Benefits of Prenatal Massage
By: Jaimee Copeman
Pregnancy is such a fascinating and beautiful thing! The amazing changes and adaptations that our bodies make to help grow and host a baby are remarkable. The many changes our bodies go through also bring many challenges as we navigate through pregnancy.
Some of the most common physical complaints in pregnancy are increased lower limb swelling, sciatic pain, and “round ligament” pain. We will go through each one of these in more detail as to why each can happen and how prenatal massage therapy can help.
Lower Limb Swelling: During pregnancy our body produces 45% more blood volume to help supply nutrients to the fetus. As our uterus and baby grow this leads to an increase in pressure on major arteries and often decreases circulation in our lower limbs. This decrease in circulation also leads to a decrease in lymph movement, resulting in swelling in our feet and legs later on in pregnancy.
Massage techniques such as Manual Lymph Drainage can help increase the flow of lymph within the lower limb and help with the up regulation of fluid and removal of tissue waste that is carried by the lymphatic system.
Round ligament pain: This is something that not everyone experiences, but when it is, it can be quite uncomfortable. We have two “round ligaments”, one on each side of the uterus that attaches the uterus to the pelvic floor. As the baby and uterus grow, the round ligaments stretch, which can cause sharp pain in the groin area when sitting up, turning over in bed and walking.
Light massage techniques to the anterior hip and groin, along with gentle stretching such as child pose, hip flexor stretches, and butterfly are a few of the things you can do to help relieve round ligament pain.
Sciatic pain: This symptom is much more common in pregnancy and there are many contributors as to why we experience it. First, our body starts producing a hormone called Relaxin. This hormone is known to help the muscles and ligaments in the body relax and stretch which can help the body prepare for birth. However, this also decreases the support from the muscles within the low back/pelvis region which can then lead to increased compression onto the sciatic nerve.
Secondly, over time throughout your pregnancy you are likely to gain 20+ pounds of weight coming from the baby, placenta, and increase blood volume. This increase in weight will increase the pressure on pelvic muscles and structures which then apply pressure to the sciatic nerve.
Lastly, not only is there an increase in body weight but you will also see a change in body shape and composition. Our bellies get larger which then changes the load and weight distribution on our skeleton. As you adjust for your changing center of gravity, your body will experience changes in spinal curvature. As a result of this increase in size of your mid-section, there will naturally be more force on your spine pulling you forward, increasing the curvature of your lower back.
Throughout your pregnancy your uterus, which lies anteriorly to the pelvic muscles and the sciatic nerve, will expand as the baby grows. As the space available decreases, whether from the size of the baby or where the baby is located, increased impingement on the sciatic nerve, that runs through your pelvis into your lower limbs, can result.
The ‘pin and stretch’ is a great massage therapy technique to use on the piriformis muscle which lies directly behind the sciatic nerve. By releasing this muscle, less tension and pressure on the sciatic nerve and improve mobility within the hip.
Massage therapy has great benefits when it comes to prenatal care. Gentle Swedish massage techniques throughout the low back and gluteal musculature along with the anterior hip, including the hip flexors, are great approaches to helping relax those over stretched and tight muscles and ligaments. If you or someone you know is pregnant and experiencing any of these symptoms, or you want to learn more about how ProActive Rehab can help you, please visit www.proactiverehab.com or call us directly at 705-788-1480. Massage therapy might be exactly what you need!