Pregnancy is a truly amazing period of life and is to be enjoyed, not to be suffered. So what can Myotherapy do to help? Or rather, what can you be doing to help yourself?
SOFT TISSUE THERAPY BENEFITS
– Decreased pain and anxiety during childbirth
– Shorter labour and hospital stay by an average of three hours
– Decreased necessity for medication
– Fewer postnatal and obstetric problems
– Decreased levels of stress hormone norepinephrine
– Increased serotonin and dopamine (feel good) hormone levels
– Decrease in inflammation particularly around the foot and ankle
– Increase in range of motion
– Improvements in sleep
DRY NEEDLING/ACUPUNCTURE
The ongoing debate of whether dry needling should or should not be permitted throughout pregnancy has finally been laid to rest. What was once originally thought to induce labour/cause complications through the pressure/needling of ‘forbidden points’ (AKA – particular trigger points within muscles) has been disproven. A research article was published in October 2015 after a trial on the safety of obstetric acupuncture was reviewed which concluded that there is no objective evidence of harm following needling at forbidden points summarised by these four statements of evidence:
1) In 15 clinical trials, after receiving acupuncture treatment to one or more ‘forbidden points’, rates of preterm birth and stillbirth remained equivalent to those in untreated control groups.
2) In observational studies involving 5885 pregnant women who were needled in ‘forbidden points’ throughout stages of pregnancy concluded that rates of miscarriage, preterm birth, preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes and preterm contractions are comparable with untreated control groups.
3) There is no reliable evidence that acupuncture/electro-acupuncture (EA) can induce miscarriage or labour.
4) Laboratory experiments on pregnant rats have demonstrated that repeated EA of ‘forbidden points’ does not affect rates of miscarriage or foetal loss.
EXERCISE
Pregnancy should not be a state of physical confinement. There have been many studies conducted and evidence to support that physical activity throughout pregnancy has many benefits. However, it is very important to consult your clinician prior to engaging in physical activity as modifications to exercise may/will be required at certain points of pregnancy.
Overall, exercises that are considered the least risk to pregnant women include:
WATER EXERCISE – Water immersion is great because it allows the body to offload certain painful areas aggravated by the extra load being carried. The water pressure also promotes a centralisation of fluids which results in an increase in blood volume which decreases systemic blood pressure.
WALKING – Regular walks are awesome as they promote blood flow, allow heat dissipation, increase metabolic activity and supply energy requirements through the use of fat stores. This may help to decrease overall inflammation and promotion of delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues.
PILATES – Pilates emphasises on alignment, breathing, developing a stable core and improving coordination and balance which can help reduce lower back pain and improve overall movement quality.
If you would like to book in for a pregnancy Myotherapy treatment, please contact us on 9580 2282 or
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