Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Through Pregnancy and Postpartum

Pregnancy and childbirth are life-changing events in a woman’s life, and the changes they bring to the pelvic floor can lead to discomfort, pain, and other symptoms. Pelvic floor physiotherapy is critical in managing prenatal and postpartum concerns. Whether you’re preparing for childbirth or recovering afterward, pelvic floor physiotherapy can help you learn how to support your body throughout your journey of pregnancy and childbirth. Read on to learn how pelvic floor physiotherapy can support you both prenatally and postpartum.

What is the Pelvic Floor and Why is it Important?

Before diving into the details of pelvic floor physiotherapy, it's important to understand what the pelvic floor is and how it functions.

The pelvic floor is made up of a group of muscles and tissues that span the bottom of your pelvis. The pelvic floor has several key functions:

Pelvic organ support: the pelvic floor muscles provide a strong sling at the bottom of your pelvis that help support organs such as your bladder, uterus, and vagina.
Bladder and bowel control: The pelvic floor muscles play an important role in controlling your urine and bowel movements.
Sexual health: The pelvic floor muscles support sexual function and sensation.
Core stability: The pelvic floor works in conjunction with your diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and lower back muscles to provide core strength and stability.

During pregnancy, the pelvic floor undergoes significant changes due to hormonal fluctuations and the growing weight of the baby. After childbirth, these muscles may become weakened, stretched, or damaged. This can lead to issues such as incontinence, pelvic pain, and reduced sexual function. Pelvic floor physiotherapy helps address these concerns by restoring muscle strength, flexibility, sensation, and proper function.

Prenatal Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy: Preparing Your Body for Birth

Pelvic floor physiotherapy during pregnancy focuses on preparing your body for labor and delivery. It’s an essential part of a woman’s prenatal care that can help prevent complications and improve comfort during pregnancy.

Benefits of Prenatal Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy:

Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy helps you maintain bladder and bowel function. It also improves your ability to support the weight of your growing baby, which can reduce pelvic pressure and discomfort.
Prevents or Reduces Incontinence Urinary incontinence is a common issue during pregnancy. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles with physical therapy can help prevent or manage incontinence by increasing the muscles' ability to contract and relax and can help you gain more awareness of the pelvic floor muscles. Your physical therapist can also teach you strategies to help reduce urgency and incontinence.
Reduces Pregnancy-Related Pain As the body changes during pregnancy, women often experience discomfort in the pelvic region, hips, and lower back. Prenatal pelvic floor physiotherapy can help alleviate pain by teaching you ways to improve muscle strength and increase pelvic floor mobility which can reduce pressure on the pelvic area. Your physical therapist may also teach you postures and rest positions to help alleviate symptoms.
Labor Preparation A healthy pelvic floor may contribute to smoother labor. Physiotherapy helps you understand how to relax and control your pelvic floor muscles during labor, which can ease the process of childbirth. Certain pelvic floor exercises can also help prepare the perineum (the muscles and fascia in the pelvic region) for delivery, potentially reducing the need for an episiotomy or minimizing tearing.

What Does Prenatal Physiotherapy Involve?

A typical pelvic floor physiotherapy session during pregnancy includes:

Assessment: First, your physical therapist will assess your posture, mobility, and strength.
Pelvic floor assessment: If indicated, you will have the option for your physical therapist to assess your pelvic floor muscles, which will include an internal examination. During an internal assessment, the physical therapist will use a gloved finger to assess your pelvic floor muscles through the vaginal or anal openings. This allows the physical therapist to get a sense of the mobility, strength, and function of the pelvic floor.
Pelvic floor muscle exercises: Exercises given in session may include working on strengthening or lengthening the pelvic floor muscles, depending on your individual needs.
Breathing and relaxation techniques: Proper breathing techniques can help relax the pelvic floor during labor and learn how to coordinate your pelvic floor contractions.
Postural education: Correct posture can alleviate discomfort and reduce pressure on the pelvic region prenatally and postpartum.
Manual therapy: Some techniques involve gentle massage and mobilization of the pelvic area, hips, and lower back to relieve tension and improve flexibility.

