 At City Osteopaths, all our Osteopaths are Registered with the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand and four of us are trained to assess and treat pregnant women. This includes specific medical history considerations, treatment positioning for comfort and the most helpful, gentle treatment approaches to ease pregnancy pains and prepare for birth. We can usually help reduce or eliminate back pain, neck pain, pelvic pain, headaches, sinus, rib pain and/or reflux during any stage of pregnancy. Working in with our pregnancy acupuncturists, Janine Nana and Sharlene McInness, we are able to help prepare women for labour and give space to babies who are breech which may enable them to turn head downwards naturally for successful labour. We highly recommend all women make an appointment to get a one hour pre-labour back and pelvic check and treatment at around 35 weeks pregnancy. At this initial appointment we take a thorough medical history, do a physical and osteopathic examination so we can assess and assist your back, pelvic joints and associated soft tissues (muscles and fascia) to be as well organised and balanced as possible for a successful labour. At City Osteopaths, we have helped hundreds of women have a successful birth with minimal or no medical intervention. At around two weeks post birth we recommend you come in with your baby for a check up. Over the years we have found all women need their pelvis to be rebalanced due to the forces involved in being pregnant and birthing a baby. (Either through the birth canal or a caesarian section). Also if there is ongoing discomfort, we are able to gently treat the site of an epidural injection and ease the pain away. As of January 2018, four of our Osteopaths are trained and experienced in treating babies. Sebastian Tucker, Aydan Hajiyeva, Chloe Brugne and Melanie Young. We also are able to give post pregnancy advice for your best recovery including a planned return to exercise safely post birth. Call us for an appointment 04 4991439 or if you have questions, one of our Osteopaths will call you back as soon as they are free.  Melanie Young B.A.,B.App.Sc.Sc.(Clin Sc),B.Osteo.Sc. MONZ Reg. Osteopath Director City Osteopaths www.cityosteopaths.co.nz Research to show that Osteopathic manipulative treatment slows or halts the deterioration of back functioning in pregnancy: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937809008436 http://unitec.researchbank.ac.nz/handle/10652/1919# This is a permanent link to Anna Kurth's Osteopathic treatment in Pregnancy research. INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC It is becoming increasingly common for women to seek complementary and alternative therapies for alleviation of common complaints associated with pregnancy (Adams et al., 2009). These complaints can severely impact on women’s quality of life and in some cases affect their pregnancy and childbirth experience (Borggren, 2007; Olsson & Nilsson-Wikmar, 2004). Alongside this, anecdotal claims have been made that osteopathic treatment can decrease labour duration by ensuring that biomechanically, the pelvis is working effectively and is therefore more able to comply with the added demands of pregnancy and the infant’s descent (Borggren, 2007; King et al., 2003). This is thought to play a role in decreasing the need for interventions such as forceps and ventouse extraction. Identifying the attitudes and experiences of women who have experienced osteopathy during pregnancy will offer further information regarding the role osteopathic care played in their pregnancy and birth experience. Research into the effects of osteopathic treatment for this sector of the population is limited and it is hoped that by gaining insight into the attitudes and experiences of the women, valuable information will be added to current literature, providing a research base on which further studies may be conducted. |
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 When bad posture isn’t really bad posture As osteopaths, we see many people who are concerned about their posture, often saying “I don’t want to end up like ….(insert name of elderly relative)… He/she is completely hunched over!”. It’s great to see people who understand the benefits of prevention over cure, but in many cases the person they are thinking of doesn’t just have bad posture. In fact, they may have an underlying condition such as spinal compression fractures due to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes the bones to become very fragile, occasionally to the point where an action as simple as picking up a bag of groceries causes a vertebra to fracture and collapse, leaving the vertebra in a wedge shape and creating a the effect of a hunched-over posture. This condition has the somewhat old-fashioned name of ‘Dowager’s Hump’. Osteoporosis can be prevented from developing by maximising bone density in early life, and minimising bone loss in later life. Weight-bearing, high impact activities (like skipping rope or running) in early life will increase bone mass, alongside an adequate calcium intake. Best sources of calcium in your diet are green leafy vegetables, broccoli and dairy products (ideally raw, unpasterised and unhomogenised). An excessively acid diet will also reduce the amount of calcium in the bones. Avoid excessive red meat, coffee, smoking and carbonated drinks (ie soft drinks) as these all require calcium to be taken from your bones to buffer the acidic environment in your body. You can also minimise bone loss, especially after menopause, by engaging in moderate-impact exercise and strength training, alongside a higher calcium intake to reduce the calcium losses associated with lower oestrogen levels. In addition, vitamin D is important for bone health. Osteopaths are able to assess your risks of developing conditions like osteoporosis and give you personalised guidelines for prevention. We can give you guidance on other treatment providers who may be able to help, such as nutritionists or naturopaths, or send you for a bone density scan. Finally, we can help you with any postural problems you are having, giving you treatment to help your body make the appropriate adjustments, alongside exercise to help maintain the changes.  Lara Sanders
M.Ost.,B.App.Sc. (Human Biol.) Reg. Osteopath www.cityosteopaths.co.nz Ph 044991439 #osteoporosis #excessiveboneloss |
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