Category: 45 plus

Have you got back pain keeping you awake at night? Pain in your lower back preventing you from enjoying the blossom of your pregnancy? 

This is a very common problem. You are not alone, so don’t panic. 

For the majority of women in pregnancy, back pain etches inwards during the mid-point of pregnancy (between the five-month and seven-month mark). That’s not just a guess on our part, though. There is a reason why back pain occurs at this time. 

Throughout these months, the uterus changes position from the pelvic area to the abdomen; this increases the stress upon both the mid and lower back. 

Consequently, your spine’s normal position is altered courtesy of the changes your ‘bump’ goes through. As the bump pushes up into your belly, the rising pressure affects the vertebrae in your back. 

More Pregnancy Blogs From Focus Osteopathy
How To Strengthen The Pelvic Floor
Why Does My Hip Pain Linger After Pregnancy?
How Pregnancy Can Cause Knee Pain And Back Pain

As this pressure pushes against the components of your spine, pain begins to build. Sadly, this pain doesn’t disappear when you try to gain some sleep. If the pain builds up enough, you’ll be locked in a constant battle for relief until the morning sun summons birdsong. 

That’s not what you want to hear. I get it. But there is hope, so don’t panic! 

Do you want some good news? There are many ways to relieve (or even prevent) pain. And not only that, but you can also build your back muscles up to be stronger – even while pregnant! 

So, it’s official. You don’t have to endure back pain and subsequent sleepless nights during your pregnancy. There is no need to endure the discomfort, face the sleep-deprived day, or grimace through until the day arrives and you give birth. 

But how do you go about building your back strength, and vanquishing back pain for a restful sleep? 

You need an Osteopath! And that’s where we can help. 

We can help you get good restful sleep, and help you avoid walking around holding your back and staying home, laid up in front of the television for the next few months. 

By working with us, you’ll thrive! You’ll be able to continue exercising where appropriate, get out and about, and enjoy the precious time carrying your baby. But without the crushing fatigue that comes with not sleeping properly. 

Let’s dig a bit deeper into how we can help. 

Treat Pregnancy Back Pain By Visiting An Osteopath 

Perhaps the most effective way to deal with back pain (especially during the early stages of pregnancy) is Osteopathic treatment. At Focus Osteopathy, we help Mums-to-be with correct posture and other elements that contribute to back pain. 

We also take time to teach pregnant mothers a range of exercises that they can undertake and practice at home, in order to prevent pregnancy-related back pain. 

We also practise techniques largely unique to osteopathic treatments. These treatments manipulate your joints and muscles to alleviate the pressure and stress that’s building up against your spinal column and subsequent nerves; the leading cause of pregnancy back pain and sleepless nights. 

So what could these manipulations mean? It’s nothing to worry about. We aren’t going to reshape your body with painful or forceful actions. Instead, we’ll guide you on how to sit properly, lie back correctly, sleep soundly, and walk while pregnant without applying any of that negative pressure on your back. 

Osteopaths at Focus Osteopathy will also walk you through a range of gentle stretching movements that will build strength and make your joints more supple. 

You can book a session with us through this link. However, is there anything you can do in the meantime to help with back pain?

Of course there is. So let’s take a look at a few ‘home remedies’. Even if the first one sounds impossible.

Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Sounds pretty good right now, doesn’t it? However, we remain aware that getting a good night’s sleep while pregnant can be incredibly challenging. 

One of the main reasons for this comes from the extra weight that your body has to deal with. This weight, which is more pronounced when you sleep on your side, places itself on your spinal cord and creates serious discomfort. 

You can help yourself by grabbing hold of a thick towel and placing it, folded lengthwise, at a right angle to your waist. 

This extra support helps to relieve the strain on your back and pelvic region. You can also use a pillow and place it between your knees when lying on your side; again reducing the pressure on your back. 

Furthermore, when pregnant, you should avoid sleeping on your back, because it is not helpful for you or your baby. 

Why? In the latter stages of your pregnancy (the third trimester), sleeping on your back can reduce your baby’s vital blood and oxygen flow. To give your unborn child the best chance, you want to keep this blood and oxygen flow as healthy as possible. 

So, instead of sleeping on your back, get yourself a firm support mattress and utilize pillows as props to sleep on either your right or left side. 

You can also try to introduce a ‘sleep routine’ that works for you. For example, don’t eat in the two-hour run-up to bedtime. This helps to prevent digestive discomfort that might otherwise keep you awake. 

