Postnatal Recovery ….. How can a Women’s Health Physiotherapist help you?
Women’s bodies are awesome! Growing a baby and giving birth can however put significant stress and strain on the body physically.
Statistics show that after having a baby half of women have a weakness in their abdominal or pelvic floor muscles. Up to 60% have a separation of their abdominal muscle (Diastasis Recti) at 6 weeks post birth. 45% may experience some urinary incontinence which can remain present for years following birth. 25% of women experience ongoing pelvic pain which may become chronic.
On a positive note many of these symptoms can be managed, improved and in a lot of cases resolved with the correct advice, treatment and exercise.
Women’s Health Assessment®
The assessment is an essential postnatal assessment recommended for all women following childbirth anywhere from 6 weeks postnatal up to years.
Most women will have questions about returning to activity post baby. Some may have weakness in their tummy and / or pelvic floor muscles which can lead to problems such as a persistent tummy gap (rectus diastasis), bladder or bowel leakage or back pain, especially if incorrect exercises are performed too soon.
Our Senior Physiotherapist will do an in-depth assessment of your pelvic and abdominal area; posture, breathing, tummy gap and pelvic floor. A bespoke post-natal recovery programme, taking into account your lifestyle and fitness goals will then be discussed. This includes specific and safe post-natal exercises to improve stability, posture and core strength.
To assess the function of the pelvic floor an internal vaginal examination may be performed. This may sound a little daunting and a lot of the time is the last thing you want to do after giving birth. However, it is a very gentle process and it gives essential feedback to help ensure you are doing your exercises correctly.
