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There is a lot going on with the body during pregnancy - from hormonal changes to postural adjustments and everything in between. There are also countless opinions and advice about what you should or shouldn't do during these precious nine months. One question we frequently encounter is whether physical therapy during pregnancy is needed, safe, or helpful during pregnancy. The short answer is: absolutely yes. Let's dive deeper into why physical therapy can be an invaluable part of your pregnancy journey and how it can support both you and your growing baby.
Understanding Pregnancy-Related Aches and Pains
As your body undergoes remarkable changes to accommodate your growing baby, various discomforts may arise. Whether you're experiencing sciatica shooting down your leg, the distinct discomfort of pubic symphysis pain, persistent pelvic pressure, nagging hip pain, or even unexpected wrist pain from changing posture and weight distribution - physical therapy can be incredibly beneficial in addressing these concerns. It's important to remember that while some discomfort during pregnancy is normal, you don't have to simply endure pain as an inevitable part of the process. Professional physical therapy can help you stay as active as possible and maintain your quality of life as your body transforms, providing pregnancy ache and pain relief.
Pelvic Floor Health and Labor Preparation
The pelvic floor plays a crucial but often overlooked role during pregnancy. These important muscles work overtime to support your growing baby, and as pregnancy progresses, they bear increasingly more pressure. This additional strain can potentially weaken these muscles over time. Specialized pelvic floor physical therapy can help maintain optimal strength in these muscles, which can help prevent or minimize common issues such as incontinence, pelvic pain/pressure, or prolapse. Additionally, strong pelvic floor muscles create a solid foundation for easier postpartum recovery.
Beyond strengthening, pelvic floor PT also focuses on teaching you how to properly relax and lengthen these muscles - a critical skill for delivery. Your physical therapist can guide you through exercises that help prepare your pelvic floor and hips for labor, address pubic symphysis pain, manage pelvic pressure, and more. Working with a PT gives you personalized insight into your pelvic floor function and helps ensure you're doing the right exercises for your specific needs.
Maintaining and Adapting Your Fitness Journey
Pregnancy doesn't mean you have to abandon your fitness routine - but it does require thoughtful modifications as your body changes. Physical therapists are expertly trained to help you adapt your favorite activities to keep you both active and safe. Love CrossFit or weightlifting? You can absolutely continue these activities during pregnancy with proper adjustments! Your PT can guide you through necessary modifications, whether that means adjusting your positioning, reducing impact, diastasis recti prevention exercises, or simply making space for your growing bump.
Your physical therapist can also conduct comprehensive assessments to identify any current weaknesses or areas that need special attention, both for the remainder of your pregnancy and in preparation for postpartum life. Remember, caring for a newborn is physically demanding work - from frequent lifting to extended periods of holding and feeding. Building and maintaining strength during pregnancy can help prepare you for these upcoming challenges, providing core strength for your pregnancy.
Postural Support and Body Mechanics
As your center of gravity shifts and your body adapts to carrying extra weight, your posture and how you move can completely change. Physical therapists can teach movement strategies for daily activities, helping prevent strain on your changing body. They can also recommend postural support exercises for your pregnancy and ergonomic adjustments for work, sleep, and daily activities to help maintain comfort throughout your pregnancy.
The Value of Expert Guidance
Physical therapy during pregnancy isn't just safe - it's a valuable investment in your well-being and comfort. Whether you're seeking relief from specific pain points, looking for expert guidance on safe exercise, or wanting to work on labor preparation with pelvic floor therapy, working with a physical therapist who specializes in prenatal care can make a significant difference in your pregnancy journey. These specialists understand the unique changes your body is experiencing and can provide evidence-based, safe interventions tailored to your specific needs.
Remember, every pregnancy is unique, and working with a qualified prenatal or pelvic floor physical therapist ensures you receive personalized care that supports your individual journey to motherhood.
Physical therapy during pregnancy
There is a lot going on with the body during pregnancy. There are also a lot of things that people tell you that you should do or shouldn’t do during pregnancy. One question that we do get is whether or not Physical therapy is needed, safe, or helpful during pregnancy. The short answer is: yes. However, let's break down some of the pregnancy physical therapy benefits and why one might go to physical therapy during pregnancy and how it can be beneficial.
Aches and Pains
As mentioned above, there are so many changes to the body during pregnancy, and some of these changes can cause aches and pains. Whether it's sciatica, pubic symphysis pain, pelvic pain, hip pain, or even wrist pain, physical therapy can be very beneficial to address these concerns. Just because you are pregnant, does not mean you have to just deal with the pain. PT can help you stay as active as possible and allow you to live your best life as your body changes.
Pelvic floor concerns and labor prep
The pelvic floor plays an important role during pregnancy by supporting a baby as it grows. There is more pressure that is put upon those muscles as a baby grows, which can weaken those muscles. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help you keep those muscles as strong as possible to help lessen and/or help issues such as incontinence, pelvic pain/pressure, or prolapse as well as to create a strong base and easier recovery postpartum.
Pelvic floor PT can also help you learn how to relax those muscles and lengthen the pelvic floor as well as the hips to help you prepare for delivery, help with pubic symphysis pain, pelvic pain/pressure, and more. Seeing a PT is extremely beneficial to help you learn what is going on with your pelvic floor and what the right exercises for you are.
Maintaining strength pre and postpartum
Since your body is changing, doing the same exercises you have always done can get more challenging and you need to change things up in order to stay active and strong. Physical therapists can help you modify the activities you already love as well as help guide you through safe exercises for pregnant women. For example, if you love CrossFit or weightlifting, you can still continue this during pregnancy! However, there just may need to be modifications. Whether it's changing up the positioning, the amount of impact, minimizing coning/doming of the abdomen or making room for the growing bump.
In addition, pelvic floor physical therapists can help identify what current weaknesses you may have, or where you may want to put focus on to help you throughout the rest of pregnancy as well as prepare for the postpartum experience. Taking care of a baby requires a lot of physical work, you want to go into that experience as strong as you possibly can.
If you have any specific questions or would like to talk to one of our pelvic floor women’s health specialists, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at https://www.districtperformancephysio.com/contact or text/call us at 202-922-7331
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