Physiotherapy for pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body will retain more fluid than usual. Gravity can cause fluid to pool in the hands, feet and ankles, which can result in mild to severe swelling. To relieve swelling and discomfort, your physiotherapist will use a lymphatic drainage massage to push the fluid towards your lymph nodes — which are responsible for fluid absorption and the removal of waste and toxins.

Your physiotherapist will use slow and gentle massage strokes on the problem areas, giving you instant pain relief and even improving your range of motion.

Most of the back, muscle and pelvic pain women experience during pregnancy can be attributed to poor posture. With the added weight and the shift in your centre of gravity, it can be difficult to notice when you’re failing to maintain good posture.

Physiotherapy uses core stability training to correct this over time. Even after the baby arrives, you should continue implementing core stability into your physical routine. It will help improve your bone mass and reduce the likelihood of postpartum falls and fractures.

The days and weeks leading up to the due date can be a stressful time for a new mother, especially when you’re not sure what to expect. Your physiotherapist is here to answer your questions and give you advice to make sure you’re as ready as you can be.

As the big day draws near, they can suggest movements or exercises to help position the baby for birth. Your physiotherapist can also use hands-on pain relief techniques and help facilitate the opening of the pelvis, which can help the labour go more smoothly.

The urinary incontinence that occurs during and after pregnancy is a running joke in mommy groups — “all it takes is one sneeze, then it’s Niagara Falls!” Although it’s totally normal to experience a weakened pelvic floor during and after pregnancy, it can still be extremely frustrating. In severe cases, it can cause vaginal prolapse, or the prolapse of other organs below the pelvis.

Many times, daily Kegel exercises alone won’t be enough to resolve a weakened pelvic floor. In some cases, Kegel exercise can even make matters worse if you’re not doing them properly. This is what your physiotherapist is for. They will help you develop and stick to a safe treatment plan with strengthening exercises that are tailored specifically to you.

Many women experience either temporary or persistent dyspareunia — or extremely painful intercourse — over the course of their pregnancy. Many women simply stop engaging in intercourse when this happens, but dyspareunia can be treated quickly and efficiently with physiotherapy.

During pregnancy, dyspareunia is usually caused by injury, tension or hyperactivity of the pelvic floor muscles. It can also be caused by stress. To treat this, your physiotherapist will use a combination of core exercises, manual therapy (to mobilise the tissue) and even biofeedback or gentle electrical stimulation to relax the overactive muscles.

This is more of a postnatal treatment suggestion, but for all you C-section moms, physiotherapy may be just what you need to speed up your recovery and restore your uterus back to its pre-pregnancy size. By stimulating the surrounding muscle tissues underneath and around your uterus, your physiotherapist will help the incision area heal more quickly and even encourage your body to expel any remaining afterbirth.

Seeking physiotherapy after a Caesarian operation can also improve pulmonary function, reduce a new mother’s risk of contracting pneumonia, and even prevent vascular or gastrointestinal complications post-surgery.