Pregnancy & Posture
06/12/2009

Postural imbalances are very common within our society today, everyone is susceptible to them and are mainly exposed to them through bad habits that have been embedded through years of bad habits. Examples can be seen everywhere we look, from office workers who slouch at their desk straining to look up at the computer, to people who work in confined spaces so spend most of their time "hunched" over or on their knees, however one of the most at risk group of individuals are pregnant women and new mums.

Throughout pregnancy a woman's body is forever changing, adapting to the increasing weight of the growing foetus places inevitable stresses on the body causing specific and painful postural imbalances. Whats more, after giving birth she is then thrown into a constant cycle of lifting, feeding, carryign and pushing, not to mention having to carry on with the day to day running of a household, all of this when it is more than likely she is at the weakest she have ever been! Inevitably this can lead to various postural and muscular imbalances, which like any, if not addressed can become increasingly painful, debilitating and long term!

There are three main postural imbalances that may persist, theses being lordosis, kyphosis and scoliosis. Lordosis is characterised by an excessive curve of the lumbar spine in which the pelvis tilts anteriorly causing instability and weakness in the lumbo-pelvic- hip region, although it can be brought on through lifestyle or genetics, in women the main cause is pregnancy. Kyphosis and scoliosis on the other hand are usually experienced in the post natal period, with feeding, carrying and pushing positions being the main triggers.

Kyphosis affects the thoracic spine with the easiest way of portraying it being to identify those individuals who display a "hunched back" as being characteristic of having the condition, tightness in the muscles of the chest and weakness in the muscles of the upper back directly affect its severity and dictate treatment. Persistent feeding positions with a lack of variety are contributory factors, for example those mothers who "stoop" over their child when feeding, or fail to feed equally on either side of the body place themselves at greater risk of developing the condition. Similarly, constantly pushing a child in a pram that is too low will also increase your likelihood as you have to reach down to take hold of the handles, conciously or not.

Perhaps the most severe and debilitating postural imbalance is scoliosis, due to its nature it is relatively hard to describe someone, or something that portrays it well, I would say quasi-modo but unfortunately he had all three! The easiest way for you to picture it is to simply say it is an "S" shape in the curvature of your spine. As you may imagine this can be very painful and takes long term and persistent treatment, not being as easy to treat as simply stretching out the tight muscles, rather performing specific strengthening and stretching at precise points of the spine. Constantly carrying your child on the same side of your body, combined with persistently poor feeding and pushing positions can elicit such a condition.

Like with losing weight, it may be easy to put the weight on, but losing it is hard work and takes prolonged energy, postural imbalances are the same, therefore it is vitally important that you adhere to the advice given. It is quite hard to avoid lordosis whilst pregnant, it is more or less inevitable, however you can manage it through exercising the hip flexors and glutes, and strengthening the muscles affected once you have given birth to eliminate any long term implications. Whats more encouraging however is that unless you genetically predisposed can avoid kyphosis and scoliosis through exercise and correct lifestyle choices. As said earlier, don't constantly carry and feed in  the same position, it may sond obvious but try make the concious effort to switch every time and to not "stoop". When taking your child out in the pram/stroller, or purchasing one, make sure the handles are at the correct height so that you can comfortably push without straining or having to alter the position of your body. Postnatally you may be at the weakest you have ever been so it becomes even more imperative to not get into poor movement patterns otherwise they will persist and you will experience painful and debilitating postural imbalances. As well as making the correct lifestyle choices it is equally important, if not more so that you exercise, strengthening the specific muscles that are used to help you hold your child up, pick your child up and aid in the day to day running of your household. Although I can emphasise enough the importance of exercise, I equally cant stress enough the importance of not rushing things and only resuming physical activity once you have been clearance from your doctor.

If you want further help and guidance then why not attend a fitness4mum exercise class, the post natal exercise class they offer is aimed directly at addressing the specific postural and muscular imbalances that persist through pregnancy, helping you feel stronger quicker, more able to carry out everyday activities and less prone to injury.

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