Blocked breast ducts are not only an inconvenience, as they can dramatically slow down the flow of your breast milk, but they can be incredibly painful as well. The cause of blocked ducts is plentiful, however a few of the main causes maybe and are not limited to:
Physiotherapy working in conduction with a good Breast Lactation Consultant, may assist in successfully clearing blocked reast ducts. A noninvasive physiotherapy modality such as Ultrasound is often a key to successfully clearing blocked ducts.
Therapeutic ultrasound uses sound waves to create a ripple effect that passes through the breast tissue and ducts and hence clear the blockage in the blocked milk ducts.
Ultrasound is painless, and affective. Depending on the extent of the blockage of the breast duct, Treatment sessions may need needs to be 30 – 45 minutes in duration and may need to be applied over 1-3 sessions to clear the blocked ducts. Treatment sessions are most affective when applied daily or 1 day apart.
Often a combination of the ultrasound treatment plus soft tissue massage, rest, and good hydration, support good milk flow. Please address block ducts sooner rather than later to avoid further complications such as Mastitis. Mastitis can be very painful and make a new mum feel very unwell.
The signs of Mastitis are:
Ultrasound may then be applied to your breast 1 – 3 days after you start your antibiotic treatment.
Happy Breast-Feeding Ladies!