According to the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group, "More than two-thirds of pregnant women experience low-back pain and almost one-fifth experience pelvic pain". During post-partum, women can also experience other pelvic girdle, ligamentous and muscle changes due to hormonal changes. With pelvic girdle laxity and expansion from pregnancy, your pelvic floor muscles are lengthened causing their efficiency to support your pelvic girdle during lower body movements to be decreased.

Physical therapy can play a role in decreasing pain and reducing functional disability during or after pregnancy. A physical therapist will first perform an individualized examination and history, which will then be able to determine which therapeutic exercises, manual therapy and core exercises to implement. We may also include education on stability exercises such as Kegel exercises to re-educate your pelvic floor and provided a home exercise program for continued care at home. Research demonstrates, "any exercise improves functional disability and reduces sick leave more than prenatal care alone".

See your physical therapist today and feel better tomorrow.