During pregnancy and labour a woman’s body goes through major changes. On average over 50% of women experience some form of pregnancy related pain. Our team of osteopaths are here to guide and help through each stage from the first trimester to post birth.
Pains associated with pregnancy include neck and shoulder pain, pain down the legs, pelvic pain, low back pain and more. When you come for treatment, in addition to the hands on treatment, you will also be given advice along with safe exercises and stretches to help you manage your symptoms during the pregnancy.
Please note we also have a specalist Women’s Health Physiotherapist who can help assist with pre and post-natal issues. If you are unsure who to book in with please get in contact with us or if you would like to discuss your problems to find out whether osteopathy can help during pregnancy .
It is advised that women undergo an initial assessment 6-8 weeks postnatal. However, women who gave birth months or years ago and still experience a tummy gap can also be assessed.
A 1 hour assessment would include:
Physical assessment
Here we will look at your posture and physical movement including mobility and strength of the back, hips and lower limb and look at different functional movement patterns to determine your current level of movement control.
Diastasis check
Abdominal muscle separation occurs in all women by childbirth, and it may resolve naturally. However, 60% of women develop diastasis, a condition where the abdominal wall thins and widens, causing dysfunction. We will assess your abdominal wall to determine if you have a significant diastasis and if treatment is required. This evaluation will also examine your breathing patterns, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and abdominal muscle activation, as well as how your body transfers load through the abdomen during various tasks.
Scar check
If you’ve had a C-section, we can assess the scar site to evaluate healing and the amount of scar tissue buildup.
This assessment will then direct us towards creating a tailored rehabilitation plan to reach your goals, whether that is to feel confident, to feel strong or to get back into a specific activity e.g. gym, running etc or even just to manage every day activities. Treatment will include advice and education on my findings, activity modification strategies and a tailored exercise programme. Treatment may include manual therapy/ soft tissue massage and Pilates based rehabilitation.
