Ever wonder why you have shoulder pain after pregnancy?
Pregnancy is such an exciting time for most women! Hopefully the morning sickness and all that passes and you get to enjoy the changes that your body goes through. And of course it’s amazing after when you have your baby right?
Though pregnancy can be great, it can wreak havoc on your body during and even after pregnancy.
Some of the changes…just to name a few you experience are:
- Weight gain – I definitely had this and a lot of it!
- Swelling – my body just retained all the water it could everywhere!
- Loose ligaments – your body produces extra hormones (like you need any more right?!?) to help your body get ready for childbirth. It doesn’t discriminate where it goes, it just affects the whole body.
Now….every women’s experience are different. But I’m going to be speaking to those moms that have a LOT of trouble after pregnancies with their shoulders. If you don’t have problems with your shoulders….then you are the lucky one.
Not all of us are that lucky. I had problems with my right shoulder after BOTH my kids were born. Both my pregnancies were different, but funny enough….not my shoulder pain.
What does shoulder pain feel like?
The pain seemed like it started from nowhere….just hit me one day when I was getting dressed…I could barely pull my pants up or take off my shirt. Even as someone who works with people with shoulder problems all day….I was WORRIED. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pick up the baby….breastfeed…pretty much take care of him and also needing to take care of me as well.
Does that sound like you? Are you WORRIED about your shoulder pain?
You know how the training on the airplane is right?? Put the mask on you first…before taking care of your kids. Because if you can’t care for YOU…how can you care for your family?
There’s so much that you do as a mom…especially with a new baby (and each new baby too haha). There’s the carrying of the new baby and ALL of the things that you need…such as a car seat, stroller, and baby bag….just to name a few things.
AND as your baby grows…they gain weight. That’s what you WANT! But with all the changes in your body as well as all the new activities that you are now doing because you have a baby…can stress out your shoulders. So while it may feel like “it came out of nowhere”…there’s a compound effect of all these changes that can cause you to wake up one day and have shoulder pain!
What can you do about it?
Well…1st I know that there’s a LOT of information out there….but sometimes it’s so much that you don’t even know what to do it with. It also paints a “worst case” scenario right?
One mom that I worked with had so much shoulder pain, she could not breast feed her baby. And everything was pointing at “frozen shoulder” and she came to me terrified that she would have this pain for over a year!!
NOPE! Not her…we were able to talk to her and create a plan to help her start to be able to breast feed her baby right away.
She considers herself to be one of the lucky ones…she got the help she needed right away! I am one of the lucky ones too….I knew how to spot the problems before they got worse just like she did.
Could I remember all the time?
NOPE! Even as an occupational therapist … and someone that specializes in arm and hand injuries….I still needed help. There’s some things that you can do yourself…of course for all my “do it yourself” friends (myself included)! And those home programs that we set you up with are great to help you reach your goals faster. But there are times when we ALL…again…myself included that we need to actually get help.
SO my friends…are you WORRIED about your shoulder pain and is it getting in the way of your happiness? Request to talk to us FIRST before booking an appointment with a doctor or even us to see if you are someone that we help.
Written by Hoang Tran
About the author – Hoang Tran – certified hand therapist Miami
Hoang Tran is a certified hand therapist and the owner of Hands-on Therapy Services and author of the book “The Hands-On Approach”. She loves helping people with hand, neck and shoulder problems, because she knows how bad and debilitating they can get if not addressed and treated properly (once and for all!).
The aim of her occupational therapy practice in the Miami area is to bring patients back to full functionality, without pills, injections or surgery.
If you know of a mom or you yourself are suffering, give us a call at the office and speak to our specialist, OR request a Free Discovery Visit! It’s risk free because we know moms are super important and we want you to feel amazing.
In these difficult times, we are here to help. Telehealth and online sessions are available!
Disclaimer: As with all our pages, this is NOT a substitute for formal medical treatment or occupational therapy. It is intended to inform only. Hands on Therapy Services disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.
