Exercises to Conceive Better

Antenatal exercises is now a days talk of the town, but very few people promote the importance of fitness before the conception.The fitness levels before you conceive will determine the outcome of the pregnancy and also the exercises which you can continue throughout the pregnancy. Working out before you plan for a baby will help you to increase your energy levels and help you to manage your weight.
A study in Columbia University of public health found that fit women who exercised atleast an hour a day three times per week have low risk pregnancies and increased birth weight babies by about 5%, decreased risk of delivering premature babies.They are also able to more easily handle stress and do better emotionally.

Two weeks prior to conceive, you should stop all sports or activities that are jarring or carry a risk of abdominal trauma. Activities such as surfing, horse back riding, soccer, skiing, rock climbing, gymnastics should be discontinued.

EXERCISES which helps you to conceive better: 

WALKING
 Its one of the ideal preconception exercise. If you are unfit and overweight this low impact exercise will help you to shed those extra pounds.Once you conceive it can be continued as long as you can exercise.

CYCLING
Biking is another form of low impact exercise. It helps to maintain the weight and also improves circulations, and reduces risk of gestational diabetes.

SWIMMING
This is considered one of the best exercise even after you conceive.It helps to improve your cardiovascular, muscular strength as well as endurance.

PILATES
It is a mind-body workout that simultaneously strengthens and stretches you. Most of the exercise focus on initiating the movement from your core. Good core muscle strength will prevent you from back pain and also prevent post partum abdominal sagging.

YOGA
It again helps you to improve flexibility, reduces stress.Certain poses in yoga have been found to be beneficial as they increase the blood supply to certain organs.

Child pose

STRENGTH TRAINING
Weight training prior to pregnancy, either through body weight exercise or with dumbells or resistance bands or stability balls will give you a base level muscular strength.Squats, pushups, lunges and plank are examples of safe exercises. Muscle strength will help you to cope up with pregnancy discomfort and prevent low back ache.

RELAXATION
Progressive relaxation techniques can be used also deep controlled breathing can help to relax the body.

PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES
Pelvic floor exercises are very important to prevent complications like incontinence. Check out the pelvic floor exercises on http://fitnessphysios.blogspot.in/2012/03/incontinence-in-women.html

CORE EXERCISE: Exercises targeting your Transversus abdominis and other abdominals are very important.The exercises included are pelvic bridging, pelvic tilt, plank, side plank etc.

Clam

Leg lifts

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

• Regular gynecological checkup
• Give up drinking,smoking habits
• Take folic acid Tablets as prescribed by physician
• Eat healthy food
• Keep yourself well hydrate
• Get your weight checkup done
• Avoid infections.
• Check out environmental risks

HAPPY MOTHERHOOD !!!




DISCLAIMER: Kindly consult a physical therapist or certified trainer before attempting the exercises.

Core Muscles of Neck and Exercises

Everyone talks about strengthening of "CORE MUSCLES" to prevent back pain but, we rarely hear or talk about the core muscles of neck.
Research shows that 70% people experience neck pain at some point in their life.The cause of injury may range from accident to use of wrong pillow causing strain in their neck. Any injury has shown to inhibit recruitment and strength of muscles in neck. And these muscles are your DEEP NECK FLEXORS or Core muscles.
Similar to lumbar spine, cervical spine uses these deep muscles to ensure the intersegmental spinal control.

DEEP FLEXOR MUSCLES

Small stabilizing muscles are located in anterior and antero-lateral part of cervical spine. They are located deep to sternocleidomastoid.

LONGUS COLLI
ORIGIN and INSERTION
Superior oblique arises from anterior tubercle of transverse process of third fourth and fifth cervical vertebra and inserted into narrow arch of the tubercle of atlas.
Inferior fibres originate from first 2 or 3 bodies of thoracic vertebrae and is inserted intoanterior tubercle of the transverse process of 5th and 6th cervical vertebra.
It is the most common muscle injured during whiplash injuries.
Longus colli with other muscles forms a sleeve to stabilize the neck in antigravity positions.

