Here at Forest Edge Clinic we offer a varied range of treatments. The majority of patients will visit the clinic to receive treatment from a Chiropractor or Osteopath but may also be referred to a massage therapist pre or post treatment. How does massage therapy help, and what are the benefits?

The practice of massage therapy involves the assessment and treatment of soft tissues including muscles, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue.

Massage therapy develops, maintains, rehabilitates and enhances physical function, and relieves pain treating problem specific areas as well as the whole body, by normalising the circulatory, lymphatic, muscular, and nervous system. Massage, depending on the technique employed, can exert a stimulating effect or soothing effect on the nervous system and can improve circulation to tissues and organs. For example; it can improve circulation through muscle, improving healing and recovery to damaged tissue.

Chiropractic and Osteopathic treatment combined with massage therapy form a powerful healing approach that can address pain on many levels. Both long-term muscle tension and sudden impacts, such as falls, can pull and hold joints out of normal alignment.

Both Chiropractic and Osteopathic treatments use adjustments to return the joints to their 'normal positions 'and restore joint mobility and joint misalignments. These misalignments are often accompanied by tension or injury to the surrounding muscles and ligaments, producing pain that spreads because it causes protective muscle tightening in surrounding areas. Over time tight inflamed muscles suffer poor circulation and can develop adhesions that prevent muscles from lengthening completely. Painful trigger points can also develop, referring pain or tingling in other areas in the body. Addressing these soft tissue problems helps ensure Chiropractic and Osteopathic adjustment holds. Regular massage maintains progress and prevents strain patterns re-asserting themselves.

Local massage is sometimes used in preparation for an adjustment. Relieving the muscle tension and warming up the soft tissues in the area can help make joints more pliable and more easily adjusted.

Chiropractors and Osteopaths may use massage techniques themselves in preparation for adjustment. Many will refer to a masseuse or masseur following adjustment to increase the effectiveness of the treatment and improve the long term outcome.

Cranial Osteopathy is a subtle and gentle approach to the treatment of the whole body. Its gentle nature makes it particularly suitable for the treatment of babies and children.

At birth a baby is subjected to enormous forces and in normal circumstances these are mostly absorbed. Sometimes the stresses of birth are unresolved leaving the baby unsettled. Unresolved stresses can be the root of many problems in childhood and adult life.

The cranial bones of an infant's skull are membranous and flexible allowing shape change and moulding during the birth process. There are certain events during or before labour that can cause excessive moulding in the baby's head leaving a baby unsettled and fractious.

Below are a few factors influencing the amount of moulding in the baby's head.

• Length of labour:
  Long labour exposes the baby's head to large compressive forces. Rapid labour does not allow normal moulding.
• Induced labour:
  The cervix may not be ready to dilate and the labour continues against resistance, increasing compressive forces on the baby's head.
• Assisted Deliveries:
  Forceps and ventouse invariably cause increased compression on the baby's head. Elective C-Section babies do not benefit from noraml moulding and emergency C-Section babies may have experienced excessive compressive forces and need to be seen.
• Cord around Neck:
  This can cause throat irritation and subsequent feeding difficulties. As the baby gets older they may also be fussy about lumpy food.
• Overdue and premature babies:
  Compressive forces during the birth process may result in distortion and tension patterns remaining and potentially affecting optimal development.

The optimal time for Cranial Osteopathy is soon after birth before strain patterns establish. The longer the strain patterns are there the longer it takes for the body to release them. However there is much that can be done before the age of 5 years.

On average approximately 2-6 treatments are necessary. This varies according to the severity of the problem. Please contact one of our practitioners experienced in working with infants and children if you need advice.

Penny Nelmes is a McTimoney Chiropractor and Fellow of The College of Chiropractors. She has a special interest in the treatment of babies and children.
Her work includes the preparation of mums to give the baby the best chance of a normal un-traumatic vaginal delivery and the treatment of neonates who haven’t been so lucky. She has attended numerous births in many situations and had an opportunity to make delivery less stressful for all concerned. Hands on treatment during labour can encourage dilation of the cervix reducing the pain and duration of birth.

Penny explains that a number of factors may affect available space for the baby to develop and grow, factors that may have occurred during the pregnant woman’s childhood or as an adult prior to or during the pregnancy.

They include, accidents that may have unsettled pelvic alignment and conformity. Incidents involving rotational trauma, for example side impact car accidents when wearing a seat belt that can twist or throw the body around the restraint, horse riding and motorbike falls, occupations that involve twisting and/or awkward lifting, such as hairdressing or nursing.
These can all have the effect of leaving the legacy of shorter, tighter muscles and ligaments on one side of the body. This may cause no noticeable symptoms until the developing foetus requires more space in the womb.
If the mother’s muscles and ligaments that support and blend in the walls of the uterus are unable to stretch properly, the foetus will adopt a variety of positions inside the womb in an attempt to get comfortable, either by being very restless or by manoeuvring itself breech, transverse, spine to spine or head extended instead of flexed.  As the foetus enlarges there is less space. These soft tissue tensions combined with the competition from the mother’s internal organs influence the position the foetus adopts prior to labour. This can then affect the whole unfolding process of birthing.

