At Spineplus Clinic Chigwell we offer a 1 t0 1 Mother Baby Osteopathy Clinic, because we understand that pregnancy is time of great change for the body, not only does a mum to be carry the extra weight of the baby on her frame but the spine goes through various posture changes over the different semesters as a result of an expanding tummy! This can place strain on joints, muscles and discs, commonly resulting in back pain, neck pain and shoulder aches. Furthermore, during the later stages of pregnancy, the body produces hormones which help prepare for delivery of the baby by increasing the flexibility of the ligaments around the pelvis, the unfortunate downside to this is that the pelvic joints, commonly the sacro-iliac joints, can drift slightly out of alignment (sub lux) causing sharp pain on one side of the low back / hip especially when putting weight through the leg of the affected side.

Unfortunately, pregnancy related back pain does not necessarily end once the baby has been delivered! The fact that the abdomen has been stretched for many months often wreaks havoc on the deep abdominal and core stability muscles of the trunk which play a crucial supporting role for the spine. Overstretched, under working core muscles is not a good thing! This can potentially predispose to back problems such as slipped discs and sciatica months or years down the line.

The good news is that at Spineplus Chigwell we can help with our 1 to 1 Mother Baby Osteopathy Clinic. For example specific Pilates style exercises within a month or so after delivery, can help coax core muscles back in to action. Several of our osteopaths are trained Pilates instructors, so if you feel like your tummy needs toning why not book in for some one to one sessions, so that you can make sure are doing the exercises correctly and getting the maximum benefit from them. Not only should this give you a flatter tummy but can also check out your back and any other niggles to treat and prevent injuries before they get any worse.

The birthing process can be quite traumatic not just for the mum but also for the delicate bones and soft tissues of a new-born baby, particularly if the delivery was a difficult and involved the use of forceps or ventouse. This can mean an unsettling time during the first few weeks and months of a new-born’s life. Along with our Mother Baby Osteopathy Clinic, we also offer a treatment that is growing in popularity called Cranial osteopathy, this involves very gentle manipulation of the skull bones and soft tissues and has traditionally been used with babies to help settle the effects of birth trauma.

At Spine Plus Clinic Chigwell, we have an osteopath who is very experienced with using “cranial osteopathy” – Noel Adams, Noel is also a dad of two, so has been there done that and got the T shirt. So if you think you or your baby could benefit from Noel’s expertise, why not book in, it’s not uncommon for mother and baby to have their first full night’s sleep after Noel’s gentle and relaxing treatment!