Pregnancy pain: the benefits of osteopathyMany women consider pain during pregnancy to be normal, waiting and enduring the suffering until the end of the pregnancy to feel relief.
This is not correct; in fact, in many cases, these issues can be managed and relieved through an Osteopathic approach.
During pregnancy, the mother’s body undergoes continuous changes over a very short period due to the baby’s growth.
These changes are influenced by the growth of the fetus, which increases in size and weight over time.
One of the most important hormones for a woman during pregnancy is Relaxin.
This allows the ligaments and tendons to soften and stretch, helping the posture adapt to the baby’s growth.
Generally, the human body has the ability to adapt well to these changes.
However, sometimes the body may have difficulty coping with these alterations, and the excessive strain can overload the back, neck, and shoulders, consequently causing pain during pregnancy.
The most frequent types of pregnancy pain are due to the baby’s increase in weight and volume, which causes visceral, structural, and hormonal changes in the mother.
These changes alter the posture and, consequently, the postural gravitational axis also shifts, increasing the load on the spine.
The body’s possibilities to adapt and find its new balance are manifold, but sometimes the body cannot adapt to the change, resulting in a compensation that can be very uncomfortable, lingering, and painful.
By reducing the possible adaptations, both the mother and the baby can suffer from this loss of comfort.
Pregnancy pain can be caused by anomalous positions that the fetus assumes to escape tension.
The goal of Osteopathy during pregnancy is to maintain or restore an efficient functional balance, helping the woman’s body adapt to the physical demands of pregnancy and minimizing the stress caused by the growing uterus and the baby’s development.
Through specific treatments, Osteopathy revitalizes the tissues, making them more elastic, and maintains joint mobility, particularly in the pelvis and the lumbar spine.
Through these physiological treatments, a perfect state of health is promoted, creating a safe and comfortable environment for mother and child to grow together.
Pregnancy pain, as previously mentioned, is quite frequent, and the most common dysfunctions that can be treated Osteopathically are:
There are also other conditions that an Osteopath can address related to the visceral system, such as:
Osteopathy can provide relief as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, when nausea is frequent.
In this case, the Osteopath works by balancing the innervations of the autonomic nervous system, which are closely linked to the viscera that control nausea.
The sensation of nausea is thus calmed. By applying craniosacral techniques and biodynamic osteopathy, it is possible to resolve a typical pregnancy issue without resorting to medication or special diets.
In addition to the aforementioned pregnancy pain, during the last months, as the belly becomes more voluminous, it becomes harder to find the correct position to fall asleep.
The recommended sleeping position during pregnancy is on the left side, with the legs bent and the left knee supported by a pillow.
This is to avoid compressing the liver, an important organ that facilitates venous return.
Osteopathy does not act directly on sleep problems, but if it can restore the musculoskeletal structure and stabilize the associated innervations, the mother-to-be will also regain her sleep.
One of the founding principles of Osteopathy concerns the importance of movement; good biomechanical function of the woman’s body, and especially her pelvis, has very positive consequences for the birthing process.
During pregnancy, a healthy pelvis increases its volume by up to 30%.
Despite this natural increase, the necessary space is still considered tight, and any additional space will be useful.
Traumas to the pelvis, coccyx, hip, or sacrum can restrict the bones’ ability to separate and move during childbirth.
Osteopathy is able to assess and treat potential restrictions in the pelvis and lumbar spine, making the pelvic floor as elastic as possible, resulting in a less difficult delivery and reducing the use of episiotomies.
Furthermore, as Osteopathy focuses on the nerve centers and the craniosacral system, various tissue activities are stimulated or inhibited: this treatment favors a more comfortable delivery and supports muscular activity during labor.
All treatments aim to make childbirth as natural as possible and avoid trauma for both the mother-to-be and the baby.
Although childbirth is a natural process, it is physically demanding and can require great effort.
The position of the pelvis and the sacrum is easily altered during labor due to the state of ligament relaxation caused by relaxin.
This can not only create local, short-term pain in the lumbar region and pelvis but can also have long-term implications for other parts of the body due to the compensation of this imbalance.
Postpartum pain is quite similar to pregnancy pain, with the addition of discomfort related specifically to the act of giving birth, such as:
• Back pain, lower back pain (lumbago)
• Pain in the symphysis pubis and pelvis
• Hip pain
• Sacrum and coccyx pain
• Incontinence
And pain related to breastfeeding:
• Neck pain (cervicalgia), headaches
• Shoulder and upper back pain
• Wrist pain, carpal tunnel syndrome
One of the most common issues to treat and resolve is incontinence and pelvic floor pain.
It is necessary to train the perineal muscles and perform pelvic rehabilitation before or during pregnancy to reduce these problems that generally occur in the postpartum period.
Osteopathy for newborns is highly recommended.
Nowadays, many hospitals include an Osteopath in their neonatology teams because, thanks to their specialized skills, they can restore the child’s correct functionality whenever possible.
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Article written by Sebastian Guzzetti
Pediatric and adult Osteopath in Lisbon, with over 10 years of experience in Italy. Degree in Human Motricity with a Master’s in Sports Science.
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