By Sukie Nau, DPT/Owner, Nau Physical Therapy & Wellness
Pregnancy creates changes in your body that can make you uncomfortable. As your belly grows, your center of mass and body balance change.
This creates issues which may cause discomfort in a pregnant woman. Also, there are hormonal issues such as a relaxer that is released toward the end of pregnancy which may cause parts of the body to be relaxed that shouldn’t be, such as the sacroiliac joint (SI).
Physical therapy for pregnant women is designed to work on the soft tissue, relieving the knots in the muscles that get tighter than usual and distribute the pressure. At NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness, we work on the trigger points to realign the pelvis and decrease the stress of the body, so that the mother-to-be will be able to bend, twist, and sleep with less pain/discomfort.
Some women may experience diastasis recti, a condition in which their belly sticks out because the space between their left and right belly muscles widens.
Some might call it a pooch. But it’s very common among pregnant women.
About two-thirds of pregnant women have it. Physical therapy can bring the separation closer together.
Other issues may include incontinence and pelvic pain. Physical therapy can release tight pelvic muscles, help prevent prolapse of the bladder and other organs from dropping.
At NAU Physical Therapy & Wellness, we also teach mothers exercises to keep their pelvic floor strong, and we can continue to see them after they deliver their baby, if they’re healthy.
We can also treat newborn babies who might have wry neck, which occurs when the baby’s neck gets stuck in the position it was in inside the womb. Physical therapy can help improve the range of motion in the baby’s neck and create better balance and symmetry.
For a healthy, happy pregnancy right from the start, physical therapy can begin as early as the first trimester, when the musculoskeletal is stiff. It can then continue through each stage of pregnancy right up to the end as a preventative action to ensure the mom-to-be is as pain-free as possible.
For more information, or to schedule a free consultation, call our office today.