416 Ilam Road, Fendalton, Christchurch 8052
Clinic Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 8pm
Clinic Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-8pm
Many mums experience pain in their thumbs and wrists during pregnancy and during the weeks following their child’s birth. This condition is known as ‘mommy thumb’. This is a painful condition causing inflammation of the tendons of the thumb and wrist. It is medically known as De Quervain’s tenosynovitis.
Daily tasks such as lifting your baby in and out of car seats, onto change tables, in and out of cots, and breastfeeding, can all prove quite painful when suffering from this condition.
It is most commonly the result of carrying your baby, leading to overuse of the wrist and forearm muscles. It can also result from fluid retention resulting from lactational changes during breastfeeding. It is estimated that approximately a quarter of all mums can suffer from ‘mommy thumb’
Work and daily activities that involve repetitive thumb and wrist movements may contribute to de Quervain’s tenosynovitis. The tendons become irritated due to the new repeated action of lifting and caring for your young baby. It is often associated with hormonal changes within the body during breastfeeding.
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis is diagnosed clinically after a detailed medical case history and examination. Often imaging is not required.
Your Osteopath will go through your medical history and look for any risk factors contributing to your symptoms. A detailed examination of your thumb, wrist, shoulder, and spinal movements will then be conducted.
We will never just focus on your thumb and wrist because many other strains throughout your body can also add to the strain and dysfunction in your wrist and thumb. For example, if your shoulder is not functioning correctly, this will affect how your elbow, wrist, and thumb function. These joints are all interrelated, and a detailed examination must be carried out to determine the root cause of your pain.
Your Osteopath will help reduce the inflammation at the thumb and wrist using hands-on osteopathic treatment, such as gentle manipulation, articulation, and soft tissue techniques. Your Osteopath will also treat the restrictions and dysfunction elsewhere in the body that may have contributed to this overuse injury. This will not only help with the acute injury but will also help to prevent re-occurrence down the track. Your Osteopath will also devise a detailed rehabilitation program for you, focusing on stretching and strengthening exercises.
If you did not respond to osteopathic treatment and rehabilitation, we would refer you to a specialist hand consultant to consider a corticosteroid injection. Surgery may also be considered, but this is rare for most patients.
De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis can take anywhere from weeks to months to heal, depending on the severity of the injury and the level of self-care applied at home.
The process of healing proceeds in a relatively organised fashion. It follows 3 Phases of Healing that quite often overlap. Pain and inflammation throughout the healing process are expected as you will continue to load tissues that are still healing from their injury. For more information about the healing process – Click Here.
If you are struggling with Mommy Thumb (De Quervain’s tenosynovitis) – Our Osteopaths are here to help you!
Please do not hesitate our osteopaths at Better Health Osteopathy in Christchurch today. Call 027 755 5700 or book online.
Posted in Pregnancy, Wrist Injuries | Comments Off on Are You Struggling With Mommy Thumb – De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis?
Our Osteopaths are Better Health Osteopathy are highly trained primary healthcare providers who are trained to treat all sorts of musculoskeletal injuries. These include back pain, neck pain, headaches, trapped nerves, sciatica, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, plantar fasciitis, and sports injuries such as pulled hamstrings, Achilles tendonitis, rotator cuff injuries, and ankle sprains, to name a few.
Our approach is to provide the highest quality of care to our patients through osteopathic treatment and help address all our patients’ underlying injuries more cohesively and under one roof!
Our patients are often amazed that we can address several injuries at one appointment. This usually avoids the need for patients to seek help from numerous different healthcare professionals for their various injuries. More importantly, our patients learn that everything in the body is anatomically connected and that an Osteopath will never look at your injury in isolation.
Suppose, for example, that you present with back pain. In that case, your Osteopath will never just examine and treat the back, as there often will be associated dysfunction in the upper back, neck, knee, and ankle. Our Osteopaths will then treat all these areas of dysfunction as there is a high chance these are all interrelated injuries and that your primary injury will not heal properly without addressing the other dysfunctional areas present in the body.
Our Osteopaths, therefore, offer a holistic approach to healthcare. By using Osteopathic treatment, we also aim to limit the need for medication and provide pain relief by addressing the true underlying cause of the pain.
