How Can Physical Therapy Help Pregnant Women

Many people think physical therapy is something that is only pursued after an injury or undergoing surgery, but this is actually not the case at all. In fact, physical therapy has a wide variety of different uses and benefits. One of the most common groups that can benefit from physical therapy is, quite surprisingly, pregnant women. The use of physical therapy can help to treat some of the pains and discomforts commonly associated with pregnancy such as back and leg pain. Plus, by using physical therapy, a woman can increase your chances of having an easy, less painful birth.

As mentioned briefly above, the most common reason that women seek physical therapy during pregnancy is because of back pain. In fact, it is estimated that around 70 percent of all pregnant women will undergo some kind of back pain, often caused by increased hormones, changes to the body's center of gravity, weight gain, changed posture, and/or stress.

Whether a pregnant woman is dealing with back pain or some other kind of pain issue, there is help in physical therapy. Generally physical therapists will work in improving posture, aligning the joints, strengthening the muscles, increasing flexibility, and increasing nerve involvement to lessen or rid the body of pain. These treatments are non-invasive, take up only a small amount of time, and can make a world of difference in the comfort, both during the pregnancy and during the delivery, of the expectant mother.

In addition to visiting a physical therapist regularly during the pregnancy, expectant mothers are also advised by the American Pregnancy Association to do home exercises, as directed by their physical therapists on a daily basis. Doing so is said to increase strength and flexibility and to make it even more likely to have an easier birth. In general, the more the woman devotes herself to the process, the better her results are likely to be.