Physiopathological alterations during pregnancy related to the pregnant women occupations in the "Las Prevenção da Vida", in the city of Maringá, in the year 2002

Abstract

"Lar preservação da Vida", is an instituition maintained by donations that gives shelter to low income pregnant womwn. these women have restricted access to health services and when they arrive at the institution, they take up sewing during 6 to 8 hours a day. This is a tiring job since it demands long períods in the same sitting position performing the same movements. Due to the fact that these women had never been give any orientation before, not only concerning their pregnancy, but also their work, and due to the place´s poor conditions, they show a series of osteo-muscular and irculatory abnormalities, some of which common to pregnancy, but worsened by the inadequate working position, and some ecessive ones, which may lead to the compromising of the mother´s health in the future. The present study has aimed at assessing the pregnanct women in a holistic way to determine the main complaints and alterations in the posture so that it may be possible to implement proventive measures concerninh their occupation, orientaing and preventing secondery complaints, as well as promoting measures for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy life afterwards, as well as to analyze the environment, delect ergonomical alterations and improve them using material from the institutions. T this purpose, the following procedures has been vcarrieed out with 100% of the pregnanct women who live in the institution: a structured questionnaire, opened and closed; a postural and muscular/skeletal assessment; some special testes such as; abdominal rectum diastasis and the tredelemburg test for varicose veins. Inadditon to that, it has also been carried out an assessment of the instituition´s environment to detect ergonomic, abnormalities that may interfere in the life quality of the mother-to-be, In the daily routine of the pregnant women analyzed, the pathologies are frequent and many time recurrent. Among 100% of the pregnant womem analyzed, 60 %presented adnormalities in the lower back as the main complaint, 20% presented pain in the stomach area, wile the 20% left complainded of variose veins on the legs and paresis/paresthesia. Among the postural altrations found, hyperlordosis, waist asymmetry, kyphosis and protruding shoulders, are the most prevalent, accounting for 100%, 80%, 50% and 50% of the pregnant women, respectively. From the analyses of the inadequate posture wen working in the intituition and at home, it has been found that 100% of the women presented abnormalites, and from the analyses of the place´s infrastructure conditions items, it has been found around 60% of ergonomical abnormalities. from the data collected within these parameters, corrective measures have ben carried out with materials from the instituition itself such as wood, telephone directories, plastic foam bags, cushions and others; and the donation of chairs and tables, which anhanced in 80% the initial conditions of the instituition. For the inadequate posture during the pregnant women dally routine realeted to the main and secondary complaints and physical alterations found, the pregnant women were give orientation, streching and exercises classes with an improvement reported by 100% of them.