During pregnancy, physiological adaptations occur in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems to support the increased metabolic needs of both mother and fetus. Key respiratory changes include mechanical adjustments of the chest wall and diaphragm to accommodate the growing uterus; decreases in functional residual capacity and its components—expiratory reserve volume and residual volume—with minimal or no change in total lung capacity; and an increase in minute ventilation. Major cardiovascular adaptations involve elevated cardiac output, stroke volume and heart rate, and decreased mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance. During exercise in pregnancy, there is an increase in ventilation, alveolar diffusion, elevated oxygen consumption, greater carbon dioxide production and changes in respiratory volumes and capacities, as well as increases in cardiac output, stroke volume and heart rate. Understanding these normal physiological changes during pregnancy and exercise in pregnancy is essential for healthcare providers to develop and adapt exercise programs according to the gestational age and physical fitness level of the pregnant woman.

Pregnancy is followed by complex and intense physiological changes in the maternal body, whose goal is to provide all the needs of the mother and the growing fetus. The endocrine system and thermoregulation integrate physiologic responses and play an important role in maintaining homeostatic conditions during exercise in pregnancy. Changes and adaptations during exercise in pregnancy are conditioned by the influence of numerous metabolic and biochemical events, which act on the target tissues through physiological mechanisms. Many hormones are released during exercise and a variety of cells are responsible for a number of different responses. Pregnancy involves changes in thermoregulation that lead to an increase in heat production and its preservation. Physiological mechanisms that enable the release of excess body temperature in order for the body to maintain an ideal temperature during exercise are increased, such as sweating and vasodilation of blood vessels. The reaction of a mother to exercise training depends on the exercise duration and intensity of training, the nutrient profile, and the level of fitness. Exercise has many improving effects on functional aspects of tissues and organs, resulting in improved health and/or performance.

Background and Objectives: Functional status of the mother after delivery is crucial for performing activities of daily living and caring for the newborn. It is important to assess functional abilities after childbirth in order to improve the quality of postpartum care. The aim of this study is to determine the psychometric properties of the questionnaire and assess the functional abilities after childbirth. Materials and Methods: This study is observational. Postpartum Functional Assessment Questionnaire includes eleven items. 301 women after childbirth, 234 after vaginal birth and 67 after caesarean section participated in the study. An assessment of pain intensity and functional abilities was performed on the first and third day after childbirth. The Factor and Cronbach’s alpha analyses were performed to determine the factor structure and internal consistency. Results: The analysis reveals two factors, with seven items loading on factor 1 and four on factor 2. Cronbach’s alpha for construct I (Mobility) at the first day was 0.927 and at the third day was 0.913; and for Factor II (Self-care) at the first day was 0.846 and at the third day was 0.894. All between-group differences in pain intensity and functional abilities were highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). Differences between the first and third postpartum day were statistically significant for all variables and all subgroups (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Postpartum Functional Assessment Questionnaire has good psychometric properties and is a valuable tool for use in clinical practice.

Low back pain is a major cause of disability and is increasingly recognized as a multifactorial condition involving complex inflammatory and neuroimmune mechanisms. Inflammatory biomarkers may provide insight into the biological processes underlying pain persistence and may have potential value for patient stratification and treatment monitoring. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on inflammatory biomarkers in low back pain and their potential pathophysiological relevance, with particular emphasis on the effects of exercise on inflammatory and neuroimmune responses. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar using combinations of terms related to low back pain, chronic low back pain, inflammatory biomarkers, cytokines, chemokines, neuroinflammation, sensitization, exercise, and physiotherapy, without publication-date restrictions. Relevant systematic reviews, meta-analyses, narrative reviews, observational studies, intervention studies, and selected mechanistic studies were considered based on their relevance to the review aims, methodological rigor, recency, and directness to low back pain populations. Among the most studied pro-inflammatory biomarkers are interleukins IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17; tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α); interferon-gamma (IFN-γ); C-reactive protein (CRP); and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Commonly investigated anti-inflammatory cytokines include IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Exercise is a cornerstone of conservative management for low back pain and may exert both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects, with responses depending on factors such as exercise type, intensity, duration, training status, and the tissues involved. However, the effects of exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in low back pain remain incompletely understood, and findings across studies are inconsistent. A better understanding of these relationships may provide insight into the biological effects of exercise and contribute to more individualized and biologically informed physiotherapy and exercise-based management of low back pain.