Pregnancy and childbirth are significant chapters in a woman’s life. But even after delivering a baby, you can still face challenges with your physical health, such as pain, incontinence and constipation. But the right treatment can help. That’s where physical therapy comes in.
Physical therapy can help people alleviate health challenges at nearly any point in their life. After pregnancy, postpartum physical therapy can help women return to their everyday activities with as much function, and as little pain, as possible.
We’ll talk about how you can benefit from physical therapy postpartum. We'll also discuss what treatment may involve.
The benefits of postpartum physical therapy
Postpartum usually refers to the six-week period following childbirth. During the postpartum period, it’s common to experience a variety of physical issues and conditions that can impact your daily routines, including:
Pelvic, breast and back pain
Pain during sex
Urinary and fecal incontinence
Vaginal bleeding
The good news is that there are a variety of physical therapy benefits that can help many of these issues. Here are a few of the ways that a physical therapist can help postpartum patients:
Retrain muscles — The muscles and ligaments in both your core and pelvic floor can become weakened from pregnancy and childbirth. Not only from the stress of the baby’s weight as they grow, but also due to the hormones that loosen the muscles and help prepare the body for delivery. A physical therapist can help you retrain your muscles to properly function, meaning that they contract and relax during movements.
Improve pelvic function — Many pelvic floor functions are impacted by pregnancy and childbirth. Some of the most common pelvic dysfunctions can include urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, constipation and sexual dysfunction. With the right exercises and techniques, a physical therapist can help you alleviate these problems by strengthening the pelvic muscles.
Reduce pain — Postpartum pain can come from various parts of the body. You may feel cramps or core pain as your uterus tries to shrink back down after you give birth. It’s also common to feel back pain. It can come from the physical strain of a delivery or from the change in posture that you adapted during pregnancy. A physical therapist can help alleviate musculoskeletal pain.
It’s important to note that childbirth affects every woman’s body differently. Not everyone has the same delivery. While some women may experience temporary mild issues, others may experience severe symptoms that require further medical treatment. Be sure to talk to your doctors about any postpartum concerns so that you can receive the right treatment.
What you can expect from postpartum physical therapy
Your physical therapist may use different treatments to address your postpartum challenges. They’ll talk to you about your symptoms and issues while also assessing your body’s overall mobility and function. They’ll be able to determine which services will be the safest and most effective for you.
Here are a few common types of physical therapy used to help postpartum patients:
Manual therapy — When it comes to postpartum pain, sometimes being hands on is the best approach. A physical therapist will likely utilize manual therapy techniques to alleviate your muscle tension and improve joint function. For example, they may use soft tissue mobilization to break up tight tissue in your back with massage-like movements. Since the hip joints are often affected by childbirth, they can also use joint mobilization to loosen up tissue surrounding the joints for better mobility.
Neuromuscular reeducation — When your pelvic floor muscles aren’t functioning properly, it’s likely because they don’t remember to contract and relax in the same way they did before they were impacted by the baby. That’s why neuromuscular reeducation is a pillar of many postpartum physical therapy treatment plans. It involves techniques and exercises that can help restore the function of your muscles.
Pelvic floor exercises — Since your pelvic floor is one of the main parts of the body that’s impacted by pregnancy and childbirth, many postpartum exercises focus on strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. They can reduce your pelvic pain as well as improve the function of your pelvic organs, such as your bladder and uterus. Common pelvic floor exercises that you might learn in physical therapy include Kegels and heel slides.
At KC Rehab, we provide postpartum physical therapy through different services based on your issues. For example, manual therapy is often beneficial for women struggling with chronic pain, while strength training is the best option for weakened core muscles.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
Comments