Pilates & Yoga 

Contrary to belief, yoga and pilates are not solely for the rich and famous. You are not ‘excluded’ from these activities just because your Instagram account hasn’t become festooned with millions of followers. 

Rather, yoga and pilates have a legion of ardent followers from all spheres of life, and these followers practice for good reason, too. It’s a great form of exercise for staying fit and healthy throughout pregnancy. 

Not to mention how pilates and yoga can prepare your body for childbirth, and prevent pregnancy-related aches and pains. 

We would recommend what is known as ‘Prenatal Yoga’. This form of yoga helps the muscles, joints, ligaments, and nerves that help form your posture. Besides strengthening your body, prenatal yoga also benefits your mental health by relieving stress and engaging with deep breathing techniques that relax the body. 

All of this should certainly help in gaining a peaceful sleep. It also calms the nervous system, and helps to reduce some of the natural anxieties that sometimes accompany pregnancy. 

Like prenatal yoga, prenatal pilates is a gentle and pregnancy-friendly form of exercise. Using a sequence of movements to improve balance and then strengthen the ‘core’ muscles, Pilates is more regimented when compared to free-flowing yoga. 

However, in being more regimented, pilates remains (arguably) a more effective method for strengthening and elongating muscles and preventing pregnancy back pain. 

Wear A Maternity Belt

Ever heard of a maternity belt? These have proven effective in relieving pain for pregnant women. Especially those going through the final stages of pregnancy and feeling too tired and worn out to undertake a yoga or pilates session. 

The maternity belt remains one of the easiest ways to relieve and support your back when pregnant, and supports your belly while standing, going about your daily activities, walking, and generally moving around. 

Wearing a maternity belt helps compensate for weaker core muscles, too. 

Opt For Proper Footwear 

We get it. It’s tempting to try and stay up-to-date with fashions, or try to outdo the neighbours, but we wouldn’t recommend it. Your body is going through a range of changes, and high-heeled shoes are not going to help with your back pain. 

These cat-walk-inspired shoes will increase the curvature of your spine and place extra pressure on your back. Pain will be inbound before you’ve taken more than a few steps. 

Also, as you have to live with increasing pregnancy weight, unsensible shoes can increase your chances of a fall, which can risk your baby. 

However, we also don’t recommend wearing entirely flat shoes, either. Flat shoes provide very little support in the arch area of the foot, and causes an uneven distribution of body weight. 

Once again, you guessed it, this uneven distribution can strain the lower back. Not to mention related ankle and foot pain. 

So, what do you look for exactly? Look for footwear with built-in stability for the arch of your foot, and also your ankle. Heels need to be not too high, but also not too flat. 

Trying shoes on and feeling pressure in your back as you try to walk? Put them back. They are not the best shoes for you! 

It’s Time To Speak With Us 

If you have back pain during pregnancy, we recommend you book an appointment with us. We can help you find and treat the root cause of your back pain, and prevent problems further down the line in your pregnancy. 

We don’t just generalize your condition. We take the time to get to know you, and ensure that your treatment is bespoke to your situation. After all, what works for some people may not work for you.

You can contact us through our contact page.

Don’t suffer in silence. It’s time to get you back to health! 

Are you still struggling with hip pain after delivering your baby weeks, months, or decades ago?

Well, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Postpartum joint pain is widespread among women after childbirth.

In pregnancy, reports suggest that up to 25% of women experience serious pain– with 8% reporting severe disability. But many women suffer from disabling hip and joint pain long after giving birth to their babies.

These post-delivery joint pains may be pains that start during your pregnancy or new pains that begin during or shortly after the birth. The pains also manifest in several different ways.

From hip pain and pelvic girdle pain caused by the pregnancy and/or the delivery. Pain in the finger joints due to increased fluid retention or knee pain that occurs because your knees support the additional weight of your baby.
But the most common cause of pre and postpartum joint pain is hip pain, which develops during the pregnancy and can continue for weeks or months after the delivery.

Postpartum hip pain can become chronic and long-lasting in rare cases (without proper treatment). 

All these complaints are likely due to inflammation and physical changes during pregnancy, childbirth and post-partum. They can also occur due to hormonal changes. 

More Blogs From Focus Osteopathy
How Pregnancy Can Cause Knee And Back Pain
When your shoulder is really a pain in the neck…
How does our modern lifestyle affect posture?

What Are The Symptoms Of Hip Pain After Pregnancy?

Medically, we refer to pain around the area that we call our “hips” – as Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) because it usually affects the pelvic joints.

