Postpartum Rehab

Being pregnant and giving birth can be a beautiful and emotionally fulfilling time in the life of a mother. That said, this time period can also be physically daunting. On top of caring for a newborn while operating on little to no sleep, many women are left with one or several musculoskeletal conditions as a result of the pregnancy and birthing process. Fortunately, however, there may be an effective solution. Many postpartum diagnoses can be successfully managed or treated with the help of a physical therapist.

Over the course of a pregnancy, a woman’s body is subjected to many different stresses. This includes:

• Weight gain: The progressive weight gain that occurs over nine months places increased amounts of load through the joints in your spine, pelvis, and legs. It also significantly alters your posture and places new stresses on the muscles in these regions.
• Changes in ligaments: In addition, the body’s ligaments are also frequently affected by pregnancy. This is because a person's body secretes hormones designed to make your ligaments more stretchy and lax in preparation for giving birth.
• Pelvic issues: Significant amounts of trauma can occur in the pelvic or reproductive regions during the birthing process itself. This is because a child’s head and torso must exit the mother’s body through a relatively small anatomical space.

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