Common Pregnancy Problems
Sacroiliac PainThe sacroiliac joint is located at the bottom of the spine and the ilieum of the pelvis. The joint is fused by a fibro cartilage ligament.
The ligament, along with all other ligaments in the body during pregnancy is affected by the hormone relaxin and softens in preparation for the birth. This allows an increase in movement to the joints and specifically in the sacroiliac joint, that can lead to instability in the pelvis, lower back pain and discomfort.
It is usually one specific side that is affected and the pain can range from a dull ache when sitting or standing for a while to a sharp pain during movement. The pain usually gets worse as the day wears on.
It is important that you inform your healthcare provider that you have sacroiliac pain. You may need to be referred to a physiotherapist or a women's health practitioner for further assessment of your condition.
As a masseur, I can help to relieve some of the discomfort in the surrounding musculature that may be affected due to the condition.
Piriformis Syndrome
Deep within the buttocks is a small muscle called the piriformis. It attaches at the sacrum and follows through to head of the femur. It is involved in the lateral rotation of the hip and abducts the femur when the leg is flexed.
Piriformis syndrome is a term for the pain caused by the tightening of the muscle and the compression of the sciatic nerve that runs underneath the piriformis muscle. The pain can be localized specifically to the muscle ranging from a tingling sensation, numbness and even causing sciatica where the pain radiates down the leg.
This is a very common complaint in pregnancy as the pelvis tilts forward and the centre of balance changes due to the growing baby, causing a contraction in the piriformis muscle.
Massage can be really useful to help alleviate the discomfort in the area and certain techniques can be used specifically to the muscle to reduce the pain.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a term for the pain caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve.
The nerve originates from the spinal column and branches out around the L4, L5, S1 vertebrae to continue through the legs to the feet.
Compression of the sciatic nerve is a specific sensation with a transferred pain or pins and needles down one of the legs. It is often confused with sacral iliac pain or pelvic girdle pain which is a localised pain in without the referring sensation.
During pregnancy, the centre of gravity in the pregnant woman changes and moves forward because of the weight of the growing baby within. The pelvis tilts forward (anteriorly) causing the buttock muscles including the piriformis to tighten.
As a masseur, sciatica can be relieved by helping to reduce the tension in the buttock and surrounding muscles, specifically the muscle called the piriformis that lies deep within the buttock area. Its origin is on the surface of the sacrum and it inserts on the top of the femur and lies over the sacral nerve. Specific attention must be given to help strengthen the core muscles including the pelvic floor to help re-engage and restore balance back into the body.
The causes of sciatica must be investigated by a health care practioner that specialises in pregnancy or a womens health practitioner.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
What is the Carpal Tunnel?
At the front of your wrist, there is a narrow space called the carpal tunnel. This is where the main nerve, the median nerve passes from your arm through to your hand. All the tendons that control your hand also pass through the carpal tunnel making the space limited.
Why do I get pain here?
In pregnancy, women can experience fluid retention and can increase the pressure around the wrist and press on the median nerve. This in turn causes a disruption in the nerve impulses.
It can cause pins and needles in the hands or wrists and can sometimes bring with it numbness or weakness.
This condition can be experienced any time throughout the pregnancy and can continue until after birth.
How does massage help?
By massaging the shoulders, arms, wrists and hands, it can increase blood flow to the area and can help to reduce the odema and water retention that causes the discomfort. The technique may also be known as lymphatic drainage.
Varicose Veins
Why do varicose veins matter in massage?
A vein allows blood to flow to the heart. Inside the vein are small valves to stop the blood from flowing back down. If the valves are weak or damaged then the blood can flow backwards making the vein enlarged and swollen.
Pregnancy can increase the risk of varicose veins as the increase of hormones relax all the connective tissue including the blood vessels and with the additional pressure of the growing baby can also weaken veins.
Massage should not be performed over the veins.
A good masseur can point them out to you and the surrounding areas can still be massaged.
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)
This is a very common complaint from women during and after their pregnancy.
The pelvis is made up of two wings of bone and is joined to the spine and the sacrum. In the front the two bones join together forming the symphysis pubis. The join is made of a fibrocartilaginous tissue that is reinforced by several ligaments. Because of the hormone relaxin the joint softens to allow the pelvis to move and allow for childbirth. This softening can cause a lot of discomfort and instability in the pelvis.
Women may feel quite wobbly with pain in the hips, lower back, groin area, lower abdomen and in their legs. They may even feel a "clicking"sensation in the sacral area around the sacral iliac joint. It is important to be aware of these symptoms and there are things you can do yourself prevent these symptoms from worsening.
You can do this by:
- Avoiding "scissor" like actions with your legs and twisting movements with your lower body.
- Sleeping with a pillow between your knees and ankles helps reduce the symptoms, especially by keeping our knees together when turning over or getting out of bed.
- When seated, sit on a raised cushion or a wedge sloping forward that enable your hips to be higher than your knees. This takes the weight off the pubis by rotating your pelvis forward.
- When getting out a chair keep your knees together. This reduces the stress on symphysis pubis .
- When climbing the stairs, do it slowly, one stair at a time.
- If you swim, avoid the breaststroke as the frog leg position increases the movenment in the symphysis pubis. Try the front crawl or backstroke if it does not cause you discomfort.
- Take care when getting in and out of the car. Keep your knees together to avoid stretching the pubis area.
Sore neck and shoulders
Do you suffer from sore neck and shoulders and wonder why?
In pregnancy as the pelvis tilts forward to cradle the growing baby, the lower back curves to compensate.
Because of this, the upper spine moves too to re-align the vertebrae for you to stay upright. As this happens, the shoulder blades protract (move away from the spine) and roll forward to help align the body.
This puts added pressure on your upper back causing stretching and weakening of the trapezius, rhomboids and latissimus dorsi muscles. The front of your neck and chest are also affected as the pectoral (breast) muscles and frontal neck muscles become tighter and shorten.
With this curvature, your head and neck also move in a forward and upward plane, again to establish a correct balance.
As you can see your body goes through a lot of re-positioning during pregnancy and even after the birth.
If you are experiencing pain and discomfort, I can help
