Antenatal Physiotherapy

Benefits of Antenatal Physiotherapy
A skilled pregnancy physiotherapist can help you handle common pregnancy pains such as pelvic pain and back pain.

The combined effects of relaxin and your increasing baby bump put quite a bit of strain on your pelvis and lower back. You may find your sacroiliac joint (SIJ) feels unstable, causing pain in your pelvis, back and hips. Or you might develop symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), causing pain in your lower back, pelvis and perineum and making movement painful. Pregnancy-related back pain is very common because your posture has changed, your belly has grown and you’re probably sleeping in a different position too.

Our physios can help treat these pregnancy pains. We can examine you and determine the cause of your pain then help you relieve it with techniques appropriate to your stage of pregnancy.

We might use: 

Manual therapy
Exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor, back and hips
Relaxation techniques to help you through pregnancy, birth and early motherhood
Pain relief such as TENS
Supportive aids such as a pelvic support belt.

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. So, we encourage all mums-to-be to use antenatal physiotherapy. We can help you exercise safely during pregnancy so that you maintain good health and fitness and feel at home in your changing body. That can help you handle the changes of pregnancy and improve your mood and confidence.

You might find that your physiotherapy sessions are the highlight of your week, as you take time to focus on your amazing body aided by a skilled and caring practitioner.

Is Physiotherapy Safe in Pregnancy? 
Yes, when it’s performed by a qualified physiotherapist who knows how to tailor exercises to pregnant women. There are some movements that you can no longer do safely as your pregnancy progresses so we avoid those and focus on techniques that will help you have a comfortable pregnancy, a strong pelvic floor and prepare you for giving birth.