Pregnancy is a very transformative experience and brings many changes to your body, mind, and relationships. Trying to prioritize yourself during pregnancy and prepare your body to experience this new journey is important. Pelvic physical therapy can be a game-changer during this transformative time, providing comfort, support, and strength. In this post, we’ll explore how pelvic physical therapy can help you feel your best through every stage of pregnancy.
What is Pelvic Physical Therapy?
Pelvic physical therapy is a specialty in physical therapy where the physical therapists have taken extensive continuing education to evaluate and provide treatments to the pelvis, including the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues of the pelvis floor and surrounding areas including the lumbar spine, hips and abdomen. These areas are particularly affected during pregnancy due to the physical demands of carrying a baby. A specialized pelvic physical therapist works with you to stabilize, improve mobility on only the hips, spine, knees/ankles but also the pelvic floor and abdomen to promote overall well-being and a more comfortable pregnancy.
How Pelvic PT Benefits You During Pregnancy
Pain Relief
Pregnancy often comes with discomfort or pain in the lower back, hips, and pelvis. Pelvic physical therapy helps to address these common aches by focusing on proper alignment, posture, and muscle balance, reducing discomfort so you can move with more ease.
Prepare Your Body for Birth:
Strengthening and balancing your pelvic floor and core muscles can help your body prepare for labor and delivery. Pelvic physical therapy can also teach you techniques to relax and lengthen your pelvic floor muscles during labor, breathing strategies, and positioning during labor and delivery.
Preventing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor issues such as urinary/fecal leakage or prolapse can occur during or after pregnancy. Pelvic physical therapy helps prevent or resolve these conditions by improving muscle performance with coordination, lengthening and strengthening these pelvic floor muscles for a resilient pelvic floor for your life or any future pregnancies.
Support Your Changing Body
As your baby grows, your posture and center of gravity shift, placing strain on your body. Pelvic physical therapy provides manual therapy to help with stiffness in the spine, hips and pelvis, and exercises and mobility for home to support these changes, helping to keep you feeling balanced and strong as your body adapts.
Promote Recovery After Birth
Pelvic physical therapy isn’t just beneficial during pregnancy—it also sets you up for a quicker, healthier recovery postpartum. This includes education of your specific changes to your body whether cesaeren birth or vaginal birth, manual therapy to help with any pain postpartum, mobility and strengthening for your core and pelvic floor, so you can return to taking care of yourself, baby and back to any movement/exercise routine you’d like to be doing.
What to Expect from Pelvic PT Sessions During Pregnancy
During a pelvic physical therapy session, your physical therapist will assess your posture, movement patterns, total spinal/hip mobility, core/gluteal strength, Diastasis Recti screening, breathing dynamics, and pelvic floor function– strength, relaxation, coordination, prolapse screening. Sessions typically include a combination of education to help empower you through your different trimesters, manual therapy, gentle exercises, mobility (stretches) to focus on, and breathing techniques, perineal massage education, labor & delivery positioning and breathing, and preparing for birth sessions tailored to your specific needs and stage of pregnancy.
Who Should Consider Pelvic Physical Therapy?
Pelvic physical therapy is beneficial for most pregnant women, but it can be especially helpful if you’re experiencing:
- Lower back, hip, or pelvic pain
- Urinary incontinence
- Concerns about labor or delivery
- A previous pelvic floor injury or condition
- Desire for better postpartum recovery
Your body is doing an amazing job of growing and supporting your baby, and pelvic physical therapy can help you feel stronger, more comfortable, and better prepared for birth. Whether you’re experiencing discomfort or simply want to be proactive about your health, pelvic physical therapy can be a vital part of your prenatal care routine. If you’re curious about how pelvic PT can support you during pregnancy, reach out to a specialist to learn more.
If you’re interested in learning more about pelvic physical therapy during pregnancy, ReGenerate Physiotherapy offers prenatal sessions AND we have our thorough Thrive and Flourish Prenatal Wellness Program for expecting moms. Schedule a consultation with us today to learn more about ours sessions and see how we can help you on your journey to motherhood.
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