The care you need in your home at 6-8 weeks postpartum
Why All Postpartum Women Need Pelvic Physical Therapy
In an article written by a pelvic physical therapy fellow practitioner, Stephanie Pendergast, she highlighted the facts about women who have birthed a child, based on research articles:
21% of women undergoing vaginal delivery had levator ani avulsion (the tearing away of the pelvic floor from attachments)
29% of women undergoing vaginal deliveries had pubic bone fractures
60% of postpartum women reported Stress Urinary Incontinence
64.3% of women reported sexual dysfunction in the first year following childbirth
77% of women had low back pain that interfered with daily tasks
It has been my experience as a women’s pelvic physical therapist that this is no surprise, and many other challenges can be added to that list. Most women suffer in silence, believing that this must be normal and it is the price to pay for becoming a mother. Their quality of life, relationships, and the ability to care for her baby are compromised. The ones that find their way to a pelvic physical therapist are often bewildered by the fact that no one had told them, prior to that, that help exists. They were often told to just do your Kegels to improve their symptoms. In many ways that is like telling someone who has some other muscle injury to start doing weight training with that muscle, which we know could cause further damage. Women in other countries, such as France, routinely go to a pelvic PT 6-8 weeks postpartum. It is good care and a good practice.
You are not Alone and there is Help! You do not have to suffer unnecessarily with pain, incontinence, functional limitations, and sexual dysfunction.
It takes a village: It often does not occur to many women, having their first child especially, the level of help and support, that they will need. Ideally a woman is supported by her village. This may include a supportive partner or husband, extended family, and helpful friends, her OBGYN, a postpartum doula, a massage therapist, a psychotherapist in many cases, and a pelvic physical therapist.
As pelvic physical therapists, we are trained in pelvic floor and girdle function and biomechanics. We understand musculoskeletal and fascial injuries and restrictions and how to treat them effectively and prescriptively. We are part of the team that treats urinary, bowel, and sexual function. In holding space for many women through my 38 years as a physical therapist, I have also discovered the need to support women energetically also. This is why adding Holistic Pelvic Care ™ to the treatment plan is seamlessly interwoven into the treatment protocols at Women’s Root Wisdom.
I look forward to serving you in your postpartum healing journey. Call today for a free 15 minute consultation. (415)-619-6609
Adrienne Thomason, PT.
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