Osteopathic manipulation for pregnancy and post-partum pain

Pregnancy and the postpartum times come with unique discomfort. Musculoskeletal pain is a big part of this because of loosening of the ligaments during pregnancy due to hormone alterations, a growing baby and uterus, the delivery process itself, and carrying your newborn, infant, or toddler typically on the same side when they want or need to be carried. Osteopathic manipulation (OMT) can help alleviate pregnancy and postpartum pain by realigning the spine and decreasing muscle spasm when present.

This study performed in the third trimester of pregnancy showed that OMT and usual obstetric care decreased musculoskeletal pain, while sham/fake treatment with ultrasound combined with usual obstetric care kept pain stable and the pain worsened (!) with usual obstetric care alone without any adjunct or complementary medicine.

Worried about safety or inducing labor with treatments? The PROMOTE study looked at 380 pregnant women and found that the women in the OMT group were less likely to be classified as a high-risk pregnancy! The risk of operative vaginal delivery, conversion to c-section, need for forceps or vacuum assist, need for episiotomy, or incidence of perineal lacerations were NOT increased in the OMT group. The only increased incidence was prolonged labor, which is under further study. This shows that getting treatments will not put you or your baby at any increased risk when OMT is performed by an experienced provider while you are pregnant.

As for postpartum pain, multiple studies show a decrease in pain and increase in functional mobility with OMT, including this randomized, controlled study of an 8 week treatment protocol.

Frequency of treatment varies and is mostly based on whether you have pain, discomfort, or mobility issues. Not everyone will improve with the first treatment, but the improvement rate is somewhere around 50% will need one treatment, 30% will need two treatments, and 20% will need three. As always, our services are non-pharmacologic and insurance-based.

What can OMT do for you? Book your insurance based treatment with Dr. Betler today online at ctsportsrecovery.com or call/text 203-651-5090 for more information.