Osteopathy and Pregnancy

Osteopathy and Pregnancy

One of the most dramatic changes that will ever happen both in people’s lives but also in their bodies is the magic of pregnancy. During this time, not only does the mother’s body have to play host to a developing human, but there are a whole host of physical and physiological changes that they will have to contend with.

The most obvious change that everyone will notice is the baby bump which will all too quickly develop into a full blown basketball! Having all this extra weight out in front can put a significant strain on the lower and middle back; this is something that your Osteopath will help you to manage throughout the course of your pregnancy through hands on treatment as well as rehab and (pregnancy appropriate) strengthening.

Some changes that are less obvious are the global relaxation of muscles and ligaments through the body that occurs in preparation for labour. A very common side effect of this is pelvic instability and instability through the lower back; this can cause severe weakness, pain and even incontinence but can again be treated quite effectively using a combination of hands on osteopathic treatment and targeted strength/stability work.

Something that many people forget about pregnancy is that the little person growing inside of you does have a mind of its own, and while it is widely known that babies can push on a mother’s bladder, they can also often push on and sprain ribs. Osteopaths are very experienced at treating this type of injury and will treat this gently and functionally specific to both pregnancy and patients needs.

It has also been shown that having (appropriate) manual therapy through the lower back and pelvic region can help reduce trauma in the labour process and also dramatically speed up the recovery.

So if you or someone close to you is lucky enough to be experiencing the joy of pregnancy, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pop into Blackburn Osteopathy and have one of our experienced team help guide you with this amazing experience.

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