At Sports & Spinal Albury Wodonga our Osteopaths are experienced at aiding in the treatment of the musculoskeletal conditions that are associated with being pregnant.
During pregnancy the body undergoes immense physical, hormonal and emotional changes. These occur over a relatively short space of time, and the body has to continually adapt to accommodate them. Early stages of pregnancy are often associated with symptoms such as nausea, morning sickness, headaches, fatigue and dizziness. As pregnancy progresses, your growing “baby bump” creates a shift in your centre of gravity, that when combined with the hormonal effect of softening of supporting ligaments, can place greater mechanical stress on your spine and pelvis. This can lead to symptoms such as generalised back pain, sciatica from nerve compression and /or pubic and sacroiliac joint pain from instability. Neck pain and headaches often become more frequent due to increasing size and weight of your breasts as milk production commences.
What do Osteopaths do?
Many pregnant women seek Osteopathic treatment for reduction of their pain. Our Osteopaths aim is to assist the natural process of pregnancy and birth, maximising the body’s ability to change and support you and your baby with minimum pain and discomfort. We ensure you leave your appointment with self-help advice for both you and your partner to help you through pregnancy and beyond.
Even before pregnancy, your Osteopath can evaluate your body, paying particular attention to the spine and pelvis, to ensure that there are no pre-existing or underlying restrictions, which may cause problems further into the pregnancy. We recommend a pre-conception osteopathic check up to help make sure your body will cope with the changes of pregnancy and help it to adapt as smoothly as possible.
Is Osteopathic treatment during pregnancy safe?
Our Osteopaths use techniques during pregnancy that are carefully selected in order to minimize risk. These techniques are gentle and the mother’s comfort is also assured. At Sports & Spinal Albury Wodonga we have an ergonomically designed pregnancy cushion, allowing women to lie on their stomach during treatment, even into the later stages of pregnancy.
Can Osteopaths help postnatally?
Depending on the type of labour experienced, women can have a wide range of issues postnatally. Osteopathic care can help to restore and maintain normal lumbo-pelvic girdle function after pregnancy. They can assist with the aches and pains experienced by new mothers from things such as breastfeeding, carrying a baby or bending and lifting to get them in and out of the cot or car.
What to expect in your consult?
Your initial consultation will involve a comprehensive assessment where we ascertain your relevant past history, including previous injuries and medical history, followed by a physical exam to determine not only the diagnosis but also find the root cause of your problem. This will be discussed with you and a treatment plan will be formulated to accommodate your needs.
The treatment itself will vary from individual to individual, but will often include a combination of hands on therapies, dry needling, taping, advice, exercise prescription as well as other options.
FAQ's
Osteopaths are covered by most Private Health insurance schemes. To be sure you are covered please consult your insurance policy. We have HICAPs facilities available for those with Private Health so you can automatically claim your treatment and only have to pay the gap.
No referral is necessary to come to our clinic.
Osteopaths like to be thorough and hence our consults tend to take half an hour on average.
It is advised that you arrive between 5 and 10 minutes prior to your initial consult as you are required to fill out a new patient and informed consent forms before treatment can commence.
Conditions we help with:
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