Busting Prenatal Massage Myths #2: You can't massage a pregnant woman's feet or ankles

Myth: Several old-wives' tales state that if you touch a pregnant woman's feet or ankles, it could trigger pre-term labor. This myth has even made it into popular culture - I was watching a prime-time medical drama where the lead character - a doctor - declared that massaging the pressure points on his pregnant wife's ankles would trigger labor. (Yes, I yelled at the tv.)

Where it comes from: This myth actually has 2 origins. One myth started as a warnign for women to avoid cheap and unhygenic nail salons. The warning was that dirty manicure instruments could cause an infection - which could be dangerous while pregnant. This myth then evolved like the old game of "telephone" and spiraled into manicures and pedicures, and since many pedicures often include a small amount of massage on the feet and lower legs, the spiral continued to just focus on foot and ankle massage. The second origin on the myth involves acupressure and reflexology. In these modalities, there are certain points in the feet and ankles that can have an effect on certain organs and bodily functions when they are stimulated. The fear comes from touching these points can cause the organs such as the uterus to spasm and therefore trigger labor.

Fact: While there are pressure points on the feet and ankles that relate to the reproductive organs, in toder to "stimulate" or "activate" them, one needs to apply direct sustained pressure on that exact point for 3-5 seconds. This is not something that casually happens in a regular foot or leg massage. Just touching or massaging over these spots can not "activate" the points. There actually have been tests and studies done on several of these points and their ability to trigger or have an efffecton labor and contractions. The tests founds that none of the points could spontaneously "start" contractions and labor, and only one spot high up on the ankle had any effect - and it was found to be able to strengthen contractions and make them more effective once labor had already started and reached a certain stage. No regular amount of massage, as done by massage therapist trained in proper precautions to take during a prenatal massage should cause any problems if massaging the feet and ankles.