Prenatal pelvic floor physiotherapy is a safe and proactive approach to maintaining your pelvic health throughout pregnancy. It can be started at any stage of pregnancy and is especially beneficial in the second and third trimesters.

Postpartum Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

After childbirth, the pelvic floor undergoes significant changes. The muscles may become weakened or stretched, leading to potential issues like incontinence, pelvic pain, or reduced sexual function. Pelvic floor physiotherapy postpartum helps rebuild strength and restore function of the pelvic floor.

Benefits of Postpartum Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Restore Pelvic Floor Strength After pregnancy and childbirth, the pelvic floor muscles often become weak or strained. Postpartum pelvic floor physiotherapy helps restore the tone and function of the pelvic floor muscles so that they are able to better support your bladder, bowel, and sexual health.
Reduce Incontinence Urinary incontinence or leakage is a common problem after childbirth. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help address this by strengthening the muscles that assist in bladder function and learning ways to manage incontinence symptoms with the goal of reducing or eliminating incontinence.
Alleviate Pelvic Pain Many women experience pelvic pain after childbirth, including discomfort in the lower back, hips, or perineum. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help alleviate this pain by restoring muscle balance, improving posture and mobility, and reducing muscle tension.
Improve Sexual Health Postpartum women may experience reduced sensation or discomfort during sex due to the changes that occur in the pelvic floor during pregnancy and childbirth. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can improve sexual function by addressing muscle weakness, improving circulation, and restoring sensation.
Promote Core Stability A strong pelvic floor is key to overall core stability. After childbirth, many women deal with weaker core muscles, which can impact posture and increase the risk of back pain, pelvic pain, or hip pain. Your pelvic floor physical therapist will teach you exercises to strengthen the core muscles and improve posture.

What Does Postpartum Physiotherapy Involve?

A typical postpartum pelvic floor physiotherapy session involves:

Movement assessment: Your physical therapist will perform an external assessment of the strength and range of motion of postural muscles and the muscles in the hips, lower extremities, and lower back.
Pelvic floor assessment: If indicated, you will have the option for your physical therapist to assess your pelvic floor muscles, which will include an internal examination. During an internal assessment, the physical therapist will use a gloved finger to assess your pelvic floor muscles through the vaginal or anal openings. This allows the physical therapist to get a sense of the mobility, strength, and function of the pelvic floor.
Exercises: Your physical therapist will teach you exercises based on your individual needs, such as exercises to rebuild pelvic floor strength or to increase pelvic floor mobility. You may also learn exercise to improve lower back or hip strength, posture, or mobility.
Manual therapy: Techniques to release tight muscles and scar tissue, particularly if you had a C-section or an episiotomy.
Education on body mechanics: Proper lifting and movement techniques to avoid straining the lumbar, hip, and/or pelvic area.

Postpartum pelvic floor physiotherapy can be started as soon as you feel ready—usually around 6 weeks after childbirth, but this can vary based on your situation. Your physiotherapist will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan keeping in mind your symptoms and recovery goals.

How Prenatal and Postpartum Physiotherapy Enhances Overall Well-being

Pelvic floor physiotherapy during the prenatal and postpartum periods is not just about addressing physical symptoms—it’s also about improving your mental and emotional well-being. The benefits of pelvic floor physiotherapy can significantly enhance your overall health, including:

Improved confidence: Feeling stronger and more in control of your body during pregnancy and after childbirth boosts self-esteem and can reduce stress.
Reduced risk of long-term complications: By addressing pelvic floor issues early, you lower the risk of developing long-term problems such as chronic urge or stress incontinence.
Increased comfort: Whether you’re pregnant or postpartum, physical therapy improves comfort by addressing pain and tension in the lumbar, hip, and/or pelvic region.

Why Choose Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy at Nova Physiotherapy?

At Nova Physiotherapy, Sheridan specializes in pelvic floor physiotherapy. She is dedicated to helping you navigate the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth with personalized care and effective treatment strategies. Every woman’s journey is unique, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

By choosing Nova Physiotherapy, you will receive compassionate, evidence-based care designed to help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re seeking prenatal care to prepare for labor or postpartum rehabilitation, we are here to guide you toward recovery and well-being. Ready to get started? Connect with Sherdan by clicking here!