Re-educating post-pregnancy muscles
After giving birth, re-educating certain muscles is essential to avoiding both major and minor health problems.
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What is the way for a woman to get her post-pregnancy muscles back into shape? Re-education treatment varies greatly from one woman to another and doctors, midwives and physiotherapists don’t provide the same medical care. Here’s a quick overview...
Common muscle-related post-pregnancy health issues
After giving birth, it can be difficult to get back into shape and in some cases, a lack of muscle tone or painful muscles can cause health worries. Some of the more common post-pregnancy health problems include:
- Perineal pain: Pain in the perineum area is often frequent after pregnancy. In fact, 20% of women continue to suffer two months after giving birth and a further 10% a full year on.
- Incontinence: Urinary incontinence after giving birth is also quite frequent: 15 to 40% of cases. But only a third of women recover without medical treatment within the following year.
- Backache: Many pregnant women have backache at the base of their spine during pregnancy. It is quite common for these aches and pains to increase after giving birth and to last a few months. Pain in the groin area (pubalgia) is also frequent and a third of women suffer from groin area pain for some months after giving birth.
- Abdominal pain: Abdominal muscles often find it difficult to return to their normal state after childbirth. About half of all women experience discomfort or even pain when they move. These muscles can also be sore, particularly after a caesarean.
Be reassured, re-education treatment exists for all these issues. But it does need to be done properly... and monitored correctly! Treatment is based on a full check-up and re-education of three main areas: perineum, pelvis and back, and the abdominal belt.
A vital post-pregnancy check-up
To get suitable treatment for your on-going aches and pains, your doctor will offer you a full check-up. This will enable your doctor to precisely evaluate persistent pain. They’ll also be able to assess your incontinence problems and test the strength of your pelvic floor muscles. Any pain in the pelvic area will be assessed, as well as the spine and muscles.
Know that postpartum re-education is not at all obligatory and some women don’t need it. If you do need it, 10 to 20 sessions are generally enough to get you back on form.
Tone up your post-pregnancy perineum
Perineal re-education generally begins after the post-natal consultation (6 to 8 weeks after childbirth). The aim is to make any pain disappear and tone up the pelvic floor to remedy problems of incontinence. Methods used depend on each woman’s individual needs. Your doctor will be able to advise you of suitable exercises, electro-stimulation sessions, etc.
Getting your back into shape
Physiotherapists can treat back and pelvic pain and offer a variety of exercises, but will have to take into account the potential repercussions for the pelvic floor area and abdominal belt. Your doctor will need to be aware of all your different health issues, so as to propose a re-education programme that won’t make things worse.
Rebuild your abdominal muscles...
The abdominal belt requires special attention after childbirth. The muscles in this area may have been damaged or overstretched and it’s vital to help them get back to their original shape. In the event of caesarean under general anaesthetic, electro-stimulation can help to reduce scar-related pain.
However, electrotherapy appears to be of little effect for treating abdominal belt distension following natural childbirth. In any case, your doctor will prescribe you exercises that best suit your situation.
Don’t worry: your minor post-pregnancy problems can be treated with the right re-education programme. But don’t forget that its success relies upon you: it’s important to follow your doctor’s recommendations and actually do the exercises!
Don’t forget to ask advice about your new physical role as a mother (breastfeeding, carrying baby, etc.), to ensure you keep on top form after your postpartum re-education programme!
Copyright © 2009 Doctissimo
Posted 30.08.2011
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