LONGUS CAPITIS
ORIGIN and INSERTION
It arises from four tendinous slips from the transverse processes of third, fourth, fifth and sixth cervical vertebra and is inserted into inferior surface of basilar part of occipital bone.

Both the muscles together perform following role:

• Responsible for initiating or starting neck flexion movement.
• reduce shearing force across cervical facet joint and disc.
• maintain neck posture.

Patients with neck pain exibit an increased EMG amplitude of superficial sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles and decreased activation of deep flexors which causes a decrease in range of motion.
A low load program for craniocervical flexion exercise focusing especially on motor control of deep neck flexors have shown to reduce neck pain and headaches.

chin tuck in

EXERCISES TO ACTIVATE CORE MUSCLES


1) CHIN TUCK IN EXERCISE:
Lie on the floor with neck supported.Tuck your chin in or push your head on the floor without bending your neck. Repeat the exercise for 12 counts for 2 sets. Gradually try to hold each count for 5sec.

2)HEAD LIFT EXERCISE
Lie on the floor. Tuck your chin in and lift the head just 3-4 inches above the floor and return.

3)NECK FLEXION
Ask the patient to lie on the floor with knees bent and feet on floor. Put finger at base of the skull and lift about 1/8th inch off the floor. Make sure the neck is not liftitng off the floor. Remember core exercises are slow movements. Feel down  for a bony bump (7th cervical vertebra). Now ask patient to lift the neck till this bump and the skull but not the rest of the neck. Now gradually ask to release it.

4)BIOFEEDBACK
You can also keep a pressure sensor or pressure cuff beneath patients neck and ask him to slowly nod as if saying yes.Ask him to hold the position 2mmHg above the baseline and gradually increase the baseline to 4,6,8 10 mm Hg and 10 Sec hold. Highest level acheived in 10 repetitions 10 seconds hold.

PERFORMANCE INDEX MEASURE
Number of times patient can hold pressure level, multiply  it by pressure increment. For example: if patient can achieve 4mmHg and could do 6 repetitions of 10 sec hold without breaking the form then the performance is 24. The highest is 100 that is 10 mmHg and 10repetitions.


5) CRANIOCERVICAL FLEXION WITH CERVICAL FLEXION
It works on deep as well as superficial muscles.
Tuck in the chin and lift the head off  so that chin touches the chest.

PROGRESSION
a) Using resistance with help of theraband or manually applied resistance.
Patient is supine. The resistance is applied manually  and the patient is asked to do 12 repetitions of craniocervical and cervical flexion.
 Perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions for 2 weeks then by 4th week perform 15 repetitions.

 b) In quadruped position
Ask patient to assume quadruped (on all four) position and perform chin tuck in or nods without bending the neck.

EXERCISE IN FUNCTIONAL POSITION


a) Sit with feet flat n buttock supported.Gently roll the pelvis forward on ischial tuberosity.
Instruct the patient to move thorax slightly up and forward for slight lift.Gently and minimally lift the occiput to position the head in neutral position away from cervical extension.

b) Also, Patient must be taught to maintain optimal neck position while performing upper extremity task.

Shoulder blade stabilization is integral part of stabilization of neck and hence shoulder blade exercises should also be performed.


Also a heat pad can help to relax the muscles and the perform the exercises, make sure that mild stretches are done after the exercises are over.
While performing all exercises breathing is very very important. Make sure during the course of exercise you donot hold your breath and perform the exercise.

Thus, training these muscles along with the treatment commonly practiced by the physiotherapists will serve to prevent the later complications or recurrence of any chronic dysfunction.


 DISCLAIMER: The above given program is a general guideline to introduce the importance of the concept of core muscles of neck. Do thoroughly assess your patient before attempting any of the exercises.