How to Manage Pain During the Postpartum Period With Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

A pregnant woman’s body will go through numerous changes throughout her pregnancy. The changes are designed to help her prepare for the journey that lies ahead. They are also designed to optimize fetal development.

However, some of the changes that a woman undergoes may lead to pelvic and back pain. The good news is that pelvic floor muscle training can help lessen pain and reduce urinary incontinence as well.

There are also certain postpartum changes that a woman may face that may be quite unpleasant. Examples include rectus diastasis, lower back pain, pelvic pain, pain during intercourse, a frequent urge to defecate, incontinence, and transitional discomfort.

Here, our focus will be on how to manage pain during the postpartum period with pelvic health physiotherapy.

Why Postpartum Pelvic Health Is So Important

Diastasis recti, also known as “mother stomach”, and occurs when the abdominal muscles become stretched due to a pregnancy. The stretching is usually normal. However, in some cases, the muscles are unable to re-tension after a woman has given birth.

Inadequate tension between the abdominals may lead to lower back pain as well as muscle core weakness. Postpartum pelvic health can help ameliorate core muscle strength and rectify diastasis recti.

In addition to reducing lower back pain and getting rid of diastasis recti, postpartum pelvic health care will prevent or treat pelvic organ prolapse. Carrying a baby for nine months and then delivering the baby can cause severe trauma to the woman’s pelvic floor.

In some unfortunate cases, the patient’s organs will begin to descend down into their genitals unless a medical professional intervenes in time. If you notice a bulging out through your vagina, then you should consult with a pelvic floor physiotherapist immediately. If you are not treated in time, then you may suffer from urinary retention and kidney function obstructions. 

Urinary leakage is also common during and after pregnancy. It is usually caused by the stretching and pressure of the tissues that surround the urethra and bladder after the patient has given birth. 

As well, ligaments and pelvic floor muscles are affected during the birthing process. Your pelvic floor physiotherapist will provide you with a custom-tailored exercise plan in order to stop leakage at the source. 

Moreover, postpartum pelvic health care will help reduce pain associated with sex. The birth of a child may cause tearing that may lead to scar tissue accumulation. Pelvic floor muscles may also tighten. The end result is pain that is felt when deeply penetrated or at the entrance site.

Your pelvic floor physiotherapist will determine the cause of the painful coitus. They will help you release scar tissue and reduce pelvic floor muscle tone so that you can again enjoy being intimate with your partner.

As can be seen, the importance of postpartum pelvic health should be a top priority for expectant mothers.

How Physiotherapy Helps Manage Pain During the Postpartum Period

Women will often deal with a myriad of different health ailments and conditions after giving birth, including muscle and joint stiffness and soreness, as well as urinary incontinence, pain during sex, and issues related to weight loss and stretch marks.

Massage therapy can be used in order to help women who are having trouble breastfeeding. It can also help ameliorate blood circulation, relax muscles, and even reduce postpartum swelling. 

The patient will be taught how to keep their spine and back healthy via posture education exercises. Postpartum physiotherapy assists in strengthening pelvic muscles and burning fat. It reduces stress and pain by restoring the mother’s bodily functions and health to optimal levels.

The patient will be able to recover faster from their postpartum ailments and discomfort by following the custom-tailored exercise program that is prescribed by their physiotherapist. In fact, they will also perform a screening test to check for any postpartum risks that the new mother may have to deal with.

Types of Treatment Techniques That Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists Use

Pelvic floor physiotherapy helps support the body of the expectant or new mother by optimizing birth support, sexual and abdominal functionality, and bowel, bladder, and organ support. 

Exercises will be prescribed that will promote balance, coordination, range of motion, and body movement. The patient will be trained in nervous system management as well as optimal breathing techniques.

They will be taught effective strategies in order to manage pain as they recover from their recent delivery. Indeed, pain science education is a top priority in pelvic floor physiotherapy. 

As well, manual therapy may be used to help accelerate the recovery process. Internal pelvic floor exercises may also be taught in order to treat or prevent bladder leakage.

There is Help Available

A pelvic floor physiotherapist can help a new mother recover from any ailments or conditions that she may be dealing with after giving birth. Their methods are designed to ameliorate pelvic floor functionality via hands-on treatment modalities.

Education, specialized exercises, and lifestyle changes may help eliminate, or at least reduce, some of the unpleasant symptoms that are common during the postpartum stage. The pelvic floor should never be ignored after the birthing process.

It is part of a group of muscles that help facilitate normal sexual, bowel, and urinary functions. If the aforementioned group of muscles is impeded in any meaningful way, then the patient may have to deal with intense pelvic pain.

Other common symptoms include urinary retention, constipation, incontinence, painful fornication, and/or increased urinary frequency or urgency. If you are dealing with any of these symptoms, then you should not suffer in silence.

Making an appointment with a physiotherapist that specializes in pelvic floor health will allow you to determine the root cause of your symptoms. The physiotherapist will then provide you with a specialized treatment plan that will help relieve or eliminate your postpartum symptoms so that you can return to a normal, happy, and healthy life.

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Author Bio: Erin Gregory is a blogger in Toronto. She is currently working as a Community Manager for several small businesses. She has graduated with honors from the University of British Columbia with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing.

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