How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Pregnancy and Relieve Postpartum Discomfort

There’s a lot of discomfort associated with pregnancy, some of which you can help alleviate with physical therapy. Wondering is physical therapy safe for pregnancy? While there are some exercises you should never perform when pregnant, a physical therapist can walk you through ones that can help alleviate pregnancy-related discomfort.

Below we cover the many ways physical therapy can help with pregnancy discomfort as well as the most common questions about pregnancy and physical therapy.

Better bladder control

A common problem women have when pregnant is bad bladder control. This is because, during pregnancy, the uterus grows and presses on the bladder, causing an uncontrollable urge to urinate. This is nothing to be embarrassed about, as almost every pregnant woman experiences it. That said, you can regain some control over your overactive bladder by strengthening your pelvic floor muscles.

One of the best exercises for strengthening pelvic floor muscles is Kegels. To perform Kegels, you need to tighten your pelvic floor muscles for a few seconds and then relax the muscles for a few seconds. While this sounds simple, many women perform the exercise incorrectly. If you want to see the benefits of performing Kegel exercises, it’s best to work with a physical therapist.

Avoid tearing

Vaginal tearing is a common concern of those going through pregnancy. While this fear is perfectly understandable, there are ways to help prevent vaginal tearing. For example, perineal stretching is a great way to prevent vaginal tearing. Just be sure to work to have a physical therapist teach you the stretches. A physical therapist can even teach your partner how to help you through prenatal stretching at home.

Most common questions about pregnancy and physical therapy

There are several questions almost every pregnant woman asks when considering physical therapy, including: Is physical therapy safe for pregnancy? As we’ve already covered, physical therapy is not only safe but can also help alleviate the discomfort associated with pregnancy.

Pregnant women also often wonder if physical therapy can help them deal with pelvic pain associated with pregnancy. Pelvic pain can range in intensity, though it always causes some discomfort. Thankfully, physical therapy can help alleviate some of that pelvic pain. Upon visiting a physical therapy faculty, a therapist will usually examine the internal pelvic floor before developing a treatment program.

Physical therapy can often help alleviate pelvic pain and even get rid of it completely in some cases. Symptoms physical therapy can help alleviate include pelvic pain, pubic bone pain, tailbone pain and hip pain.

Visit a physical therapist to see what they can do for you

Dealing with pregnancy discomfort can be extremely difficult, even with your partner’s help. That’s why it’s good to seek out the help of a professional, especially now that you know physical therapy is safe for those going through pregnancy.

If you didn’t see your question answered in these most common questions about pregnancy and physical therapy, contact us at Focus Forward Wellness & Physical Therapy. We’ll be happy to answer any and all of your questions. If you’re ready to start physical therapy, feel free to set up an appointment.

Categorised in: Physical Therapy

This post was written by Writer