Following pregnancy and delivery women can experience a multitude of physical issues including pain, incontinence, diastasis recti , loss of core stability, and difficulty returning to prior level of function of physical activities.
In many European countries it is common practice that ALL women receive postpartum rehabilitation to address these issues. In the United States this is still not the case.
While lots of women talk openly about losing baby weight or getting their figure back, the conversations about pain or incontinence often go unsaid.
Many women suffer in silence or are told that these issues are “normal” after having a baby. While these issues are certainly common, they are not “normal” and can be helped!
Appropriate retraining of core muscles including the pelvic floor can address these issues and allow new moms to get back to their normal routine, including high level exercise.
In a state like Colorado, where normal activities include hiking, rock climbing, cross fit, yoga, skiing, snowboarding, cycling, and mountain biking it is imperative that these women receive the right kind of rehabilitation to allow them to return with lower risk of injury.
As movement specialists, Physical Therapists can help with this rehabilitation and retraining process. At Atlas Physical Therapy our therapists have also received additional training in care for pregnant and postpartum patients, allowing for a specialized service to most effectively help these patients.
Kate Diffily PT, DPT