Relief From Pregnancy Pain With Physiotherapy
Pregnancy is a time of joy and expectation as you wait for the birth of your child. Your body may also undergo significant changes at this time, which might result in uncomfortable side effects like pain. The good news is that discomfort can be reduced, allowing you to feel better during each trimester. You can benefit from prenatal physical therapy in a variety of ways. We'll explore how in detail in this post.
If you ask a pregnant lady how she is feeling, her answers may reflect her happiness of being a mother or some discomfort or pain. Although pregnancy is a lovely stage of life, a lot of mood swings are common. During pregnancy, the discomfort in the lower back affects 50-80% of women. However, physiotherapy can be a fairly easy solution to this concern. Physiotherapy is a useful technique to ease uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms.
The body experienced various changes throughout the pregnancy. Some of the most significant alterations that can cause pain during pregnancy are listed below:
What Physical Changes Occur During Pregnancy That Cause Pain?
Changes In The Body's Calcium-Processing Mechanisms
Your requirement for calcium increases during pregnancy. Some may get leg and foot cramps and spasms as a result of this.
Pressure On The Body Is Increased
Backaches and pain in the pelvic bones might come from the baby's developing head pressing against the pelvis. You could experience sciatica, a sharp pain that radiates from the buttocks or lower back down the leg, if the uterus presses on the sciatic nerve.
Changes In Body Weight And Shape
A growing belly can put stress on the spine, especially if it causes you to slouch or hunch over. Back pain during pregnancy may result from several circumstances. Gaining weight can put more strain on your knees, which can be uncomfortable.
Uterine Expansion
To accommodate your growing child, your uterus enlarges. This may result in discomfort in the back, thighs, groin, and belly.
Swelling
Pregnancy-related hormonal changes can cause swelling in the hands and ankles, which may limit mobility.
Hormonal Changes
Relaxing and progesterone levels rise during pregnancy, causing the joints and ligaments that keep bones together to lose their strength. When this happens, you could feel pain in your back or hips.
Benefits of Physical Therapy During Pregnancy
There are many benefits to going to physical therapy while pregnant. Your pregnant physical therapist will talk with you about your issues, set therapeutic goals with you, and create a unique treatment plan to help you reach them during your initial period. Prenatal physical treatment may have the following possible advantages:
1. Back Pain Relief
Back pain during pregnancy might develop as a result of postural changes and pressure on the spine. Your expanding belly may cause your spine to become out of alignment, causing pain in your neck, back, and shoulders. This discomfort may persist for around a third of expectant mothers even after the birth of their child.
To build the muscles necessary for balance and strength, they can also guide you through safe workouts. For greater effectiveness, you can carry out these exercises at home every day of the week.
2. Regain Strength In The Muscles
Approximately 83% of pregnant women get diastasis recti either during pregnancy or within a year following giving birth. Due to the pressure put on them during pregnancy, the abdominal muscles split, resulting in this disease. Diastasis recti symptoms like sagging above or below the belly button, A soft or jelly-like sensation close to the abdominal button; and abdominal muscles that, when tensed, might be seen as doming or coning. It may feel difficult while moving or carrying heavy objects, cause hip or lower back pain, or cause both. Sneezing, laughing, or coughing can cause urine to leak, which is referred to as stress incontinence and constipation
3. Easier Labor and Delivery
4. Shortened Postpartum Recovery
Another significant event from which you must recover is labor and delivery. As a result, you require support throughout your pregnancy and afterward, just like an athlete. You can get support from physical therapy both before and after giving birth. You may be able to reduce the length of time it takes to heal by performing regular muscle-building exercises, spinal realignment, and mobility and flexibility training.
5. Reduce Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
A collection of muscles called the pelvic floor muscles, support the reproductive system and bladder. These muscles swell and become weaker during pregnancy. According to research, 40% of pregnant women may experience pelvic floor dysfunction and many more may experience it after giving birth. Some signs, like incontinence under stress, the inability to empty your bladder, and higher urination discomfort in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, or tailbone during a sexual encounter, indicate intestinal issues. When the bladder or uterus prolapses, the vagina is put under strain.
To regain function and lessen dysfunctional symptomatology, physical therapy can help tone pelvic muscles. You can learn regular exercises from a physical therapist that targets these muscles. To improve muscle tone, they could also use manual treatments. Other helpful techniques include muscle reeducation and biofeedback.
6. Enhance Your Sleep
Many pregnant women are worried about having sleep problems. Many parents typically anticipate restless nights after the birth of their child. During the first seven months of pregnancy, it is estimated that 76% of pregnant women experience sleep deprivation, poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and numerous nighttime awakenings. The prevalence climbs to 84% by month eight.
Pregnancy-related sleep issues can have a wide range of causes. A frequent offender is a shift in body composition. You might find it challenging to find a relaxing posture to rest in because of your expanding stomach.
7. Ease Other Pregnancy Symptoms
Many of the typical symptoms of pregnancy can be treated with physiotherapy under the correct circumstances. A physical therapist can help you regain function through exercise if you are losing your mobility as a result of swelling, joint pain, or loosening of the joints. The correct workouts and treatments may help with musculoskeletal issues that extend beyond the back.
Correcting spinal misalignment and working on your posture can help with a variety of issues, including nausea and heartburn. Simply put, a physical therapist can be a valuable member of your care team both during and after pregnancy, developing plans and implementing interventions that can help you feel your best and carry out your everyday tasks more easily.
Conclusion
To manage the pain, physiotherapy during pregnancy is a useful strategy. By using particular workouts and massages, this technique can help relieve muscle pain. In addition to assisting with pain management, targeted activities also preserve muscle strength. It's important to keep in mind that the rise in relaxation levels is what is causing your pain and discomfort. The location of your pain, however, may vary. The purpose of physiotherapy during pregnancy is to locate the pain precisely and treat it to lessen discomfort.
