posted by Brent Dodge on Jun 30
By now, you’ve seen them around town. Dwindling stacks of Mamalode Magazine. Get a copy while you can. They’re chalk full of information for today’s decision makers, Moms.
When you begin to sift through all that’s new and helpful, be sure to read page 24. That’s a section written by Alpine’s Director of Her Health, Tara Mund. I’ll include the article in its entirety below. However, if you’d like to get the online magazine version, click here. But to get the text version, you’ll need to click on the title: “Being a Mom Shouldn’t Hurt”. Tara’s article is listed first.
For more info, be sure to visit our website at HerHealthMT.com.
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The PT Perspective: Perfecting Mom’s Posture
Proper posture can make you appear leaner, taller, and more confident. It is also an important component to overall spine health and preventing associated pain. Moms don’t often get high marks on their posture, and with good reason. There are three main contributors to developing the “mom posture.” Being aware of these three culprits is the first step to reversing changes and preventing bad posture habits.
The first major change occurs during pregnancy. We’ve all seen it: The tell-tale stance of a pregnant woman; hands on hips, low back arched with a backward lean and her belly proudly poking out. Although this is not all for show, and does serve to realign a pregnant mom’s changing center of balance, it is also putting excess stress on the spine and ligaments, and requires very little activity from the core stabilizer muscles. Yes, the core muscles can and should be used during pregnancy.
The second major insult to a mom’s posture begins during the feeding stage. As the job of feeding a child consumes a new mom, her body is still extremely vulnerable to excess stress due to increased ligament laxity and changing hormones. In a mother ‘s effort to comfort her baby she often molds her body to cradle her little one by rounding her back and shoulders, bowing her head to see her child’s face while supporting the baby’s weight in her arms. This places stress on the cervical spine and shoulder joints and over time will also stretch the muscles in the neck and between the shoulder blades, making them weak and ineffective.
The third major contributor to the “mom posture” occurs as the weight of a child begins to skyrocket. Admittedly, holding a child as he or she grows larger is a physically demanding task. However, rather than recruiting the core, glutes and arm muscles, most moms end up balancing their child on a jutted hip, let the baby carrier dangle and sway from their shoulder, or allow the front pack to hang as their shoulders fall forward, stressing the neck further.
Unfortunately for many, these learned postures persist way beyond the time their child is small, and often end up contributing to pain and injury later on. With physical therapy, the retraining faulty postures and movement patterns typically begins with the core, which serves to stabilize and protect the spine during movement. Core stabilization training can set the foundation to build upon for the rest of the body (not to mention tightening the post-baby belly). In addition to core training, physical therapy also provides instruction to optimize shoulder and neck posture through specific exercises to strengthen the scapular (shoulder blade) and rotator cuff muscles as well as the deep muscles in the front of the neck.
Physical therapists are specialists in analyzing movement and function, and especially retraining faulty movement patterns. Along with muscular retraining and strengthening, a physical therapist can provide instruction on how to bend and lift safely. In the most extreme cases, taping or bracing may be appropriate. If you are dealing with pain and you suspect your posture may be partially to blame, consider consulting a physical therapist for an individualized assessment and program that will provide you with the strength, support, and balance needed to realign your body.

