“It takes a village.”
We have all heard this phrase when it comes to raising children and at Eve Health, we completely agree that at this stage of life and during pregnancy requires a big support network and professional team. As part of this support, women can really benefit from physiotherapy.
The focus of World Physiotherapy Day, 8th September 2019 is to bring awareness to chronic pain and the benefit of movement. This blog aims to highlight the importance of movement during pregnancy for managing pelvic pain.
During pregnancy, many women can have pelvic pain and this can dramatically impact their experience, their level of distress, quality of sleep, work capacity, use of sick leave and sense of confidence. The percentage of women experiencing combined pelvic and lower back pain during pregnancy is estimated to be at least 50%. (Pierce et al (2012)). With the presence of pain, there is a much higher chance of postnatal depressive symptoms and a decrease in physical activity. While most women recover in the early postnatal phase, some women may have ongoing problems.
Pregnancy is a wonderful and special time however it can be stressful when you are dealing with symptoms of fatigue, morning sickness and pain, and exercise may seem too far out of reach. General exercise during pregnancy has been shown to have effects such as maintained fitness, improved well-being, reduction in gestational diabetes and other pregnancy related complications. Exercise has also recently been shown to be a useful tool to reduce the intensity of low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. We hear from women every day that their pain has improved with yoga, general strengthening and aerobic type exercise. We can help you to choose a type of exercise that you enjoy and feel comfortable with. You don’t have to commit to a big amount or a long class, even an accumulated 20-30 minutes each day will have benefits.
Similar to other pain conditions, the level of pelvic pain during pregnancy is a poor measure of injury or tissue damage and in fact, pain cannot be related to levels of hormonal change or joint laxity. Even if an activity is painful, it is not an accurate sign of doing harm. A woman’s health physiotherapist can advise on reducing any fears associated with your pain, help you to move better in a way that gives you confidence, provide support and facilitate treatment options, maintain fitness and improve your symptoms. An Eve Health physiotherapist would love to be part of the “village” who works closely with your obstetric team during your pregnancy to ensure the right support is there during your hospital stay and guide you back to function after the birth of your baby.
If you are experiencing pelvic or lower back pain during pregnancy, please contact us to book in with Angie or Alex, our women’s health physiotherapists.
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