Pelvic Health & Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Addressing your questions about pelvic, women's, and musculoskeletal health. Health is a journey. Movement is healing!
I've been reflecting a lot on transitions lately. With graduation quickly approaching (it's only TWENTY days away) there are a lot of exciting opportunities on the horizon. It also has me thinking on other transitions in life for people. One really big transition for the human body is giving birth, preparing to give birth, and then recovering from the birth process.
Your body goes through a lot of changes in order to prepare for birth. It produces a variety of hormones one of which is relaxin, a hormone that increases the laxity in your ligaments throughout your body. By increasing the laxity of your ligaments, your body makes it easier for the baby to pass through the pelvis, it can also alter the alignment of your sacroiliac joint. As the baby grows it changes your center of gravity. Essentially you are now carrying this growing basketball in the front of your abdomen as your baby grows it changes the way that forces are transmitted through your spine because it changes your posture in sitting, standing, and walking. This change in position and force in the spine can lead to back pain. As the baby grows it also changes the pressure on your abdominal and pelvic floor musculature as well as your bladder, it is constantly stretching these structures in order to make room. This can contribute to urinary frequency and urgency. Overall, your body is preparing to make space for your baby. A Women's Health Physical Therapist can help you to manage different musculoskeletal pain that arises during pregnancy as well as helping you to prepare for the birth of your child. Following childbirth those muscles and structures that were changed during pregnancy and the birthing process require time for rehabilitation. A Women's Health Physical Therapist can help to facilitate this process and return you to your baseline. Childbirth is a leading cause in developing urinary incontinence issues down the road so properly rehabilitating your pelvic floor as well as your back, hips, and abdomen following birth can be important in preventing symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency, and leakage. |
AuthorHello! I am Caitlyn, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Board Certified Women's Health Physical Therapist working in St Louis, Missouri. Faculty in developing residency program. Endowarrior Categories
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July 2021
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