Pain patterns tend to differ between women, but the main symptoms of PGP are:

• Your hips feel “loose” – sometimes, this might feel like all the muscles around the hips are stiff and tight, but your pelvis feels unstable. 
• Intense pain in the hips, deep inside your pubic region, your legs, lower back, or butt. 
• A loud popping sound when you move your hips
• Pain that radiates over the lower back
• Pain that worsens with activity 

Your doctor may prescribe pain medication to deal with the pain. Still, longer-term physical therapy, specifically in the form of osteopathy and therapeutic exercise, is recommended to treat the root cause, strengthen the weakened pelvic floor muscles, and lessen the pain – without resorting to pain pills. 

What Causes Hip Pain After Pregnancy?

There isn’t one main reason why hip or pelvic girdle pain occurs during and after pregnancy.

Still, in most cases, the cause usually relates to how pregnancy results in changes to the body’s posture, ligaments, muscles and support structures.

Why? Because the hormones our bodies release during pregnancy stretch specific ligaments and tendons, which can cause pelvic girdle pain and pain in the hips.

The pelvic girdle plays a pivotal role in connecting your upper and lower body. Hence, there is pressure and stress on the hips and pelvic girdle every time you move.

In addition, numerous muscles are running through or connecting to the hips and pelvic girdle.

These include the psoas, the hamstrings, the glutes, and your all-important pelvic floor muscles.

As a result, many things can go wrong and cause pain in the “hip” area – especially when everything is extra stretchy and flexible. 

Interestingly, hormones can also affect our pain regulation, so your perception of the intensity of the pain may be greater than before you got pregnant. 

But what causes the pain?

Well, the precise cause of PGP and hip pain after pregnancy is different for everyone, so you need to book in for a complete evaluation.

But for information purposes, here are causes of “hip” pain that may linger after pregnancy:

• Piriformis syndrome: This painful syndrome occurs when the piriformis muscle close to the buttocks gets spasms, leading to pain.
  In some cases, piriformis syndrome can also irritate the sciatic nerve and cause it to flare up, leading to sciatica – during and after pregnancy.
  Sciatica causes nerve pain in the leg, hip, and lower back. However, with physical therapy, most women can successfully manage the symptoms of piriformis syndrome and/or sciatica and relieve the pain without pain pills. 
• Labral tears: This issue is common during labour and childbirth – when the labrum (cartilage) inside the hip socket suffers damage and tears.
  But if this were the cause of your hip pain, you would probably know about it at the time because the pain can be excruciating and make walking difficult.
  However, doctors can miss small tears, so we recommend you get an evaluation of your hips to check whether this is the case for you. 
• Arthritis: Certainly, with osteoarthritis, pregnancy is unlikely to be the cause of arthritis, but unfortunately, in some cases, pregnancy is the catalyst for a flare-up of arthritic symptoms that alert you and your doctor to this underlying medical condition.
  But osteoarthritis is more common in older postmenopausal women, so this is unlikely to be the case for you.
  However, in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, some women develop this condition after giving birth because the immune system begins to attack joint tissues. But this is rare.
  Both types of arthritis are chronic, lifelong conditions. Still, osteopathy and physical therapy can reduce the intensity of the symptoms and prevent further progression. 
• Pelvic bone problems: As your baby moves through the birth canal, they can bruise or fracture your pelvic bones and cause pain that lingers after pregnancy.
  Especially if labour is fast, pain from bruising will subside in most cases, but you may need an X-ray to check for fractures if it continues.  
• Symphysis pubis dysfunction refers to the pain that occurs when your left and right pelvic bones move and separate to accommodate your growing baby.
  This type of pain is primarily felt in pregnancy. It should go away after pregnancy, but you may feel additional pain. At the same time, your bones move back to their pre-pregnancy position. 
• Hyperthyroidism: In most cases, hyperthyroidism is unlikely to be the cause of your hip pain, but due to the increased demand for your thyroid gland, many women do suffer from hyperthyroidism when pregnant.
  This condition occurs when the thyroid gland secretes excessive hormones. In many cases, this secretion is due to an underlying condition called Grave’s Disease.
  But for the one in four women that develop this condition for the first time during pregnancy, the symptoms can get more severe after delivery. In addition, during and after pregnancy, women who suffer from hyperthyroidism during and after pregnancy can sometimes develop thyrotoxic myopathy.
  This disorder can impact the pelvic girdle leading to pain in the area. But the good news is that your doctor can run tests to determine whether you have this condition.
  They can also prescribe antithyroid medicines to help you maintain normal thyroid levels and alleviate joint pain symptoms. 

