Did you know Osteopathy is useful also during pregnancy?
Osteopathy is a complementary manual medicine help to the preparation for childbirth, support during pregnancy and improve postpartum rebalancing without any medication.
Osteopathy can support the body through the changes that occur both during pregnancy and after childbirth.
PRENATAL OSTEOPATHY
During pregnancy the woman’s body undergoes profound structural and functional changes. These changes require continuous adaptations to the body, which sometimes may not be able to respond adequately, causing various aches.
Some of the main changes that allow a woman to adapt to the child’s growth are…
• Sudden and important hormonal changes this cause the joints to become increasingly mobile in order to modify it to welcome the life that grows inside the mum’s body.
• Increased water retention.
• Increase in body weight.
• Physiological increase of the spinal curves (in particular the lumbar and cervical curve is accentuated in the last few months).
• Morphological changes in the pelvis and lower limbs.
• Increased lumbo-sacral load.
• The viscera are pushed by the growth of the uterus.
• The rib cage adapts to increased abdominal volume and changes in curves.
As pregnancy progresses, these changes have profound effects on daily activity and consequently on quality of life.
Osteopathy in pregnancy can act globally on the body of the future mother, leading to an improvement in the quality of life and helping the body to adapt to these changes.
One of the main purposes of osteopathic medicine is to promote the best possible expression of health for the person. Therefore, it is important that obstetric, gynaecologist and also osteopath is taken into consideration among the therapies that can allow the woman to maintain her state of health.
Some of the most common disorders that can be treated through Osteopathy in pregnancy are…
• Lumbo-sciatica pain
• Neck pain
• Headache
• Swelling
• Nausea
• Carpal tunnel
• Gastro intestinal disorders (e.g. reflux and constipation) thought visceral osteopathy (I will talk about it).
These last symptoms occur proportionally to the increase in uterine volume, especially when the mobility of the before mentioned organs is reduced, and the osteopath will act on this. Even in the absence of these disorders, it would be important to undergo routine osteopathic checks during pregnancy, for preventive purposes. Furthermore, Osteopathic treatment, improving joint mobility and promoting tissue elasticity, has proven to be extremely effective in improving labor.
WHAT DOES THE OSTEOPATH DO?
In all these cases, the Osteopath, through very gentle contact with his hands, will allow the uterine muscle to relax, cleanse its ligamentous attachments and harmonise the matrix joints with the surrounding organs.
This new comfort will have a double advantage, it will release:
- The pressures that can be exerted on the foetus, allowing it greater freedom of movement. For example, a child placed in a low position will be able to find a wider space of freedom, go up in the pelvis and keep a more comfortable position.
- The tensions of a hypertonic uterine muscle which in turn can cause pains for example at the level of the back (pain in the lower back or sciatic type …) or at the level of the belly organs (such as constipation or burning in the stomach or retro-sternal) following compression or postural adaptations.
When Can You Have Your First Osteopathic Treatment?
The first meeting takes place after the third month of pregnancy when the placenta has developed. During the first trimester I 
recommend a first cognitive meeting that aims to: illustrate to the expectant mother the Osteopathic path she will choose to undertake, inform and resolve doubts, provide the first useful tools to master the first postural changes.
During the first meeting the presence of any imbalances is evaluated and the first treatment is carried out. The second takes place at a distance of about 10-15 days, and then evaluates how far to fix the subsequent sessions, based on the individual response.
The classic process that I recommend, to do a complete job, is characterised by 5 close “base” meetings, and subsequent “reminders” that will be distributed one month apart from the other. For example, if the first 5 treatments take place (ideal situation) between the fourth and fifth month, the following meetings will be: one during the sixth month, one during the seventh, one during the eighth, one during the ninth. Clearly, we must consider that every woman is different from the other, and consequently also the adaptations that the future mother feels during the gestation period, which is why there is no real
scheme of sessions and treatments. The route will therefore be customised according to the patients needs.
Body, mind, soul…
As a holistic method Osteopathy considers the individual as a whole. Each constituent part of the person is dependent on the others and the correct functioning of each ensures that of the entire structure. We are body, mind and soul (whatever the meaning we want to attribute to the latter). Acting on one of these three components, therefore, there will inevitably be a response also to the others. During my work experience I was able to fully embrace this vision.
Tips from the Osteopath for pregnancy…
• Take care of your back during pregnancy, especially when you find yourself having to lift or carry even small weights, especially if you have to hold other children.
• Contract the buttocks if you remain standing for a long time. This will reduce tension in the lower back.
• In a sitting position, use a cushion as a support and do not sit with your legs crossed.
• Avoid twisting movements, as these can create tension in the pelvis.
• In order not to load the back, lie in lateral decubitus position in the bed, and place a pillow under the seat and one between the knees. If you prefer to lie on your back, place cushions under your knees to keep them folded.
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