This incredible pregnant patient complained of heaviness in the vulvovaginal area and mild low back pain. Looking at her from the front we see a curve along her right flank or rib cage (scoliosis) and varicosities along her right thigh. Scoliosis appears more pronounced when looking directly at the spine. There is an un-leveling at the shoulders, scapulas, ribcage, and pelvis, also an “S” curve is noted. She also has mild vulvar swelling on the right and a vulvar varicosity on the right labia majora and interlabial sulcus. This causes her sense a of vulvar heaviness. Her spinal mobility was within normal limits which was very impressive. She performs Barre and yoga several times per week. Many times when a patient has scoliosis there are movement restrictions and segmental (vertebrae) that are hypomobile.
She has a sacral torsion (rotation left). The large triangular bone at the bottom of the spine and in the back central pelvis is the sacrum. The sacrum moves with L5 above and the coccyx below. It is important for labor and delivery to have these aligned and moving well. Other findings included hamstrings and piriformis tightness on the left side. We treated her with retrograde lymphatic drainage to the groin and vulva, soft tissue mobilization to the spine, pelvic muscles, hamstrings, piriformis and sacrum; muscle energy techniques to correct the sacrum, and stretching. We fitted her for a support belt that helps compress and support the perineum called the V2. She felt immediate relief of all complaints. She is on the road to recovery. We will also address her pelvic misalignment, which is common in cases with scoliosis. Come see us during your prenatal and postpartum phases!
