Pregnancy & Postpartum

Pregnancy can cause many changes in a women’s body. These musculoskeletal changes can be uncomfortable, painful, and confusing. During pregnancy, you may experience hip pain, low back pain, instability of the sacroiliac joints and pelvis, sciatica, rib pain, vulvar varicosities, postural changes, round ligament pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, coccyx pain and pubic symphysis pain. As a mother, Dr. Brenna has experienced many of these symptoms and has gone through advanced training to know firsthand how to improve your discomfort. Some women have relatively no pain or discomfort but are apprehensive about what types of exercises they can/should perform. Physical therapy can reduce your pain, prevent symptoms from becoming chronic, and keep you at your physical best during this wonderful time.

In the postpartum months, your body again experiences changes. Physical therapy after a normal or challenging delivery or pregnancy can prevent incontinence, prolapse, and/or sexual dysfunction. Your baby is stretching and weakening the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and then the pelvic floor and surrounding structures have a possibility of tearing with delivery. These muscles should be treated like other muscle groups when injured. Other joints and muscles are seen by a physical therapist to regain function and so should the pelvic floor after delivery. It is important to regain muscle strength, coordination, and restore proper length so that you may safely return to activity and exercise.  The demands of caring for your newborn may cause back pain, hip pain, and /or pelvic floor dysfunction. If you have a separation of the abdominal wall, known as diastasis recti, that requires correction for safe return to exercise and to decreased you risk for pelvic floor dysfunction.

Cesarean births can also take a toll on your pelvic floor and central stabilizers and it is important to have a physical therapist address the scar tissue with these births. Pubic symphysis pain, tailbone pain, painful intercourse, scar tissue and adhesions may also be present postpartum. Dr. Brenna has specialized training to determine if you have any postpartum dysfunction.