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Getting Physical Therapy After A Difficult Birth

Dotcom Design • Sep 12, 2019
physical therapist session
You just had a baby, but your pregnancy was difficult, and you're experiencing a lot of physical pain. This situation is often a hard one for many to handle and may require the best physical therapist Marion, Cedar Rapids, or Hiawatha, Iowa has to offer. These individuals can provide high-quality treatment at a reasonable price and ensure that you are safe and healthy.        

Problems That May Develop                         

Complicated pregnancies may cause a variety of issues that can be unpredictable and hard to manage. This situation will typically get worse depending on how well you maintain your delivery and other factors that change based on the way your pregnancy developed and the methods that you used to help your child's birth. They also vary depending on any pre-existing problems.
                         
For example, many women suffer from issues with their pelvic floor muscles after they give birth. This problem typically occurs if the child was substantial and they had trouble delivering it accurately. However, you may also have issues if your floor muscles are weak or don't have the kind of strength that you needed to keep yourself properly prepared and robust during the delivery of your child.
                         
Typically, symptoms of this problem will vary based on their severity. For example, you may leak urine when you cough or sneeze, though not excessively. However, you may also have increased incontinence that occurs at various times and sometimes without warning. You may also have trouble with sexual intercourse or struggle to feel pleasure during the process. Some women even experience bowel issues, which is why working with a physical therapist is so essential.                         

Factors That May Worsen This Problem                         

A multitude of common issues may not only increase your chance of developing this problem, but worsen it and make it more difficult from which to recover. Some of these concerns may develop during your pregnancy outside of your control, but others may be based on things you did or didn't do while you were pregnant. Fully understanding this problem can help to make it easier for you to ensure you don't run into any serious health issues during your pregnancy.
                         
For example, if you have had more than one baby and have delivered several in a relatively short period, there's a good chance that you'll experience this problem. Your pelvic floor muscles will be much weaker and have a harder time adjusting. Women who have delivered multiple babies at the same time – such as twins, triplets, or more – may also have weaker pelvic floor muscles that need special attention. Other risk factors include low muscle tone, poor exercise patterns, and a petite body type.
                         
All of these problems may combine in a way that causes not only issues with your pelvic floor muscles but your overall health in general. As a result, you need to take the time to fully understand these dangers and prepare for them in an intelligent and streamlined manner. One of the best ways to improve your pelvic floor muscle strength is to go through physical therapy. Thankfully, you can talk to a physical therapist near you to learn more about what to expect.    

How Physical Therapy Helps                         

Physical therapy is essential for women who had difficulties during pregnancy. For example, it can help you relax after all the problematic tension in your body and mind. Physical therapy helps to rebuild your strength and flexibility in more delicate areas of the body, such as your back, and enables you to recover from the physical demands of giving birth. Just as importantly, physical therapy can help manage pelvic floor muscle problems quickly and efficiently.
                         
Physical therapy helps by quickly assessing the source of your problem and finding a treatment method that will minimize your pain. Treatment methods like these often focus heavily on areas of the body that need the most attention and care, such as your pelvic floor muscles. The various types of exercises are often things that you can learn at your therapist's office, perform with them, and even do at home when you need a little relief.
                         
While you may be able to perform a few simple physical therapy techniques on your own if you do a little research, you should probably contact a physical therapist to help you with these methods. Relying on your skill and ability to direct yourself is not a good idea. The somewhat delicate nature of your pelvic floor walls will make it more difficult for you to get them into shape quickly and efficiently. Just as importantly, you'll need to work hard to ensure that you are directed in the right way and that you don't overstrain yourself as you try to work.            

Types of Physical Therapy to Consider                         

When it comes to physical therapy, there are many options from which you can choose after pregnancy. For example, kegel exercises are a critical way of improving your pelvic muscle strength and recovering from injury. You typically tighten and release your pelvic floor muscles for a few seconds for 5 minutes. A great therapist can help you here by showing you not only how to perform this technique but how to do it in a way that ensures success.
                         
