Pregnancy is a life-stage that presents its own unique demands. All of our Physiotherapists are able to help offer advice and treatment for problems during and after pregnancy, with pre-natal and post-natal physiotherapy services.
- SIJ/pubic symphysis pain – The pelvis can cause sharp pain or ache when walking, with prolonged standing, twisting, stairs or lifting as pregnancy progresses. This is controlled with gluteal massage and exercises.
- Carpal Tunnel – pins and needles in the hand, caused by neck stiffness, swelling in the wrist or activities involving wrist flexion.
- Gluteal tendinopathy pain – the achy pain at night when you lie on one side, as gluteal muscles/tendons are susceptible to hormone changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding, body changes with pregnancy and the physical demands of caring for a baby.
- Mastitis – when a milk duct becomes blocked and infected. It can be very successfully treated using ultrasound and duct massage followed immediately by pumping/feeding 2-4 days in a row.
- DeQuervains Wrist pain – when the thumb tendons are overloaded, which is particularly common with the continuous lifting, feeding, carrying a new baby.
- Neck pain with feeding – can commonly occur with new mothers, and we examine feeding positions, carrying strategies and other contributing factors.
- Advice for return to exercise – the return to exercise after pregnancy and birth depends on the mother’s previous sport, pre-pregnancy fitness, time, pregnancy or birth complications. It is very individual and we can offer advice about where and when to start exercising so you won’t hurt yourself.
- Rectus Abdominus Diastasis (RAD) – separation of the stomach muscles is normal during pregnancy and there should be resolution in the months after birth. Sometimes the gap can remain and this may alter the effective stability of the stomach muscles. Physiotherapists can teach muscle contractions which help to reduce this abdominal separation.
- Dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse) – due to scarring, increased stress with learning how to care for a new baby or other reasons, sometimes people cannot completely relax their pelvic floor muscles after a contraction and this is referred to as pelvic floor over-activity. This causes painful trigger points which can make having sex or using tampons very painful.
