Osteopathy and Delivery
Should you Consult an Osteopath following Delivery?
Pushing during delivery
Delivery can be a traumatic event for a woman. The strain of pushing can place excessive pressure on the mother’s pelvis even when everything goes well. Following delivery, some women experience low back pain and pelvic pain (coccyx, pubis, sacroiliac joint, etc.). An osteopath can relieve this pain by stimulating the mobility of the bones in the pelvis and the spine.
Incontinence
Some women experience incontinence following delivery. This problem is often due to lacerations of the perineum that occur while pushing or to the episiotomy performed to avoid the lacerations. The final push during delivery can lead to a prolapsed bladder or uterus and can also be the cause of the incontinence problem. Osteopathic treatments can help soften perineum scar tissue and normalize the harmful effects of pelvic organ prolapse.
Epidural
An epidural can create an internal scar that leads to inhibited mobility in the vertebrae. This restricted movement can produce localized symptoms (back pain) or generalized symptoms (headaches) in the mid to long term. A study led by two Quebec-based osteopaths (Johanne Beaulac and Nathalie Forest: 2003) revealed that osteopathic treatment in the area of the epidural scar improves the mobility of the head, the upper cervical spine as well as the D9 and the L5 vertebrae.
Delivery can cause pelvic and spinal movements to become imbalanced. Osteopathic treatment can provide a solution as well as prevent many other problems from occurring.
