Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/121374
Want more treatment options? Visit the Online Education Center at www.abmp.com to see Whitney Lowe's webinars, where he explores specific treatment approaches for common pathologies. As the baby grows during pregnancy, the mother's center of gravity is altered, and her low-back muscles and ligaments must adapt to these changes. Inevitably, postural adaptations are made, which, on their own, add pain and discomfort. The pre-birth physiological changes, along with postural adaptations made to accommodate pregnancy, can lead to ongoing pain and discomfort after the child's birth. The body is particularly adaptive and able to restore much of its previous health after the baby is born, but new moms usually wind up exacerbating their pain with new, problematic activities. While it would be great if there were ergonomic solutions to all of the following, often there are not—but there are functional changes that can help. These behavioral adaptations, along with massage, can provide new moms some greatly earned relief. Forward-Head and Upper-Back Posture Lack of rest is a significant factor contributing to postural disorders. To rest overloaded tissues, there must be breaks from problematic postures. In work-related settings, the person has at least some respite from cumulative stress when they go home at the end of their workday. However, caring for a baby is a 24-7 job, particularly during the first few weeks. Multiple activities, including comforting, feeding, or holding the infant while he or she sleeps, require mothers to lean over their child, stressing the upper-back region. This posture is often held for a long period of time, leading to cumulative tissue overload. Once the upper back comes forward of the line of gravity, more effort must be expended by the upper thoracic extensor muscles to hold the torso and head against the pull of gravity (Image 1). In addition, when the head is thrust forward (i.e., forward-head posture), the load on the posterior cervical muscles is increased. It is estimated that for every inch your head is forward of the center line of gravity, an additional 10 pounds of effort must be offset by the posterior cervical muscles. Chronic muscular tightness and myofascial trigger points are the most common dysfunctional problems resulting from this position, but an under-emphasized danger of these long periods of biomechanical distortion is that they produce dysfunctional neuromuscular patterns. Constant reinforcement of these bad postural patterns can have longterm detrimental effects on posture and proper tissue health. Treatment should focus on reducing tension in the pectoralis major and other anterior chest muscles. It is often these chronically shortened muscles that perpetuate the dysfunctional patterns. Deep stripping techniques and static compression methods are particularly advantageous. Of course, usually the greatest discomfort is in the upper-back muscles, which have become over-lengthened and fatigued. These muscles will get relief from the same techniques. Distance from center of gravity 2 A car seat puts the baby's weight farther from mom's center of gravity and greatly increases the load on mom's low-back muscles, which must compensate. Massage will feel good, but soft-tissue treatment alone is frequently not enough for lasting relief. To combat dysfunctional postural patterns, there must be neuromuscular reeducation. It is highly important for moms to address these postural challenges by consciously working to reinforce correct postural alignment and engaging in home care, such as stretching. Awkward Lifting Positions A challenge facing new moms is adapting to the increased lifting activities. Picking up the baby starts in the morning and continues after every feeding time, nap, playtime, task, trip, etc. Just this change alone is a huge new physical demand the body is generally unprepared for. The baby will be gaining weight rapidly as well, and that means mom's lifting demands continually increase. The low-back muscles often end up doing a disproportional amount of this lifting work. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 103