New Mamas Benefit From Seeing A Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist

Pelvic floor physical therapists strongly recommend that new mamas see a pelvic floor physical therapist after attending their six-week postpartum visit with their OBs. Many women are often cleared to return to their pre-pregnancy workouts after that appointment despite the fact that often the health, strength, and function of the pelvic floor and abdominal wall were not assessed. Without specific instruction on how to jump back into exercise, new mamas are more inclined to worsen postpartum pelvic-floor related problems such as urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, diastasis rectus abdominis, organ prolapse, pelvic pain, painful sex, and/or back, hip, sacrum, or coccyx pain.

Haley Shevener writes in her blog post, “Why Every New Mother Should See a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist,” that there are many benefits to “receiving a comprehensive evaluation of all the structures most impacted by the pregnancy and birth experience”:

• Alleviating Symptoms and Identifying Issues Before They Become Bigger Problems
• Postpartum Recovery is More than Kegals (And Kegals May Not Be Appropriate For You)
• A Well-functioning Pelvic Floor is Essential to Performance in Fitness and Daily Activities
• Mothers Who Have Had a C-Section Benefit From Working with a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist
• Working With a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist Adds a Valued Teammate to the Journey of Motherhood

Haley’s blog post is highly recommended for those wanting to learn more about how a pelvic health physical therapist can help restore pelvic health and educate mew mamas who are returning to activity.

References

Shevener, Haley. “Why Every Mother Should Seek a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist.” Join the Movement, 23 Jan 2018, https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/.