After making it through the challenging but rewarding pregnancy period, there is the initial joy of welcoming the new member of the family – healthy, small, and beautiful. It immediately feels like the last 9 months were stressful to enjoy this very moment. However, an unexpected side effect emerges in response to carrying a child that long – especially when it comes to the strength and stability in your back.

Women commonly experience something called postpartum back pain. This is due to the hormonal changes which cause joints to loosen and adds a lot of pelvic pressure back towards the spine. This kind of pain can affect a lot of everyday activities, such as walking, standing, and even just sitting properly, due to the fact that posture is heavily altered as well.

Luckily, even though it seems like the pain will take ages to alleviate due to it on-setting over nine months, there are ways to reduce the pain and live comfortably. One of the best strategies to partake in is beginning a relationship with a physical therapist.

The reason for working with a physical therapist first, rather than beginning your own workout program you discovered online or created yourself, is due to the complexities of pregnancy on the body. Oftentimes, women jump into a program without addressing preexisting dysfunctions that arose from the pregnancy, such as musculoskeletal imbalances and weakness. Diving right into a heavy workout program can actually worsen these symptoms overtime unless they are corrected first with the help of a physical therapist.

A physical therapist can directly treat the pain you experience in your back. They can teach you specific exercises that can improve your entire core strength, aiding in support for the back. Exercises can also add strength to pelvic floor muscles, helping you combat a lot of other issues separate from back pain that arise from pregnancy. These exercises will most likely focus on strengthening the muscles that border the spine and pelvic floor. Additionally, workouts can be focused on strength training overall, aerobic and cardiovascular exercise, and training on balance – all of which are extremely beneficial to support daily activities and living for a new mother.

Women who have C-sections instead often have worse pain from childbirth. The surgical area may create a lot of discomfort and pain, as well as the abdominal muscles. Having a physical therapist help with muscle therapy in that region can lessen the pain.

Some women often enter pregnancy with preexisting conditions, impairments, and injuries that are often overlooked due to the intensity of pregnancy overall. Once you give birth, these previous impairments become even more obvious as the pain sets in from pregnancy, and how that pregnancy has added more load to those areas that were previously weaker. Having a physical therapist evaluate your condition, spot these weaknesses, and create a plan to strengthen these areas will be immensely important for your recovery.

Additionally, if weight loss and toning is your goal after pregnancy, a physical therapist can additionally help you meet those steps after solving the issues with pain. Sometimes weight loss and toning are a positive byproduct of simply working with a physical therapist on small movements to ease pain.

Even daily activities can be monitored and improved upon with a physical therapist. They can help guide you and direct you to proper movements and posture suitable for the most comfort in everyday movements. If any additional equipment, like braces, could be of aid, a physical therapist can provide these for you.

As busy moms, it is insanely difficult to find free time to not only ease your own pain and discomfort, but also reach your fitness goals post-pregnancy. With a child to take care of, new mothers often overlook their own pain and stress in order to provide the best care for their newborn. However, your needs and feelings are just as important. A physical therapist can do the scheduling, the direction, the goals, the plan, and the strategies for you - helping you enjoy the care of your beautiful newborn baby with far less pain and stress.

If you are experiencing discomfort and pain from your pregnancy, feel free to fill out our Wellness Assessment to connect with a physical therapist today through HIDFitTherapy. We can help you reach your goals and live a lot more comfortably.

by Ashley Gresko

Blog editing consultant for HID Fit Therapy.

References:

https://share.upmc.com/2015/11/treating-postpartum-back-pain-with-physical-therapy/#:~:text=“Strategic%20strength%20training%2C%20proper%20body,and%20exercise%20therapy%20can%20help

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/overcoming-postpartum-pain.html

https://www.hss.edu/playbook/post-partum-back-pain-why-does-this-happen/

https://www.pelvichealing.com/diagnoses/postpartumpt