Pregnancy Physical Therapy is a specialty area within women’s health physical therapy. Physical Therapy while you are pregnant may not have occurred to you as being an ideal option to help you love your body and love your life while you are pregnant, but it absolutely can be.
When you are pregnant your center of gravity is going to change, your abdominal strength is going to be compromised, and your joints are going to have more weight compressing them. This is normal, but it does not mean that it is comfortable. Fortunately, a physical therapist can help with all of these concerns and a women’s health physical therapist can provide your physical therapy while you are pregnant. She can keep you healthy and ready to have your beautiful new baby.
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Back pain during pregnancy is common. So is the need to see a physical therapist to get some relief. A women’s health physical therapist can help you reduce back pain during pregnancy, stop bladder leaks during pregnancy, and help you love your life. |
What Happens in Physical Therapy During Pregnancy?
Whether or not you are pregnant, your physical therapist is going to start by identifying your goals during physical therapy. This will inform her as she conducts a thorough evaluation of your muscles and joints. Your goals, your evaluation, your stage of pregnancy, and your overall health are going to inform your physical therapist as she puts together a plan of care for your specific needs.
For physical therapy when you are pregnant, there are some precautions that may need to be taken. For example, certain modalities are not going to be conducted because of considerations for the baby growing inside you, you may not get as much manual therapy because of your comfort level, and your session duration may need to be reduced because of your energy levels.
When it comes to physical therapy while pregnant, there are a few primary conditions that a physical therapist can help with:
- Bladder leaks
- Back Pain
- Musculoskeletal Pain and Discomfort
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy while Pregnant
A women’s health physical therapist is a specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction. Whether you realize it or not, during and after your pregnancy there is a good chance you are going to have challenges with your pelvic floor. This important because of all the daily activities your pelvic floor plays a critical role in.
When you are pregnant the most notable sign that your pelvic floor is not as healthy as it could be is incontinence, or bladder leaks. For some women, this may just be a dribble here or there, but for others daily activities become nearly impossible without a pad. This is what we call stress incontinence. You might assume the name comes from the stress of getting the nursery ready for your new baby or the nausea in your first trimester, but it really comes from the stress and strain placed on the muscles and connective tissue of your pelvic floor leading to incontinence. Stress incontinence is common, it occurs in 1 in 3 women across the lifespan and is even more common in women who have had a baby. The likelihood is that had these women gotten physical therapy while they were pregnant or immediately after they could have saved themselves years of embarrassment and frustration.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy while you are pregnant is going to focus on improving your core strength; your pelvic floor is the base of your core after all. It will likely include a focus on coordinated breathing, proper voiding techniques (there is actually a wrong way to go to the bathroom), and overall healthy living. Stretching and strengthening exercises will be a large part of your physical therapy regimen, but exercise alone is not enough. For example, runners, particularly pregnant runners with a weakened pelvic floor are putting themselves at greater risk for pelvic floor dysfunction including stress incontinence. They are exercising, but they are not exercising the right muscles, nor are they exercising them in the right way. Your physical therapist is going to have feedback mechanisms (vocal, manual, and technological) that will help ensure you are doing the exercises properly and that you maximize the efforts put forth. (Kegels aren’t always the answer)
Physical Therapy for Back Pain while Pregnant
Kegels are an often-recommended treatment for incontinence during pregnancy, and for that matter, any time a woman has pelvic floor dysfunction. The problem with this is that just like squeezing your hand tightly into a fist squeezing your pelvic floor tighter can lead to pelvic pain. This is one cause of back pain that can occur during your pregnancy.
Another common reason for back pain during pregnancy is the over use of the wrong muscles. Think about when you try to lift a really heavy bag. Maybe you swing it to get up or you twist your back into it because your arms aren’t quite strong enough. You are using muscles that aren’t normally meant for lifting. And while you might injure yourself if you do this only once, repeatedly straining is going to increase the chances of pain and injury. Remember, your pelvic floor is made up of muscles. If they are not strong enough to support the function you need them to, you increase the need to recruit other muscles, which often means over using your back. Do this all the time and now you have back pain. Do this all the time while you have a baby inside of you and you may end up unable to do typical daily activities.
Physical therapy for back pain while pregnant will help you:
Identify the Cause of Back Pain
Your back pain may be due to the increased size of your belly. The growth in normal, the pain is not. When your abdomen is stretched out your back has to work harder to keep your body balanced and stable. When you are pregnant your back pain may be due to a weakened pelvic floor leading to over use of your back. But your back pain may not be directly due to your pregnancy, maybe you had poor posture and now the problem is magnified while you are pregnant. Three different reasons, three different plans of care, three different problems that can be treated with physical therapy while you are pregnant.
Identify Lifting Limits While Pregnant
If you are having back pain during pregnancy it may be due to lifting heavy objects (like an older child, or a car full of groceries). Your back pain may be due to something other than lifting entirely, but if you are having back pain while pregnant then lifting may increase the pain. By identifying when and why you are having back pain, your physical therapist is going to help identify limits to the lifting you do. They are also going to help teach you proper lifting techniques, which may need to be modified depending on where you are in your pregnancy. Physical therapists assess patients all the time for lifting restrictions. Physical therapy while you are pregnant may help you avoid back pain, or reduce any pain you are currently suffering from.
Relief from Back Pain while Pregnant
If you want relief from back pain while you are pregnant, it is going to come down to one main thing: exercise. Remember that not all exercise is good and what worked for your sister or your best friend may not be right for you, it might even make things worse. But exercise with a physical therapist while you are pregnant is going to work on lengthening your muscles and improving your strength. It will obviously target your back, but less obvious may be your hips, abdomen, and pelvic floor. These areas all support your back and by strengthening them, you improve the foundational muscle upon which your back relies.
Physical Therapy while Pregnant
When you are pregnant (and even when you aren’t), physical therapy is a safe alternative to medication and surgery when you are having aches and pains. The focus of physical therapy is improved movement and optimized functioning. Each person is unique and your pregnancy is especially unique, leading to its own joys and its own challenges.
Maybe you have remained active throughout your pregnancy but your little nugget has caused a little more stress and strain on your joints. Know that if your physical therapist is taking proper precautions, and working with your physician, then you should have nothing to worry about when it comes to physical therapy while you are pregnant.
If you are unsure about physical therapy while you are pregnant, you need to speak with someone. Your doctor may not be sure of all the answers, so a trained women’s health physical therapist is going to know about the unique challenges that a woman faces during pregnancy. If you are already working with a pelvic floor physical therapist or a women’s health specialist they will be able to address your questions. If you need someone to talk with, please reach out to us here at FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City.