At Better Health Osteopathy, we have a three-pronged approach to treatment:
So next time you are in the clinic, please feel free to discuss any other injuries you may be struggling with, as you might be surprised at how easy we can address these for you! 😊
If you are struggling with one or numerous injuries – Our Osteopaths are here to help you!
Please do not hesitate to contact our Osteopaths at Better Health Osteopathy in Christchurch today. Call 027 755 5700 or Book Online.
Posted in Pain Management, Rehabilitation / Exercises, Sports Injuries, Uncategorized | Comments Off on What Type of Injuries Do Osteopaths Treat?
At Better Health Osteopathy, our Osteopaths regularly provide osteopathic treatment to newborns and infants. The benefits of paediatric osteopathy are becoming more widely known across the world. Many babies that come for treatment will come from a referral from an allied health professional such as a GP, midwife, pediatrician, or personal recommendation.
Osteopathic treatment for babies follows a very gentle and holistic approach that focuses on the root of the problem. Treatment aims to remove any tensions that may have occurred during pregnancy and/or delivery and to restore proper balance and alignment of the body to optimise health and well-being.
With gentle and appropriate techniques, the Osteopath will rebalance the baby’s tensions by working on the whole body (skull, spine, abdomen, pelvis, lower and upper limbs.) It can also release the tensions around the mouth (jaw, throat, soft palate) to allow your baby to breastfeed and bottle feed better if having difficulty.
Parents bring their babies to see an Osteopath for many reasons, but most commonly when facing the following challenges:
There is no minimum age. You can take your baby to see an Osteopath from birth. If you have any particular concerns, the sooner, the better, as treatment could help settle and calm the baby. However, your baby can have treatment at any time during its development.
It’s never too late to address strains and injuries in children. In fact, about a third of our patients at Better Health Osteopathy are made up of babies, infants, and children. Children go through many developmental milestones and can put much-added pressure on their developing musculoskeletal system from; sports injuries, growth spurts, postural strains such as text neck, and too much time spent on computers or on their phones.
At your first appointment, the Osteopath will undertake a detailed medical history, where questions will be asked about the delivery, the baby’s health, family history, and the mother’s health.
A thorough Osteopathic exanimation of the baby’s spine, joints, and muscles will be undertaken. The examination will be very gentle and aims to feel for any unusual restrictions, tightness, or stresses within the joints, muscles, and ligaments of the spine. Any findings will be discussed with the parent, and consent for treatment will always be sought from the parent in advance.
A treatment plan will be developed and tailored to the baby’s needs. The Osteopath will use exceptionally gentle manual techniques to address any dysfunction, tensions, or imbalances in your baby’s spine and body during the treatment. These hands-on techniques will improve mobility and release tension in your baby’s body and spine.
In some cases, we may feel that Osteopathic treatment is not suitable for your baby’s condition; we will then refer you to your GP or paediatrician for further screening or treatment if needed.
Osteopathic treatment rebalances strains and stresses in your baby’s body. The majority of babies respond very well to Osteopathic treatment. You may notice they can turn their neck better, have a better latch, sleep better, cry less, and have less constipation, but that all depends on their specific condition, treatment, and individual response to treatment. Some babies can feel tired after treatment. Often it can take a couple of treatments for babies to respond fully, but most babies will start to improve after their first treatment. If you have any concerns after treatment, your Osteopath will be happy to discuss those with you.
Here are some tips to help you plan for your baby’s first osteopathic consultation.
Compressive forces from birth and pregnancy can affect your baby, but they can also affect the mother. If you are feeling any pain or discomfort, we would recommend a post-partum check-up so we can address any issues that Mum may be struggling with.
Conditions Include:
If you have any concerns about your baby and believe that osteopathic treatment could be helpful, make sure to reach out to our caring and highly trained osteopaths at Better Health Osteopathy and discuss your concerns. You can also conveniently book your appointment online. We’re here to support you and your little one!
Feel free to contact our Osteopaths at Better Health Osteopath or simply book your appointment online.
Call 027 755 5700 or book online.
We’re here to Help! 🙂
Posted in Babies, Children, Pregnancy, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Why Should I Take My Baby To See An Osteopath?