How To Reduce Hip Pain After Pregnancy 

There are many causes of hip and joint pain after giving birth. While some are common and not too serious, others might pose health issues and require treatment.

If your joint pain continues more than a month after the pregnancy or the pain increases, it is essential to consult a doctor, osteopath, or physical therapist. 

At Focus Osteopathy, we are highly experienced in pregnancy and postnatal pain and recovery and we can support you throughout your pregnancy journey.

Pregnancy can take a toll on your body, especially if you’re ill-prepared and don’t have osteopathy or physical therapy to prepare for the birth.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. But you can recover much faster when you know the root cause of your pain and have a natural recovery plan tailored to your specific set of symptoms.

We get to the core of your postpartum pain and help you feel better quickly. Book your free consultation now. 

If your hip pain after pregnancy is mild, there are some ways you can treat the pain at home. For example, if you have pain in your lower back, you can try alternating hot/cold compressed to relieve the pain.

However, we know that hip pain can often result from poor posture or an incorrect gait (walking pattern) that places stress on your hip joints and leads to pain, which we can help you with at the clinic.

But here are a few ways you can prevent hip pain at home:

• Do stretching exercises (preferable exercises provided by us)
• Eat well and increase your intake of lean protein, fresh vegetables, and fruit
• Reduce your caffeine intake
• Do daily exercise to strengthen weak muscles (preferable exercises provided by us: walking, Pilates, Yoga – or resistance training if you’re cleared to)
• Wear the right kind of footwear 
• Maintain a healthy weight 
• Make sure you get adequate calcium and vitamin D
• Lead a physically active lifestyle 

However, even if your pain is mild, we would still recommend that you book a consultation to check that nothing is going on that might get worse with time. 

It’s Time To Take Action

Hip pain is common and you shouldn’t have to suffer in silence.

Reaching out is the first part of the recovery process.

If any of this sounds familiar to you don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We know that we can help you set up a personalized recovery plan.

Are you pregnant now or planning to start a family soon?

If that’s you, your girlfriends have probably already told you in no uncertain terms to expect a variety of different aches and pains during your pregnancy. It’s par for the course, right?

These pregnancy-related pains tend to pop up all over the body. Sometimes, even without an apparent reason. Like pain in your fingers or toes or the back of your head.

But the pain in the knee joints and the lower back are among the most common kinds of pain for most Mums-to-be. That’s why we often see pregnant women stereotypically depicted shuffling along slowly and grimacing with one hand holding their back. But it doesn’t have to be like that. 

Pregnancy-related joint pain can begin at any stage of your pregnancy from as early as 6-8 weeks and in virtually any joint in the body. However, pain in particular parts of the body – like the lower back and pelvis – are the most common as the pregnancy progresses past the 12-week mark and into the second and third trimester.

In our experience, most of the aches and pains during pregnancy are mild. Still, for some women, the pain can be debilitating. For these women, it’s tough. The pain can stop you from sleeping through the night and affect your quality of life and enjoyment of your pregnancy. Sadly, pregnancy and the postnatal period can be the opposite of “blossoming” for many women.  

Does that sound like you? 

The areas we see that are most affected by joint pain during pregnancy are: 

• Pelvic region: You may feel pain around the pelvic area. Including the hips, tailbone and pubic symphysis region – the centre of the pubic bone, and the lower back. If left untreated, these pains can lead to the development of pelvic girdle pain and or a condition that causes pain at the front of your pelvis, called “Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction or (SPD)”.
• Lumbar or lower back: Lumbar or lower back pain in pregnancy is triggered by the softening of the pelvic-area ligaments and the change in your spinal posture/curves as the baby grows
• Sacroiliac joint: The joints known as SI (sacroiliac) joints are the part of your body where the ilium and sacrum connect, the area between the pelvis and the tail bone. The SI joints are crucial in bearing the additional weight of your baby (although tiny in most cases but large in relation to what your body is used to carrying) and its distribution on the pelvis.  
• Knee joint: Many women experience knee joint pain during pregnancy due to carrying around the additional weight of the baby, which puts continuous strain on the knees. Knee pain is more likely to occur during pregnancy if you have a pre-existing knee condition or old injury. However, it can also happen spontaneously during pregnancy due to hormone-related ligament changes and postural changes that occur during pregnancy.

The cause of joint pain in pregnancy can be due to many different factors such as: 

• The shift in posture that happens naturally during pregnancy 
• An increase in weight in the lower parts of the body 
• The relaxation of ligaments occurs due to the hormone “relaxin.” 

