Osteopathic Treatments for the Pregnant Person
Shortness of breath, headaches, joint instability, heartburn, pelvic, back, or rib pain? All of these symptoms are commonly associated with pregnancy. Osteopathic treatment can play a major role in allowing the body to adapt to these changes while being as comfortable as possible.
Image description: A newborn baby wearing a large floral bow and a pink diaper lays snuggled tummy down on a soft, white blanket.
Osteopaths have a highly developed sense of touch and through their extensive knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, and physiology they can detect very subtle physical imbalances in the body. Osteopaths use a wide range of techniques throughout the body, many of them being very gentle and subtle to ease out areas of tension and restricted mobility.
These techniques improve local circulation and return the body to a better state of balance, alignment, and health. This can be especially important during pregnancy as the body must go through a major adaptation in a relatively short period of time to accommodate the developing baby.
Some of the changes the body will go through during pregnancy are an enlargement of the uterus, change in hormones, increase in blood volume, change in posture, and an increase in joint flexibility.
The growing uterus changes the centre of gravity and places extra demands on the lower back, pelvis, and rib cage often leading to discomfort. If the uterus is not centered it can place stress on the back leading to pain.
As the pregnant person is entering the third trimester the extra weight of the baby and the expanding uterus cause pressure to be high in the abdominal cavity. If the upper and middle back are stiff the diaphragm and ribs will not be able to expand to take deep breaths. This can lead to a feeling of pain in the ribs and back and shortness of breath.
Hormones are released into the body during pregnancy to prepare the body for delivering the baby. These hormones increase the flexibility in the joints. If there is already stress on a joint the increase in flexibility can lead to an instability and cause pain. By realigning the body’s structure it allows the blood flow, nerves, and lymphatic system to function properly allowing for the body to live in health.
Osteopaths work not only on the musculoskeletal system, but also work on the visceral system to relieve stress. A typical treatment will involve addressing the patient’s current concerns, and ensuring the body has the flexibility and stability to adapt to the ongoing changes.
Nearing the end of your pregnancy treatment will be done to allow the hips, pelvis, and low back to open for delivery. The goal of this treatment plan is to reduce labour time and reduce interventions.
If you’re having a healthy pregnancy with little to no aches and pains, the recommendation would be to seek treatment at the changes in trimesters, and as you near delivery. If you are having concerns, treatment will be offered more frequently.
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