Changing the Standard for Perinatal Care
In Europe, every woman goes to Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy at 6 weeks postpartum. Women complete a minimum of 6 weeks of therapy focused on regaining strength, control and function of the muscles that are impacted during pregnancy. The goal of this is to prevent issues from occurring down the road that require more significant intervention, like surgery.
In the United States, this is not the standard of care. More OBGYN’s are beginning to educate their patients in the option of pelvic floor PT during or after pregnancy, but it is by no means the standard.
As a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, I evaluate new patients every week who are in the perinatal years (oftentimes months or years postpartum) who say “Why did I not know about you sooner? I’ve been suffering with these symptoms for years.” This continues to disappoint me that it is taking this long for women to find help for embarrassing pelvic floor problems such as urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, etc.
There is so much that can be addressed in Pelvic Floor PT both during pregnancy and postpartum that women have historically ‘just dealt with’. Pregnancy is no joke and places a huge demand on our body. From simply carrying a baby, our core system including the diaphragm, pelvic floor and abdominals are majorly impacted. Due to the posture changes that happen with weight gain of a growing baby, our entire musculoskeletal system is also impacted from head to toe. Delivery, whether vaginal or c-section, further places strain on our deep core muscles. It only makes sense that we would need to rehab these muscles that are so significantly impacted.
In the state of Nebraska, a physical therapy referral is NOT requiring to be evaluated or treated in physical therapy. What this means, is you can pick up the phone right now and call to schedule an evaluation if you are in the perinatal years. You don’t have to necessarily be having symptoms to benefit from Pelvic Floor Therapy. There is so much that can be done preventatively during pregnancy and postpartum to minimize issues in the future.
If you are interested in being evaluated by a Specialist in Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy, click here to schedule a complimentary discovery consultation to see if we are a good fit for you!
