posterior pelvic girdle pain (PPGP) and pubic symphysis pain (PSP) among pregnant women resident in Rio Grande, RS.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of all postpartum women who gave birth in 2016. Two pictures were used to investigate the presence of LBP, PPGP and PSP, both isolated and combined. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the factors associated with each symptom.

Results: LBP was reported by 42.2%, PSP by 4.9%, and PPGP by 2%, while LBP + PSP was reported by 9%, LBP and PPGP by 2.8% and PPGP + PSP by 1.1%, and pain in all three regions was reported by 3.9% of the sample. The more advanced the age of the pregnant women, the risk for LBP and of LBP combined with one of the pelvic girdle regions was reduced, while the risk for PPGP + PSP was increased. Depression during pregnancy increased the risk for all symptom combinations.

Conclusion: This study provided a detailed description of the occurrence of the evaluated outcomes and its associated factors. Studies like this are rare in Brazil, especially a census with low rates of losses and refusals. The high prevalence of the evaluated symptoms suggests that it should be investigated routinely in prenatal care, taking into account the age of the pregnant women, depressive symptoms and those experiencing combined or intense pain.