So how might I know the foetus needs some help?

The pregnant woman may be aware of a restless foetus.
She may experience a lot of discomfort herself as her inner body parts are pummelled and kicked.
She may feel an uncomfortable degree of abdominal pressure or feel as if her body is struggling to stretch with sharp pain or discomfort down one side.
There may be pain in the groin when twisting to get out of bed.
She may feel a sharp band of pain across the low back with or without sciatica, hip or thigh pain.
There may be pelvic floor weakness, symphysis pubis instability.
She may experience premature contractions.
Indigestion and reflux, that can also plague some women, may be aggravated by tension in the diaphragm. The muscles under the rib cage have to adjust as the womb grows. The gullet passes through the diaphragm into the stomach. Tightness and tension in the diaphragm can cause irritability of the valve controlling the entrance to the stomach, giving burning discomfort and allowing reflux.

So what can I do to prepare?

 

Natures way to prepare the pregnant woman’s body for expansion, contractions and birth, is to increase production of hormones. This has the additional benefit that the body is more responsive to change.

Penny and her colleagues at Forest Edge Clinic combine their manipulative skills as chiropractors or osteopaths with additional cranial techniques and expertise. They have a special interest in working with expectant mums with a view to supporting the pregnancy through to a satisfactory labour and birth experience.

The assessment and treatment is gentle and educational, increasing knowledge and acceptance of the sensations experienced. The restrictions, tensions and misalignments are eased improving the pregnant woman’s comfort and mobility. This reduces anxiety and encourages an active participation influencing the nine months of pregnancy.

The aim is that the baby will be able to grow and develop freely within the uterus without constraint and will be able to position itself so that when labour starts the process will proceed smoothly with minimal interference to a successful birth.

Self-care is vitally important too. Exercise, Yoga. Alexander technique, swimming, Pilates and walking may be some of the activities recommended depending on need and preference. Attention to diet and decisions about smoking and alcohol all contribute to the environment that surrounds the baby. Communication with the baby should feature throughout.

Further articles are planned focusing on labour, birth and cranial care of the newborn and how chiropractic or osteopathic care can influence well-being throughout childhood and beyond.

Penny can be contacted at Forest Edge Clinic, by telephone 023 8066 7205 or email info@forestedgeclinic.co.uk: www.forestedgeclinic.co.uk
Penny Nelmes DC FCC(Cranio) SOUTHAMPTON SO40 3NH

Q1       Chiropractic treats the alignment of bones in the body in order to improve nerve function, which in turn helps to alleviate pain, restore mobility and improve the body’s natural well-being.  What is the difference with a McTimoney Chiropractor?

A1       McTimoney Chiropractic was developed by John McTimoney who recognised the importance of assessing and checking the alignment of the whole body at each appointment.  Consequently time is allowed for thorough examination and necessary treatment each time the patient is seen.  The McTimoney method of correcting alignment is by light, skilful manipulation of each vertebra or joint that needs adjusting.  The key to this is the speed, dexterity and accuracy of the practitioner which make it comfortable and effective to receive.  During a course of treatment the body is repeatedly guided through the adaptations it has made until skeletal integrity, stability and a state of healthy balance have been restored.  The name McTimoney technique distinguishes it from other manipulative methods.

Q2       It helps everyone from athletes to animals, but how can it help during pregnancy?

A2       More and more women are looking for safe, drug free approaches to coping with the aches and pains of pregnancy. Recent research has highlighted the significant benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women and shown substantial evidence that chiropractic care can ease pregnancy. It has also been linked to reducing chances of enforced c-section.
The McTimoney chiropractor will check and maintain the pelvic girdle in optimum position to prepare a woman for the delivery of her baby.  Correcting spinal alignment will help to relieve back ache, leg, hip and groin pain, sciatica, heartburn and general discomfort often experienced by women during their pregnancy.

Q3       Although chiropractic does not use drugs or surgery, isn’t the act of doing things to the body dangerous during pregnancy?

A3       No. Trained and skilled practitioners only do what is necessary.  After examination a treatment plan is discussed and explained to the patient so its relevance is understood.  Many women approach the delivery of their baby with a mind set of optimistic ignorance, trusting that the natural processes of labour and birth will result in a satisfactory experience for both baby and mother.  However, the danger is in not helping the pregnant woman to understand that how she sits, lies and moves influences not only how her body can perform during labour but also how her baby can line up in the best position for labour to begin.

 

 

Q4       How does it affect the baby inside?

A4       By ensuring the baby has as much space as possible to develop and plenty of room to manoeuvre itself into the optimum position before labour begins.  As the baby grows the uterus has to stretch and expand.  This expansion should ideally be balanced and proportional on both sides.  It can be restricted by past trauma, occupational factors and postural distortions that the woman’s body has adapted to and coped with until the changes in pregnancy rapidly require soft tissue elasticity and stretch.
Seeing a McTimoney chiropractor  means the restrictions can be identified and eased helping the baby to be comfortable and achieve its full development potential as inappropriate internal and/or external forces are no longer imposing themselves on the foetus.  This can also bring considerable relief to the woman as her body relaxes and the tissues stretch appropriately.