Beyond these exercises, you can also expect to learn relaxation techniques that help to decrease the tension in these areas. Relaxation routines often include methods such as stretching, deep breathing, and more. You will try to work the muscles in a way that helps them cool down and eliminates tension and other issues. Often, this type of therapy requires you to reeducate the muscles as well, a process that is typically directed by a physical therapist with years of experience.
                         
Manual therapy is another method you'll use with a specific therapist. Typically, this method has the therapist working directly with your muscles and moving the affected areas in a way that helps your body recover. Biofeedback may also be necessary, which uses electrodes to test your muscle activity. The therapist can then diagnose any issues that may be affecting your muscles and manipulate them in a way that helps keep them secure.                 

Finding a Therapist for Your Needs                         

So if you need the best physical therapist Marion, Cedar Rapids, or Hiawatha, Iowa has to offer after suffering issues during pregnancy, please contact us at Rec Center Physical Therapy right away to learn more. Our specialists have worked with women like you for years and fully understand how to manage the type of pain and complications that can occur if you don't get care right away.

08 Dec, 2022
Keeping up with physical therapy during the holidays is tough. There are so many other things to do - cooking, parties, shopping, travel, and visiting with family and friends. But if you're in physical therapy over the holidays, there's a reason. You're having pain, or not moving as well as you want to. These issues place limitations on your life, which are going to affect your ability to do things - like cooking, partying, shopping, traveling, or enjoying time with friends and family. So even though keeping up with your PT this time of year is tough, it's important. That's why we're going to give you our best tips to help you through the holidays. Plan Some of what makes the holidays challenging is the crazy schedule. To survive this, you're going to have to plan ahead. We're not just talking about appointments on your calendar, either (although those are important). Here are some things to think about planning ahead: Your PT appointments Your schedule is busy during the holidays. So is your PT's. Plan and schedule your appointments in advance. You'll get the times and days that work best for you, and you'll already have your PT appointments in your calendar to plan other things around. Your exercise Hopefully you have a regular time to exercise. With the holiday mania about to shake up your routine, that time may no longer work. Think about when you're going to exercise ahead of time and you'll stay consistent. Your diet Healthy eating often gets derailed during the holidays. Putting low quality fuel into your body won't help you feel better. Think about planning what you're going to eat ahead of time. We're not saying to skip every holiday treat offered to you, but maybe think about which ones you really need to have, and which ones you can skip in advance. It makes saying "no thanks" to that third slice of fruitcake easier. Modify We're realistic. We understand that life isn't the same during the holidays as it is during the rest of the year. That's part of what makes this time of year special! With that in mind, our next set of tips focuses on making modifications to help you get through the holidays successfully. Your PT Plan When you planned your PT appointments out well in advance, you might have run into some challenges. Talk to your therapist about how you might be able to modify your plan of care through the holidays to make it all work. Maybe you're going to PT three times a week and you can only come twice a week for a week or two. Plan this sort of thing in advance with your PT and you can work together to come up with the best plan. Your exercise Exercise is so important, it made our list twice. Now that you know when you'll exercise, you might have to modify your routine to make it fit. Again, we recommend talking with your PT to see what you can do. Maybe your home exercise program can be modified so you can do everything in the kitchen during downtime when you're cooking up your holiday feast. Maybe you can reduce the number of exercises to focus on maintaining the gains you've made until things settle down. Your schedule In your planning in advance (see how important it is?) you might have found that your normal routine wasn't going to work. If your PT appointments or exercise time is usually right after work and you've now got commitments during that time, maybe you can move them to the morning before work. If you've been exercising outside, the shortened days may move you into the gym. Be flexible and consider temporarily modifying your schedule and your routine to make it work better during the holiday season. You can always go back to your previous routine after. The holidays are a special time of year. Keeping up with your health and your physical therapy can be challenging during this time. But you don't have to fall behind. With some planning and flexibility, you can stay healthy, survive the holidays and head into next year with good momentum!
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