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I feel like the round ligaments get a bit of a bad reputation for pain during pregnancy. In part it's because they grow so much, getting 2-3x thicker and 4-5x longer as they stretch to accommodate your growing baby and uterus. But it also has a lot to do with where the distal end attaches, which can vary widely from person to person: it can be onto the pubic bone, into the pubic symphysis joint, down into the labia majora, and even into the erectile tissue of the clitoris! Because of this, the sensations of a tight rough ligament can vary quite a lot too…but typically it’s side or lower belly discomfort, pubic area pain, or even more frequent urination or new discomfort during sex. The coolest thing I’ve learnt recently about this ligament is that it can resist traction up to 40kg! More than enough to keep your uterus where is should be, support your growing baby, and carry your bigger kid! That doesn’t mean it’s not going to complain from time to time though… Treatment-wise, I tend to do all the structural work first during pregnancy: that means hip, pelvis, lower back and lower ribcage alignment and mobility. THEN (usually at a second or third appointment) I will see about treating your uterine ligaments. I always want to make sure that your body and your baby are happy and truly requesting treatment before working directly into your pelvic organs. Self-care can be hugely effective and helpful for rebalancing these ligaments. Obviously walking and some squatting are great for balancing the lumbo-pelvic area as a whole and are therefore perfect for pregnancy. Forward leaning and inversions* are great for the round ligaments as they allow for some of that traction in the opposite direction, giving your baby and uterus a little space to stretch and re-organise themselves before you come right side up again. Often variations of these postures are part of pregnancy yoga which is super helpful. For a specific release the goal is to be almost vertical, so get a support person/spotter, use very slow and controlled movements, and hold for only 30-45sec at a time.  Images taken from Spinning Babies, and Rachel Shapiro’s resources on her website www.equilibriobalance.com and information in part from her interview with Lynne Schulte during the 2023 Institute for Birth Healing Summit. You can learn more about how to do variations of inversions safely at the following websites:
https://www.spinningbabies.com/pregnancy-birth/techniques/forward-leaning-inversion/ https://www.spinningbabies.com/how-to-do-an-inversion/ https://www.equilibriobalance.com/resource-library-parents *Please don’t do this if you’ve got high blood pressure <3 Comments are closed.
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