Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Had a baby? Get pelvic floor physical therapy.

Every mom, new or experienced, should see a pelvic floor therapist — soon after having a baby preferably, but anytime is better than never. Consider it an essential part of your self-care routine. After all, you spent nine months growing a human being inside you, stretching your body and shifting your organs to accommodate and sustain this amazing life. After your baby is born, your body doesn’t magically return to its former state! It takes work, and even with the easiest of deliveries, a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you now to prevent future problems.

Live Pain-Free

Pelvic pain, hip pain, back pain, incontinence, prolapse — these are not acceptable or “inevitable” consequences of having a baby! You deserve to live pain-free, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, in some countries (France has gotten some attention recently), pelvic floor reeducation or rehab is standard of care after that 6-week period of healing.

Be Strong

With a new baby also comes a new physical activity routine (nursing baby, rocking baby, lifting a car seat, pushing a stroller, etc.), and you need to be strong enough from your pelvic floor to your core to do these seemingly simple things. For someone in pain, they are not simple or easy. If you’re pain-free now, learning to properly contract those muscles can help with injury prevention later. Pelvic floor therapy is both rehabilitative and preventative. No excuses, mama.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy 101

So, what exactly is pelvic floor physical therapy? A comprehensive evaluation can assess the strength of your pelvic floor muscles.  But it’s more than just looking at the power of those deep core muscles. It’s important to look at the endurance of the muscles, control, and tone. Are the right muscles “turning on” and “turning off” when they are supposed to? After pregnancy, labor, and delivery certain muscles might have become “weak” and other muscles might have compensated. Retraining the right muscles to contract when they are supposed to is also important in your recovery. Can you contract and relax the muscles when you need to? Most people focus on contracting the muscle (usually by doing Kegels), but it’s equally important to be able to relax those muscles. If you’re only doing Kegels, chances are that your muscles have become hypertonic, a shortening of the muscles. Pelvic floor therapy can help with this!

Get Started

If you’d like to learn more, visit our Women’s Health page. Ready to make change? Click here to schedule an evaluation with our Women’s Health Specialist, Danielle Vaughan. You’ve got this!