Postpartum Physical Therapy

Welcoming a new baby into your life is an exciting time! Whether it is your first baby or your last, it is a magical time for your newly adjusting family. With that being said, going through pregnancy and labor can be hard on your body. Even after you give birth, you may still have lasting effects from what your body has been through within the last year. It is not uncommon to still have aches and pains during the postpartum period of your life. Your body can take a while to feel like itself again. At Pick PT, we are here to help you through this postpartum stage of your life. We want to help you feel like yourself again. Your body has been through some traumatic changes and the adjustments can be hard, but we are here to make it easier for you to gain control of your body once again.

Why Should New Mothers Do Physical Therapy?

While pregnant, your body is put under a lot of strain. Your body is asked to stretch, move your internal organs, and nourish your baby. All of these things put pressure on your bones, muscles, and ligaments in order to physically support your growing baby. At the end of your pregnancy, you have to give birth. This could be a vaginal delivery or cesarean, but both require a lot from your body to have the baby. Throughout this entire process, your body has been asked to change dramatically. It will not immediately bounce back and be as it was before. For many people, they need some extra help to feel like they are in control of their body again. Postpartum physical therapy is the best way to help and guide your body in its healing process. 

Common Concerns Postpartum

During the postpartum stage, you may be experiencing a lot of different concerns with your body. This is not uncommon, as your body is still recovering. But it is never too early or too late to see a physical therapist to help you understand what your body is doing and how you can help it heal. Some of the common concerns during the postpartum stage are:

• Back pain
• Incontinence
• Shoulder and neck pain from breastfeeding or bottle feeding
• Poor posture
• Separation in the abdominal muscles
• Frequently feeling the need to urinate
• Constipation
• Decreased or diminished sexual function
• Weak core

You may experience just one of these or a combination of them, but either way, it is normal during postpartum to deal with these concerns. Talking with one of our trained team members is a step in the right direction to get your concerns addressed and resolved with time. 

If you are wanting to gain an understanding of your concerns and want to help your body, you may be wondering what causes them. There are two main causes when it comes to many of the listed above concerns. While pregnant, your body goes through massive changes. There are two parts of your body that are strained and those are your abdominal muscles and your pelvic floor muscles. Both of these are vital to your overall health and take time to recover from pregnancy.

Diastasis Recti

As your baby grows, it pushes your abdominal muscles apart from each other and stretches. You may notice that your core feels weak, or that you have a large gap between your abdominal muscles during the postpartum stage. Your body did what it was supposed to in order to accommodate your growing baby, but your muscles do not simply go back to their original shape. You are more at risk for Diastasis Recti if you are having multiples, have had multiple pregnancies, are in a later stage of life, have poor muscle tone before pregnancy, or if you are petite. Even if you do not have any of the risk factors listed, you can still get Diastasis Recti. If you are concerned about having Diastasis Recti, seeing a physical therapist can help you heal. Doing exercises that promote strengthening in your core will help pull your abdominal muscles back together. 

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Your pelvic floor muscles play a vital role in carrying and having a baby. The pelvic floor acts as a sling in your pelvis between your pubic bone and tail bone. In women, the pelvic floor holds up the uterus, bladder, and bowels in place. When carrying a baby, the pelvic floor is what holds up and supports the baby in your uterus. This can put a lot of strain on the muscles, and during birth, the baby must pass through the stretched pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor can become weak or damaged throughout the whole process. This can be the cause of incontinence, constipation, prolapse, or diminished sexual function or pleasure. With the help of a physical therapist, you can get guidance on exercises that you can do to gain back function and control of your pelvic floor. Having any of the above symptoms is not enjoyable, and we want to help make your life enjoyable again!

Choose Pick PT for Postpartum Physical Therapy

Adding a little baby to your family is a time that is joyful but can also be overwhelming due to all the changes that are happening at once. These changes can seem overwhelming, especially with the changes that your body has gone through. In an ideal world, women’s bodies would heal quickly on their own after pregnancy and childbirth. But for most new mothers, that is not the case. At Pick PT in Rigby, we want to help you get control of your body again, not have aches and pains and feel confident that your body is healing as it should. Recovery is not easy after what your body does, but with our help, we hope to guide you through it and make it as smooth as possible. Our team wants to help your body in the healing process so that you can spend your time and energy focusing on your newest addition. Women’s bodies are incredible, but sometimes they just need a little extra attention after the changes that happen during pregnancy and birth. Schedule an appointment at our Rigby location so we can help you feel your best as you recover from postpartum!