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Physio & Pilates After Pregnancy

Oct 12, 2018

Pregnancy and the following months post partum can be a real roller-coaster of a journey with the joy of having your new little one weighed up against the sleepless nights and the fact that at this point your body just doesn’t feel quite how it used to.

Back pain, pelvic girdle pain and upper back pain are the most common types of pain new mums experience. So why do we get all these aches and pains in the spine, pelvis and back? 

There are many changes that occur to your body during pregnancy.  The human body is amazing and many of these return to normal within 9-12 months after delivery. However, we should not expect everything to just “BOUNCE BACK!”. 

Incredible Ways The Body Adapts to Cope With Pregnancy..

  • Your rib cage widens (you may even be a bigger bra strap width than before!)
  • Your breathing alters to a shallow pattern
  • Your pelvic floor muscles are weaker with possible bladder symptoms
  • Your posture changes (imbalance of weak and lengthened abdominals vs overworked and tight back muscles)
  • Your abdominals separate during the third trimester of pregnancy to some degree
  • Low back pain/pelvic pain associated with weakness in muscles around the pelvis and hips

These are all very normal consequences of pregnancy but they can all be improved and you CAN get a strong and fully functioning body back!

Exercise is the best way to retrain the body and get it to function well again.  But what type of exercises? And how do you know if they are safe and effective?

PILATES is simply perfect for helping learn your body recover post pregnancy. You will learn how to safely improve your posture, your breathing pattern, strengthening your core, pelvic floor and hips and help ease low back/pelvic pain. You’ll pushing prams up hills without that achey back or carrying your little one without that nagging shoulder blade pain.

Free Phone Consultation

To find out how Post Natal Physio OR 1:1 Pilates Rehab could help restore your body after pregnancy then request a 10 Min Free Phone Consultation with our Post Natal Physio.

Pilates exercises can help your body recover by:

  • Learning how to reset your breathing pattern, regain both a lovely deep diaphragmatic breath as well as nice breath to widen and improve movement in the lower rib cage (often a bit stiff post pregnancy)
  • Through every Pilates exercise you will be helping retrain those crucial pelvic floor muscles. It’s NOT ABOUT just drawing in and overdoing this can cause problems on down the line
  • Pilates will help CORRECT your lower back and upper back posture after months of having an arched lower back and often a more rounded upper back and shoulders.
  • Pilates has a focus on creating balance through the pelvis, hips and lower back so simply EVERY woman should ensure they restore these important muscles to improve how you feel and also prevent further issues down the line. Changes after one pregnancy that aren’t resolved can really become an issue during or after subsequent pregnancies as your body is stressed again.

When should I start?

This will depend on how your pregnancy and labour went. Ideally we would love to get you started as soon as possible – even if this means just working through simple basic exercises. There are a few things we need to consider post pregnancy so it would be worth either booking in for a 1-1 Pilates session or chatting with one of our physios on a Free Taster to find out how we could help you. 

Book a Free Physio Taster Session

Start your Pilates journey and restore your body by getting into one of our:

  • Pilates Matwork classes
  • Pilates 1:1 sessions (currently offer of buy one get one free, until end Nov 2018)

Or if you are concerned about any diastasis or pelvic girdle issues you can consult with Hazel our Pelvic Girdle and post natal physio.

  • Post – Natal Physio 1:1 session (postnatal check of diastasis, pelvic floor/core assessment)

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