If you are pregnant or postpartum, you are aware that your body has gone through significant changes. Throughout pregnancy, there are changes that occur within the musculoskeletal, nervous, and endocrine systems. You may notice common aches and pains such as upper and lower back pain, as well as hip and sacroiliac joint pain.
A Physical Therapist can help with prevention and healing from the repercussions of pregnancy.
When a woman becomes pregnant, her endocrine system releases a hormone called relaxin. This hormone is responsible for relaxing the ligaments in the pelvic girdle to allow for opening of the birth canal to prepare for the baby.
Our pelvic girdle is the center of our body. Think of it as the foundation of a house. This joint complex must be stable in order to maintain stability throughout the rest of the body, especially the spine and hips. You can imagine that once the pelvis becomes stretched due to release of relaxin, some stability is lost. There is a domino effect throughout the kinetic chain to the low back and hips.
How can Physical Therapy help?
Having a strong core and stable hips will help to improve spinal and pelvic stability. When most people think of the ‘core’ they think of six pack abs, or rectus abdominis. However, your core goes beyond and deeper to stabilize your spine and pelvis. Muscles such as the transverse abdominis, multifidus, internal/external obliques, diaphragm and the pelvic floor make up our natural corset. Physical Therapy can help to activate and engage these muscles, thus reducing typical aches and pains. Core stabilization exercises are imperative for patients who have diastasis recti and those who have received a C-section.
Exercises to get started:
Below are a few baseline exercises you can begin with to activate the deep core. As always, consult with your OBGYN before beginning these exercises. For progressions and more education on how to further stabilize your spine and pelvis, please contact one of our Physical Therapists at FX Physical Therapy!
- Diaphragmatic Breathing:
- Begin lying on your back with knees bent.
- Rest one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose, filling up your belly with air.
- Upon exhale, breath out through pursed lips like you are blowing out of a straw, drawing the belly button down to the floor.
- Ensure that when you are inhaling, your chest hand should not be moving.
- You can also perform on hands and knees.
- Abdominal Bracing:
- Begin lying on your back with knees bent.
- Tuck your tailbone under, flattening your back on the flat surface.
- Brace your abdominal muscles, instead of sucking in your stomach.
- To ensure you are activating the deep core, find your hip bones and move one inch toward your belly button.
- Cat/Camel:
- Begin on hands and knees.
- Take a deep breath in, using diaphragmatic breathing and inhaling air into the belly as you arch your back and look up to the ceiling.
- Exhale the air and activate your abdominals as you curl your spine and tuck your head.
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