5 ways Pelvic Physical Therapy can decrease pain during pregnancy and prepare you for postpartum recovery.
It might be common to have pain during pregnancy, but it’s not normal. Pelvic Physical Therapy can help you recover from child birth AND decrease pain during pregnancy. Improving and optimizing your ability to continue to work and continue to enjoy the world around you is so important.
So what are the 5 ways that Pelvic Physical Therapy can help you decrease pain during pregnancy?
Work on your abdomen: pelvic physical therapists will do an assessment and see if baby is pushing on things that might make you hurt. Round ligament pain? We also check your ligaments and can work to help those not hurt you when you roll or stand. Working on this during pregnancy helps to improve your ability to get your core back and decrease your diastasis rectus abdominis postpartum.
Work on your hips and pelvis: often times tight hips contribute to back pain and hip pain, especially the hip pain at night that wakes you up. We can do a variety of treatments to help ease this pain, include trigger point dry needling if you are up for it. With improved hip mobility, birth might be slightly easier which should improve your ability to recover postpartum.
Tips for posture and gait: waddling? Got the classic pregnancy stance? Sometimes these movements and ways of standing can actually make your pain worse. Women start doing it because they think it will help, but it often makes it worse. By improving your gait and posture, you will help your core to stay strong. This optimizes your ability to recover your core postpartum.
Strengthening: we will look at an exercise program for you that protects your pregnancy, help decrease your diastatis rectus abdominis (mommy tummy), and improve your ability to continue to exercise throughout your pregnancy. All while we monitor your vitals and adjust as needed to help you stay safe. We know that improved strength helps during push phase of labor and it helps you get back to the things you love postpartum. Bonus? It’s an important part of preparing for menopause.
Education: women deserve to know about their bodies how they work. What is actually safe or not safe during pregnancy? What types of nutritional suggestions and ways of thinking will help improve your pregnancy and postpartum? We can also help you prepare for your breastfeeding journey and start optimizing your postpartum recovery.
The idea that it is ok for women to hurt “just because they are pregnant” is outdated and unnecessary. Pelvic Physical Therapy can help you feel better in your body, improve your pregnancy experience, and help to prepare you for your postpartum journey.
Love,
Ann
