Pregnancy
We offer a range of therapies to help you stay fit and well through pregnancy, from relaxing pregnancy massage to osteopathy for pregnancy-related pain such as PGP and SPD to acupuncture during pregnancy and to trigger labour.
Pelvic girdle pain / SPD
Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) can be an extremely uncomfortable condition that causes acute (brief) or chronic (ongoing) pain in the buttocks, groin, lower back or pubic area. It used to be called SPD (or symphysis pubis dysfunction) but has been recognised to affect many more areas that relate functionally or anatomically to the whole pelvis.
It is normally caused by the strain of ligaments and muscles as your body produces a ligament softening hormone (relaxin) to allow the pelvis to accommodate your baby during delivery. This can cause muscles that overlie the joints to work harder and even go into spasm. When the muscles at the back of the hip (buttock) or front of the hip (groin) tighten or spasm it will make you limp and find it difficult to bear weight on that leg.
Symptoms of Pelvic Girdle Pain
- Limping
- Pain / difficulty climbing stairs
- Difficulty turning in bed
- Pain transitioning to standing from sitting
- Pain initiating walking
- Standing on one leg
We are listed on the Pelvic Partnership as recommended practitioners.
Low back pain
Similarly to pelvic girdle pain, the lower back can become fatigued with the increase in weight anterior to the spine and causing your back and buttock muscles to work harder to maintain your centre of gravity.
Old injuries or postural strains in the lower back area or the pelvis can be reaggravated by the changing physical environment and increased physical load from pregnancy.
Our osteopaths are excellent at working with expectant mothers to alleviate muscle strain symptoms in pregnancy. We can use a combination of massage, manipulation and dry needling to ease muscle strain and joint pain triggered by your pregnancy.
Pregnancy massage
By promoting the physiological effects of relaxation, pregnancy massage enhances wellbeing during pregnancy and helps deal with the physical and psychological effects of pregnancy across all its stages.
During this delicate phase of a woman’s life is it most important that a qualified massage therapist with a specialisation in pregnancy massage carries out the treatment. They will be able to clinically identify contraindications by taking an upfront case history and discussing your health with you, pointing out the best course of treatment.
