Prenatal Physiotherapy: What is it?

Welcome back to our weekly discussion on pregnancy. This week we focus on prenatal physiotherapy and how it may help your body.

The amount of changes that a pregnant woman goes through is overwhelmingly impressive. Although pregnancies can differ in many ways, all expectant mothers have to go through the necessary weight gain and the fluctuation in hormone levels, contributing a major body transformation in the months before labour.

Research has shown the following:

• 44.6% of women have some degree of urinary incontinence (leaking) 5-7 years after delivery. (Wilson et al., 2002)
• The rates of chronic pelvic pain for women of childbearing age worldwide range from 14% to 32%. (Mathias et al., 1996)
• Abdominal splitting (Diastasis recti abdominis) is prevalent at 6 months postpartum, with a prevalence rate of 35 to 39%. (da Mota et al., 2015)

Physiotherapy appointments can help manage a few of the above symptoms. I recently talked to two Kelowna physiotherapists that specialize in prenatal physiotherapy to get a better understanding of how they can help.

“During pregnancy many women may experience hip, groin, tailbone, sacroiliac, pubic symphysis, and abdominal pain,” suggests Corinne Wade of Kare Physiotherapy. “As the pregnancy progresses, neck and shoulder pain may also develop from postural changes.”

Wade who has specialized in the field of pelvic floor physiotherapy for over 20 years, also comments that joint malalignment or pelvic instability may be an issue.

“Due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, a female's joints can become more hyper-mobile,” she says.

Because of these potential complications, Wade encourages women to get an internal pelvic floor assessment early in pregnancy to ensure that the mom-to-be can not only consciously lengthen her pelvic floor, but also relax her muscles.

Wade believes that being proactive is the key to preventing future troubles such as urinary incontinence. She warns about how some expectant mothers might not even be aware of possible impediments because muscles that are not functioning properly during the prenatal months may have yet to manifest itself as an actual symptom.

Melissa Dessaulles, a physiotherapist with Mommy Berries Health and Wave Physiotherapy Kelowna is also an advocate of taking charge early before any issues arise.

“Your body is about to go through the endurance event of a lifetime when you go into labour and you want to be strong,” says Dessaulles. “A pelvic health physiotherapist can assess your body and help create an appropriate exercise plan for you.”

Dessaulles became immersed into the pelvic health area of practice after giving birth to her first child.

“I really struggled with postpartum recovery and the lack of guidance and help for my embarrassing symptoms led me to look further into what help was available,” she says. “I live a very active lifestyle, so I didn't find it acceptable to have to stop what I love to do because of my symptoms.”

Physiotherapy appointments can also help to minimize or avoid abdominal separation during pregnancy. This occurs as your body makes room for a growing baby.

“Many things determine whether or not you are left with a gap between the muscles after your baby is born,” says Dessaulles. She suggests that genetics, how big your baby is, and how many babies you have had can contribute to the separation of your abdominal muscles. On a positive note, Dessaulles believes that moms can minimize the gap by practicing healthy posture and appropriate exercises.

If you’re looking to find out more about prenatal physiotherapy, the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia has a website where the public can search for physiotherapists with specific areas of expertise.

As always, I invite you to join the conversation! Let us know about your experiences with prenatal physiotherapy.

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