What can PT help with?
Postpartum
Education on possible postpartum issues should start during pregnancy. Simply learning about your pelvic floor and core muscles and their function can empower women to have more control of both pregnancy and postpartum care experiences.
Pregnancy and birth are hard work on your body, and many women deal with weak pelvic floor muscles, pelvic organ prolapse, diastasis recti, scar tissue, altered posture, muscular imbalances, and pain in the postpartum period. These symptoms are often negated or ignored, and frequently referred to as normal. While common, these symptoms are not normal.
Physical therapy can address these symptoms; left untreated, one may deal with ongoing weakness, pain, dysfunctional posture and/or movement patterns, poor breathing patterns, and incontinence.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can be a lot of hard work, even when every goes right. New mothers often deal with sore nipples, engorgement, plugged ducts, mastitis, and postural pain. Through manual and massage techniques, postural re-education, therapeutic exercise, and lymphatic drainage, physical therapy can help allieviate these issues, as well as assist with referral to other professionals for further assessment if needed.