Physical Therapy for Moms: Expecting Moms, New Moms, ALL MOMS!

Physical therapy has been proven to be successful for many women due to the ability to remedy common discomforts that come with motherhood like back pain and pelvic floor concerns. Whether you’re experiencing low back pain, bladder leakage, abdominal separation or many other health concerns that come with motherhood, physical therapy can help you. It’s important to our team at AmeriCare Physical Therapy to educate women that physical therapy is not just a tactic for recovery, but also for prevention!

Physical Therapy for Pregnant Women

One of the common concerns among pregnant women is back pain, in fact 50-70% of women experience back pain during their pregnancy journeys. While back pain can be caused from a variety of things, our expert physical therapists here at AmeriCare Physical Therapy have noted common reasons of back pain:

• Increase in hormones
• Changes in the body’s center of gravity
• Weight gain from pregnancy
• Added stress
• Struggle to maintain proper posture

Additionally, many women report physical pain while pregnant. Our physical therapists work directly with expecting mothers to develop a treatment plan that fits their lifestyle and pregnancy symptoms. Our comprehensive approach takes a look at common triggers of pain including:

• Joint alignment
• Muscle strength
• Flexibility
• Nerve involvement
• Posture

Prenatal physical therapy can help treat back pain, sciatica, diastasis recti, pelvic floor issues and much, much more. If you’re relating to any of the above, it’s important to seek treatment to prevent a greater risk of injury.

Physical Therapy for Moms

Commonly, post-partum is referred to as the ‘fourth trimester’. It doesn’t matter is you had a vaginal birth or c-section, you’re likely experiencing some side effects after giving birth such as bladder leakage, vaginal heaviness or pressure, pelvic pain and more. The good new is, all of those can be alleviated with the help of physical therapy here at AmeriCare Physical Therapy.

While becoming a mother is an exciting life event, the physical toll it takes on the body can lead to long-lasting, sometimes permanent side-effects. Seeking physical therapy post partum can help women in numerous ways!

• Pain
  • As your baby is growing, the postural changes caused by the shift in your center of gravity may cause you to develop hip and/low back pain as well as sciatica. It’s important to remember that pain is not normal, physical therapy can help!
• Mobility issues
  • Commonly, the hormone produced during pregnancy, Relaxin, creates laxity in the ligaments that can last up to 4 months postpartum, even longer in breast feeding! Our expert physical therapists can help address your mobility through soft tissue mobilization, mobility exercises and stretching.
• Assess for diastasis recti
  • Many women experience the separation of the rectus abdominal muscles in the midline from increased pressure as your baby grows, this is commonly known as diastasis recti. Though this may cause insecurities due to the appearance, this is nothing to be ashamed about! We specialize in helping women retrain and strengthen the core muscles in an affective and healthy way.
• Exercise
  • The body goes through significant change during pregnancy and delivery and it’s important not to jump right back into your old workout routine as the abdominal muscles become overstretched and weak and the pelvic floor is stretched and may even tear. Once we complete an assessment, our team will guide you to complete a workout program that helps you resume your routine stronger and safely.

At AmeriCare Physical Therapy our experts at our locations in East Brunswick, Garwood, Mountainside, Piscataway and Warren New Jersey are dedicated to helping you find the best relief possible to make your pregnancy journey and motherhood as enjoyable as possible!