Q5       If chiropractic helps because the change in posture in pregnancy can put strain on the back and other parts of the body, isn’t there a danger that you are “correcting” something that will then be “wrong” once a woman has had her baby?

A5       No. The hormone relaxin which is circulating in pregnancy softens the structures in a woman’s body. This allows for expanding growth and prepares for birth. But this hormone can affect pre-existing distortions that were being adequately compensated for prior to pregnancy and start to cause discomfort.
The correction of these will benefit the woman from that moment on.  Ideally she would be checked monthly through pregnancy after 12 weeks, maybe weekly in the last month, followed by a  post-natal check to ensure correct alignment has been maintained.

Q6       Is there a time during pregnancy when having treatment is not advisable?

A6       It is not advisable to have manipulative treatment during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.  However, cranial or soft tissue treatments may be appropriate if symptoms are troublesome.

Q7       With physiotherapy and other such treatments, you have to get onto a big table.  Isn’t that a bit ungainly or awkward during pregnancy?

A7       Hydraulic tables and supportive pillows actually cause comment from many women about how comfortable they can be made during treatment.  If they are nauseous or dizzy lying down it is perfectly possible to treat the woman seated and leaning forward.

 

 

Q8       What signs would a pregnant woman spot that suggest this treatment might work for her?

A8       If the baby is uncomfortable it will often be restless causing the woman pain, discomfort, heartburn, lack of sleep and exhaustion.  Premature contractions and difficulty walking are all signs that the woman’s structure is struggling to cope with the adaptive changes progressive through the pregnancy.
            For a woman to trust her instincts and pick up the messages relayed by her body’s reaction to the developing baby and react accordingly may well ensure she enjoys a comfortable pregnancy and experiences a satisfying un-traumatic birth at the end.

Q9       What’s your one main tip for women trying to keep their body feeling healthy and happy during pregnancy?

A9       POSITION – POSITION – POSITION

I always imagined that I would find childbirth painful, but manageable. Both my mother and grandmother  gave birth to their children quickly and without the need for pain relief , and I confidently felt that these blessings were genetic.
I wanted my children to be born at home and felt I could manage the pain. I had my plastic sheeting laid and lavender candles lit to create the calm mood. After having contractions all night you can imagine my horror on being told by the midwife that the baby was in breech position and that I would have to go into hospital. Ten minutes after arriving at the hospital we were informed that the baby's heartbeat was going down and that I would have to have an emergency cesarean with a general anesthetic. All I remember about the birth were the tears rolling out of my eyes into my ears and being told to count backwards from ten.Seven was the last thing I said before my eyes closed for two hours, and my baby's birth happened without me.
That was when I met Penny. My baby had colic and I was told by my midwife that there was a fantastic woman in the New Forest who worked cranial wonders on newborns. We went, it worked.
When I got pregnant with my second child I knew I wanted Penny to treat me throughout my pregnancy. Penny had also said that she could be  there for the birth.
I had been having contractions through the night and when I went into hospital the next morning I was exhausted.I had hardly dilated and the contractions were close together and strong. the baby was OP, spine on spine, and I had terrible backache.I had been having contractions for 17 hours and was mentally and physically exhausted and was about to ask for an epidural.
Then there was a knock on the door and it was Penny. She was like a ray of light cutting through my fear as she said" We're going to get this baby out". Just the words I wanted to hear. I had been lying on  my back and Penny said thatI had to start moving around. She made me lean over the back of the bed and began easing my backache with manipulation of my lower spine. I could feel my strength coming back. It was just so wonderful to have someone in control  of the situation. Penny then manipulated my pelvis physically creating space for the baby to come down.I felt the release and two minutes later my baby was born. She was cranially treated immediately, and was a happy baby and is now a happy child.All thanks to Penny.
Penny treated me throughout my third pregnancy.She said that I was in great physical shape and that the baby was in the perfect position ready for birth.During the pregnancy it was very reassuring being treated by penny. If my stomach muscles were tense Penny would manipulate me giving the baby more space and me less discomfort.
My contractions started in the evening.I knew Penny had a full clinic the next day and she couldn't be up all night with me,which made me feel nervous.
We went into the hospital at 9pm, and at 10.15pm my waters broke. I kept thinking of all the things penny had talked to me about the last time I had seen her. That I had to mentally bond with the baby because he and I were doing this together. It was great advice because instead of worrying about the pain ,I kept thinking about him and our first journey we would be doing together .At 10.30pm my baby was born, no pain relief needed. Then there was a knock at the door. It was Penny. She said she had to be there for me, even though she had missed the birth. I don't think Penny realised that she had been there in my mind for the birth, and that her belief in me stopped the fear and also stopped me begging for an epidural. Penny cranially treated the baby and he has slept like a happy log ever since. 

Susie