How Osteopathy Helps Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a wonderful and exciting time for some women and for others it can be incredibly challenging time. Osteopathy is a natural, non-invasive complementary therapy that can help to alleviate many of the discomforts and pain associated with pregnancy. Treatment can also help prepare you for childbirth by taking into account changes in posture caused by the baby’s weight, softening ligaments due to hormonal changes and relieving back pain associated with carrying the baby.

Osteopathic treatment can also help reduce back pain, pelvic discomfort, shortness of breath, anxiety and depression during your pregnancy by reducing muscle tension.

Osteopaths are trained to assess changes in posture that occur with pregnancy and treat accordingly to ensure optimal positioning of mother and baby before delivery.

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Back Pain

Osteopathic treatment can help reduce back pain caused by the additional weight you carry while pregnant. Osteopathy is a gentle, hands-on therapy that helps to relieve pressure on the joints and muscles to help reduce or eliminate back pain.

Pelvic Discomfort

To help reduce pelvic discomfort, osteopathic treatment is recommended during pregnancy. Osteopathic care can help to relieve the stresses on your pelvis that may be caused from increased weight and pressure on your body during this time, as well as changes in hormone levels which will also have an effect.

Shortness of Breath

Many women experience shortness of breath when they are pregnant. Osteopathy can help to alleviate these symptoms, and also improve your overall mood by releasing endorphins. Osteopathic treatment is a drug-free alternative that works on the body’s natural healing ability without any side effects.

Anxiety and Depression

Osteopathic treatment can reduce anxiety and depression in pregnant or post-partum women. Mental health issues are common in pregnant women, with many suffering from anxiety or depression at some point during pregnancy. Osteopathy can help chronic pain and stress that may be contributing factors to the condition. Osteopathic treatment also reduces symptoms associated with these conditions by improving your overall mood through increased endorphins production.

Wellbeing in Pregnancy

Wellbeing in pregnancy is important for both the mother and the baby. Osteopathy can help to reduce stress, which is a known contributor of chronic pain. Osteopathic treatment also has a positive effect on the immune system through increased endorphins production. This is because it makes you feel better about your body and reduces negative feelings towards pregnancy.

Sleep

Many women struggle to sleep while they are pregnant. Osteopathy has been shown to improve the quality of sleep for pregnant mothers by improving neck mobility. Osteopathy also helps to release tension in the body, which can help a person sleep better. Once your baby is born, sleep will be more difficult so Osteopathy may be used on an ongoing basis to release tension, which will improve sleep quality.

What to Expect During Treatment?

Osteopath treating a pregnant woman lying on her side

During this time of pandemic, it’s incredibly important to take every precaution with your health and that of your baby. You should choose a clinic that has the appropriate protocols in place to minimise any risk.

Osteopaths will provide gentle touch therapy during each appointment. Osteopathic treatments can also be used to help with general aches and pains so you don’t need to limit it to pregnancy related issues.

Osteopathy is a great alternative to pain medication and can help soothe any discomfort that you are feeling in the body, without putting anything into your system.

Osteopaths recommend women come three times per month during pregnancy for treatments but this may vary depending on the condition of each individual woman.

Osteopathy is a manual therapy that focuses on the relationship between body structure, function, movement and health. Osteopaths diagnose structural problems by examining posture (postural) abnormalities in order to find the cause of an issue.

Osteopathic treatment can reduce stiffness and pain in pregnant or post-partum women, allowing them to continue with everyday activities without suffering from discomfort.