You did it. You survived pregnancy and labour and now have a beautiful little person that will enrich your life! And all the little pains of pregnancy will magically go away right? In a perfect world, yes. But for many women, they find that their body is not quite what it used to be. This is especially true for the pelvis. We have talked about the pelvis, and how it changes during pregnancy before, but what happens with the pelvis after pregnancy and birth?
All about the Hormones:
Remember those lovely hormones that help prepare the body for the birth process? Relaxin is one of the main ones, and it does just what it’s name implies, relaxes things. It relaxes the muscles and ligaments so that the joints in the pelvis can spread to allow the baby to pass through. Relaxin remains in your system after the birth and can continue to cause problems for months after the baby is born. If you are breastfeeding, it may be even longer.
The pelvis continues to be unstable in most women after the birth of their baby.
Getting back to Normal:
After the maternal hormones have settled down back to a normal level, the pelvis can go back to being stable, although in some women, it remains unstable for years after the children are born. Even when the pelvis is stable again, that doesn’t mean that it has become stable in the right position. We see many women with pelvises that have stabilised, but did not stabilise correctly. Meaning one or both sides are out of balance, thus causing a lot of discomfort when walking, lifting the baby, or bending.
What about Treatment?
Don’t fret, this can all be corrected with proper treatment. Using different types of manual therapy on the pelvic ligaments and muscles including Active Release Techniques (ART®) and specific exercises to improve your core strength. To help the pelvis heal, it’s important to keep active, which may be difficult to do when you are in pain. We recommend gentle exercise such as light walking as a great way to start.
Book an appointment today to get your pelvis checked and get back to feeling like yourself again!
Yours in Health
The Lawlor Clinic, Portlaoise
Specialising in the treatment of Pregnancy Related Disorders
The two most important purchases in life are a good bed and a good pair of shoes!
Our health and recovery is dependant on getting good quality sleep and our mattress will play a vital role in this happening.
Patients commonly come to the clinic suffering from back pain, sciatica, neck pain or headaches as a result of a bad bed which may be too old, too firm or too soft. If you wake up with aches and pains having not gone to bed with any soreness then this is a sure sign that you need to change your mattress.
We get asked frequently in the clinic, “what’s the best mattress?”, or “how do I choose a mattress?”, so here are our top tips for picking one.
Think Orthopaedic: You don’t need to spend thousands of euros to find a good mattress. Best to go for a quality orthopedic mattress, with a good warranty and/or return policy.
Test It Out: Always test out the mattress before you buy it! When you are in the shop lie on the bed for 15- 20 minutes, if it doesn’t feel comfortable move on to next one. We also advise against buying your bed online as you will have no idea about the comfort levels.
Rotate and/or Flip: Rotate or Flip your mattress every 6 months to even out wear patterns.
New Mattress: Mattresses need changing every 8-10 years! So those of you that have had yours the last 20 years, its time to update!
If you would like further information on buying the perfect mattress or would like to book a consultation with one of our Chiropractors if you suffer from Back Pain, Sciatica, Neck Pain or Headaches please contact us today.
January is one of the busiest months in the gym as people try to get their fitness back on track. In the clinic we see an increased number of patients who have suffered from a gym related injury such as back & neck pain, sciatica, ankle sprain and shoulder pain.
Here are our top tips to stop you getting injured on your return to fitness
Proper Assessment and Screening: It’s important you know how your body is moving and of any physical limitations that might prevent good pain free movement. A good screening can also highlight potential areas of weakness that causes injuries to occur. Ask your medical and health professional for a functional movement screen (FMS).
Stay Hydrated: Increased training levels means that you will need to increase your water intake. Add himalayan pink salts to your water as a natural electrolyte
Warm Up: A 5 minute cardio session prior to a gym workout will get the core temperature up and prepare the body properly for each session.
Sleep: The best recovery tool on the market is sleep. Make sure you get a solid 8 hours a night.
No Pain No Gain: No one should train or do an exercise that gives them pain, this causes the body to move differently and compensate around the pain.
Overtraining: 3-4 gym sessions are optimal for maintaining good fitness levels. For proper recovery, training 6-7 times a week will only lead to injury.
If you would like a functional injury prevention screening or you are suffering from a gym related injury please contact the clinic for a consultation.
