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Proper Motion in Pregnancy



Lifting

Children, laundry, carseats... it's tough to avoid lifting things off the ground in everyday life! If we're not thinking about it, we tend to keep our legs straight and curl our back to pick things up, which puts a lot of stress on the spine. A happier solution:

- Square up to the object in question (if it's a child, let them run to you!) - Squat (hips lead the way down) and grab whatever you need - Stand (chest leads the way up!)


That's it :) Happy lifting!



 


Pelvic Motion

The ball is an excellent tool you can use at home to create pelvic motion in the pelvis during pregnancy.

First we’ll discuss the Figure-8; we love this exercise because it creates movement in the sacroiliac (SI) joint and those are famous in pregnancy for giving us grief.

To execute, imagine you’re looking at yourself from above, and move your hips in a figure-8 pattern.

We also love the hip hike, where we’re rocking side to side. This asymmetrical motion from one side to the other is going to induce more motion here in your SI joint. It’s very subtle; we just want to go back and forth. Keep it gentle and controlled, no need to be throwing a hip out!

The last thing we’ll go over is the pelvic tilt, a great way to create motion in another plane of the SI joint. Whereas in the hip hike we’re tilting side-to side, in the pelvic tilt we tilt back and forward. Imagine your pelvis as a bucket of water that you’re gently pouring out the front and back.



 

Getting Out of The Car

This probably daily activity may be one of the biggest contributing factors to pubic joint pain! Because of the increasing levels of the hormone relaxin in your body during pregnancy, joints have more laxity and that can result in less stability. Most of us get into the car by raising up our leg and stepping in, then bringing the other leg in. This movement of lifting one leg up and out can cause a sheering force that strains the ligaments in the pubic joint, and the repetition of doing this on a daily basis just exacerbates the issue even more. Instead try sitting your booty down into the seat first, then keeping your knees together, swivel your legs into the car after. And to get out of the car, do the same in reverse: knees together, swivel your legs out of the car, and then step down.



 

Getting Out of Bed

This daily movement is another opportunity to either cause stress or support your body in pregnancy. Instead of doing a jackknife sit-up that isn't doing your abs any favors, try this approach instead:

Using the example of lying on your left side... use your right hand to press yourself up, and with your knees together, gently swing your legs off the side of the bed as you continue to press up with your arm.



 

90/90

This is both an excellent option for a seated position on the floor when you're playing with your little ones, and when you begin to feel tension in your hip flexors and know they can use some love.

Sitting upright, your knees are bent at 90° with your feet both facing the same direction. Your feet stay in place as you slowly rotate by gently bringing your legs up off the floor and continue the stretch until you have gone up and over and your feet are facing opposite the direction you started.

Clear as mud? Check out the video below. :)




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