Pregnancy and Postpartum

How can Physical Therapy Help Me During Pregnancy and Postpartum??

Physical Therapists are the experts when it comes to muscles and how they work to optimally support our body, so why wouldn’t you go see one during pregnancy or postpartum??

At Woerner Physical Therapy, we have specialized training in how the female body is impacted by pregnancy and delivery, and how this can affect your daily life. We see many women during pregnancy that have let aches and pains run their life throughout pregnancy, and it doesn’t have to be this way. We can help address the causes of your aches and pains allowing you to be more functional during your pregnancy. It’s also never too early to address any pelvic floor concerns even throughout your pregnancy. We can get started on a plan to help you not leak, feel heaviness, or address any concerns you have.

We also specialize in helping you rehab from the feat of delivery. This is no easy task and it really impacts your pelvic floor. We can help you rehab your pelvic floor, and body for that matter to help you get back to life and doing the things you love.

What is your pelvic floor?

Your pelvic floor is a bowl of muscles attached to the pelvis. These muscles have 3 primary functions:

Supportive function: These muscles help support the pelvic organs, which include the bladder, uterus, and the colon.
Sphincteric function: When functioning correctly, these muscles contract to prevent leakage of urine and stool and relax to allow passage of urine and stool.
Sexual function: These muscles are involved during intercourse due to their close proximity with the vagina.
Delivery: They help to rotate and push out the baby.

What happens to your body and pelvic floor during pregnancy and how can physical therapy help?

First Trimester

During your first trimester, you receive your first surge of pregnancy hormones. This can cause ligament laxity in your back and pelvis, which can result in pain or instability.

Common Problems:

Back pain
SI joint pain

How pelvic floor PT can help:

Soft tissue mobilization techniques to reduce muscle pain
Strengthening exercises to improve stability

Second Trimester

As your baby continues to grow, your center of gravity continues to shift forward which changes and increases the pressures placed on your back and pelvis.

Common Problems:

Back or SI joint pain
Pubic symphysis pain/instability
Constipation
Urinary leakage
Possible heaviness
Diastasis Recti

How pelvic floor PT can help:

Mobilizations to improve pelvic alignment
Stretching tight muscles
Strengthening to promote stability
Breathing strategies and body mechanics to minimized pain and pressure on the pelvic floor

Third Trimester

During your last trimester, even more stress is placed on your joints, especially in your hips, pelvis, and back, due to the increasing size of your baby and the ligament laxity caused by pregnancy hormones.

Common Problems:

Back or SI joint pain
Round ligament pain
Hip pain
Diastasis
Heaviness
Urinary leakage

How pelvic floor PT can help:

Round ligament mobilization
Soft tissue mobilization
Nerve gliding to reduce nerve irritation
Strengthening and stretching
Balance training
Breathing strategies and body mechanics

Fourth Trimester (Post-Partum)

There has been a lot of pressure on your pelvic floor over the last 9 months! So, whether you have a cesarean section or vaginal delivery, it is common for your pelvic floor and core muscles to be weak. If tearing occurred during delivery, it is also common for scar tissue to build up.

Common Problems:

Pelvic or perineal pain
Pain with intercourse
Urinary incontinence (not considered abnormal until 6 weeks post-partum)
Diastasis Recti (abdominal muscle separation)
Back pain
Unsure how to return to sport or when to return to sport and/or activity.

How pelvic floor PT can help:

Scar and soft tissue mobilization
Pelvic and spinal mobilizations
Return to sport and/or activity program.
Improving pelvic floor coordination in isolation and with core.
Strengthening and stretching
Breathing strategies

Packages

Prenatal Package

8 visits total – 2 visits for each trimester, including the 4th: $1475

Allow us to help you throughout your pregnancy.

During each trimester we will assess with a whole body approach to ensure you are up to the task of your pregnancy. We will give you a baseline, keep your exercises updated throughout your care, help you prepare for delivery, give you exercises for the immediate postpartum phase, and help you start your recovery from any mode of delivery.

Prenatal Package for Acute pain

4-6 visits

This package is great for anyone who is pregnant and is hurting. We will assess you with a whole body approach, and target the area that is causing you pain. Each session, we will assess and reassess to ensure we treating the root cause of your pain and dysfunction.

4 visits: $775
6 visits: $1155

Postpartum Package:

4 visits: $775

Let us help you recover postpartum. We will assess you with our whole body approach and target where your body needs attention to help you recover from your recent pregnancy and delivery. Even if you had a c-section your body needs to recover from all the musculoskeletal changes that recently occurred from the pregnancy, and abdominal surgery that you just under went. Let us help you get back to life.