But the most common reasons for pregnancy-related joint pain that we see in the clinic are:

• Expanding uterus: As your pregnancy progresses, your womb (uterus) begins to grow and develop, too, which causes your centre of gravity to shift, weakening and stretching your abdominal muscles. Because of this centre of gravity change, it puts additional stress on your lower back, which can lead to pain.  

• Hormones: In pregnant women, the leading cause of softening joint ligaments and associated pain is the release of the pregnancy-related hormones progesterone and relaxin. Our bodies release the latter of the two, relaxin, to allow the pelvic ligaments to become loose and the pelvic girdle to move. This repositioning enables the baby can move more easily through the birth canal. However, this reduces the regular stability of the joints in the hips and pelvis and can make them feel “loose”. As a result, you may also feel lower back pain because of the release of this hormone. It helps the pelvis stretch and the SI joint to become more flexible to accommodate your baby. 

• Postural issues: Changes in your posture occur naturally in pregnancy because of the extra weight you carry towards the front of the body. This change, along with the baby’s continual growth, causes a redistribute of weight in the belly region, which can trigger pain in the lower back and hips. In addition, even after pregnancy, continually carrying your new baby/toddler on your hip can affect your posture and cause lower back and hip pain. 
• Increase in weight: Due to the hormonal changes, increased blood volume, growing baby, placenta, reduced activity levels and sometimes the unavoidable “cravings” and eating to beat morning sickness, we don’t just gain weight in the belly area during pregnancy. We also gain it in other areas of the body. Second, to the belly, most of us see weight gain around the hips, which increases stress on the joints and bones around the hips, knees and pelvis and can lead to joint pain.

The less common cause of joint pain during pregnancy:

One of the more severe but uncommon causes of joint pain during pregnancy is “Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction”. It can be intensely painful and cause issues with walking. 

How To Alleviate Joint Pain In Pregnancy

While joint pain in pregnancy can be intense and painful, there are many ways to relieve the pain:

• Physical therapy/ exercise: Gentle movement and exercises during pregnancy can help strengthen the muscles and help to reduce pain in the joints. However, you must check with your doctor first and consult a professional oestopath specialising in pre and postnatal care. They can provide pain relief with manual treatment and they can guide you through appropriate exercises, especially if you have joint pain. You can also try swimming, prenatal Pilates, and Yoga with your doctor’s approval. 
• Consider a massage: In some cases, opting for a prenatal massage with a trained prenatal massage therapist can be beneficial in reducing tension in the muscles and reducing aches and joint pain. 

• Use hot packs on the affected area: Hot packs, heating pads, or a hot water bottle can help relieve pain if you have joint pain. Some women like to talk a warm bath too to help relax the muscles and reduce pain. However, always take care to avoid direct heat on your bump.

• Belly band: If you’re in the second or third trimester of your pregnancy, you may want to try using a “belly band” for extra support. These bands can help relieve the ligament pain and pain in the lower back region that is so common in pregnancy. In addition, belly bands can alleviate round ligament pain due to the uterus stretching.
  

• Improve posture: If you try to improve your posture while sitting, standing, and walking around, it can pay dividends in reducing joint pain during pregnancy by reducing the strain on your joints. This improvement doesn’t just mean sitting on standing up straight. You can also improve your pregnancy posture by building strength and flexibility in the joints and surrounding ligaments and tendons. To do this, you can work with a professional osteopath who will create a customised exercise regimen for your needs. 

• Modify sleep position: If you suffer from pain in your lower back during pregnancy. Just making simple modifications to your sleeping position can help significantly by reducing the pressure on your joints. For example, instead of lying on your back all the time, switch to sleeping on your side with a pillow tucked between your knees. But only if it works for you. If it’s not comfortable, don’t do it. Instead, find a position that works for you. The most comfortable sleeping position for you will depend on your baby’s position and how much they move during the night. 

At Focus Osteopathy, we support Mums and soon-to-be Mums through every stage of their pre and postnatal journey. Osteopathy can be helpful for back pain and other musculoskeletal pains.

There are no quick fixes, but we can help you find the root cause of your pain and work with you to recover. We empower you to stay fit, have a healthy pregnancy, and prepare for and recover well after birth.

As well as finding the cause of your pain, we can also help you sit, sleep, and walk more comfortably.

If you have pregnancy-related knee pain, back pain, or any other joint pain, now. You can book a free consultation to talk to one of our Pregnancy and Post Natal practitioners to find out how we may be able to help you.