Effectiveness of tendoachilles and hamstring stretching on nocturnal leg cramps among antenatal women

Abstract

Pregnancy also known as gravidity, is the duration which one or more offspring develops inside a woman. A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy can occur by sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology. In the pregnancy which lasts about 40 weeks, is grouped into three trimesters. Maternal physiologic adaptations are attributed to the hormones of pregnancy and to mechanical pressures arising from the enlarging uterus and other tissues. These adaptations protect the woman’s normal physiologic functioning, meet the metabolic demands pregnancy imposes on her body, and provide a nurturing environment for foetal development and growth. Although pregnancy is a normal phenomenon, problems can occur. The hormonal and physical changes of pregnancy result in enormous changes in a woman’s body. Enormous amount of estrogen is produced which leads to the discomforts during pregnancy. Common musculoskeletal discomforts are back pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, leg cramps, nerve compression syndromes like carpel tunnel syndrome, brachial plexus pain, meralgia paraesthetica, posterior tibial nerve compression, circulatory disorder such as varicose vein in the legs, vulval varicose vein, haemorrhoids, cramp, thrombosis and thrombo embolism, thoracic outlet syndrome, thoracic spine pain, postural back ache, osteoporosis of pregnancy, fatigue, insomnia and nightmares.