Alignment Matters: The First Five Years of Katy Says by Bowman Katy

Author:Bowman, Katy [Bowman, Katy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Propriometrics Press
Published: 2013-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

I really need a camera with a flash…

March 23

2011

ALIGNING OR RELAXIN

BEFORE PREGNANCY?

This morning on the Aligned and Well Facebook page, I got this question and thought it was important enough to share:

Does relaxin not do enough to loosen the muscles of the thighs and abdomen to facilitate labor? Will I still need to stretch my crazy tight psoas once the hormone starts working?

For those of you who don’t know relaxin, she’s not asking about relaxin’ as in, swinging in a hammock or getting a massage. Relaxin is the name of a hormone that targets the collagen of certain tissues with relaxin receptors. Relaxin is often called the pregnancy hormone, but it both men and women make it for various collagen-softening reasons (the most current being relaxin’s role in cardiovascular function, but…for another time).

Contrary to popular belief (which in terms of scientific information is typically like one long game of Operator3!), relaxin does not affect muscle tension, because it does not affect muscle tissue. I’ll say that again. Skeletal muscle, which is the muscle you think of when you think of your muscles (that’s not confusing, right?) is not affected by relaxin.

Relaxin targets collagen-heavier tissues like ligaments, cartilage, and smooth muscle (like the uterus). In pregnancy, the tissues most affected by relaxin are the pelvic organ ligaments, the uterine muscle, and the pubic symphysis (which I will refer to as the PS because I have to look up how to spell symphysis every time.) The PS is the soft joint between the right and left halves of your pelvis. No, your pelvis is not one fixed bone, but the slightly malleable interaction between your right and left side. And this is a good thing, too, as you want your symphysis to be supple to allow for greater birthing space.

So, great. I’ve got relaxin. Awesome. Then I’ll just chill on the couch until it’s time to push ‘em out, right?

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.