Prenatal Physical Therapy for Natural Pain Relief During Pregnancy
Isn’t it wild to think that the human body can whip up an entirely new human being in just about 9 months? Your pregnant friend may look like she’s just reading, drinking a smoothie, or taking a walk, yet simultaneously, her body is making new bones, a heart, eyes, a brain—everything!
All of that work can be exhausting and painful. In fact, anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of pregnant women report suffering aches and pains, especially pregnancy back pain, hip pain, and pelvic pain. Pregnancy causes rapid hormonal and physical changes, particularly shifting your center of gravity as the baby grows, which can cause pain. Fortunately, physical therapy can help! Research detailed in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy found significant evidence that skilled prenatal physical therapy and pregnancy exercise education provide effective drug-free pain relief for pregnancy back pain and other pregnancy-related aches and pains. This helps women have a more enjoyable pregnancy and recover more quickly postpartum. Our fantastic patient Ellie, age 31, found this out when she came to us for physical therapy in Flemington NJ for something else entirely.
Discovering Physical Therapy for Pregnancy: Ellie’s Story
Ellie, who loves almost all foods (“...but especially flatbread pizzas with chicken, chopped up pepperoncini, and lots of cheese… Talk about a specific pregnancy craving!”) originally came to A Life in Balance Physical Therapy in Hunterdon County NJ because of some long-standing arm, shoulder, hand, and neck pain she’d been struggling with for years.
“I was having radiating nerve pain that I could not get rid of,” says Ellie. “Being pregnant, I could no longer take painkillers, which is a band-aid solution anyway. So, I wanted to find another way to alleviate the pain.”
Dr. Paula conducted a full evaluation of Ellie, pinpointing the causes of her pain. Dr. Paula also looked ahead to how ALIB could prevent pain and injury by doing some specific prenatal physical therapy with Ellie, on top of the exercises to help her original concerns.
“I also wanted to work on exercises that would help me stay ahead of pregnancy-related hip/thigh pain,” explains Ellie. “The exercises and massages have really helped to keep the pain at a much lower level than I had during my previous pregnancy! I am so glad I called ALIB and gave them a chance!”
Physical Therapy for Pregnancy Pain Relief
Cassie Szabo, one of our amazing PTAs here at ALIB loved working with Ellie: “Ellie was consistent with her home exercise plan, responded well to corrections, and would try to learn/remember after making adjustments to take what she learned during the session and use it during her daily routine.”
And all of that consistency really paid off. Paula and Cassie showed Ellie specific movements to help with her original neck, shoulder, and arm pain first, and then moved on to specific, pregnancy-related exercises.
“Since she presented with multiple symptoms, we would address them separately, and then together as she was able to tolerate them without her symptoms getting worse,” explains Cassie. “We started with light isometric physical therapy exercises to prevent symptoms from increasing. Ellie also presented with an anterior tilt, which would be a challenge as she was going further through her pregnancy.”
Cassie adds, "With that in mind, we added posture, gait, and functional movement exercises focused on pregnancy changes as time passed, making adjustments as Ellie’s body changed. We focused on core engagement and posterior pelvic tilts, which greatly benefitted Ellie and helped relieve lower back and tailbone pain.”
Ellie reports significant improvement on all fronts: “I now know more about what movements trigger my arm/neck pain; it is important to be aware of this so that I can avoid causing flare-ups of my arm/neck. I'm also a lot more mobile at 8.5 months in this pregnancy than I was in my first pregnancy. That is a HUGE win for me!”
Drug-Free Pregnancy Pain Relief, Finally.
Ellie was relieved not only to experience pain relief from her original and pregnancy aches and pains, but also that our ALIB holistic physical therapy approach was so different and so much more effective than other things she had tried in the past.
“My motivation was to get to the bottom of this pain, once and for all. I have done it all—chiropractic, massage, steroid shots, Botox, and so on,” explains Ellie. “These worked in the short term, but nothing was a long-term solution. A Life in Balance not only alleviated my symptoms, but the team also gave me a lot of "tools" (exercises) that I could use at home as well. Since starting with ALIB a few months ago, I've significantly reduced the number of pain flares I've had. I am so glad to have this much improvement, which will carry over into my life post-pregnancy too!”
5 Pregnancy Physical Therapy Benefits
As Ellie has experienced, physical therapy during pregnancy can have some major benefits. So, if you or someone you love is pregnant and fed up with aches and pains, here are some things our pregnancy physical therapy in Hunterdon County NJ can help with:
1. Pelvic Floor Therapy
Taking good care of your pelvic floor during and after pregnancy is important for preventing and alleviating the problems that come as the baby’s head presses down on the pelvis in preparation for delivery. Tailored pelvic floor exercises can help relieve and prevent the shooting pain of sciatica and better position the pelvis for childbirth and postpartum recovery. It can also help prevent pelvic floor problems like incontinence before and after delivery.
2. Breathing Techniques
At ALIB, we teach our patients how to breathe slowly and deeply, with certain breathing techniques that generate relaxation and help with pain management during labor and delivery. These deep breathing techniques have been scientifically shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, stress, anger, and confusion while increasing comfort, relaxation, alertness, and peacefulness—all of which are important for parents of newborns!
3. Preparing for Labor and Delivery
When Ellie first came to us, we were impressed that she already had such a great mindset about exercise, which helped us help her prepare her body for the big day.
“I like to be active in ways that don't feel like exercise—walks with friends by the river, bike riding with my family, choosing stairs instead of elevators, etc.,” explains Ellie. “While it is important to have dedicated time for "official" exercise, I think it is just as important to make healthy choices in your day-to-day routine as well.”
As Ellie incorporated our targeted exercises into her home exercise program, they helped reduce her pain while also preparing for labor and delivery by increasing her flexibility, endurance, and strength.
As Cassie explains, “Ellie's core and hip strength has greatly improved, which has significantly reduced the level and frequency of her hip pain.”
4. Postpartum Recovery
Continuing PT into your postpartum recovery can also help your body recover and get “back to normal” more quickly. Targeted exercises can restore muscle tone to the core abdominal muscles, help tone the pelvic floor, and get your body to adjust to its post-pregnancy more quickly.
5. Drug-Free Pain Relief
Of course, Ellie mentioned this right up front: she needed drug-free pain relief because painkillers are contraindicated during pregnancy. Physical therapy can reduce the need for painkillers naturally by strengthening and bolstering the body's core and alignment, which can prevent injuries and pain naturally. Of course, massage therapy helps too, as Ellie explains:
“After a few weeks of PT, I also started incorporating massages with Jim into my routine,” says Ellie. “I love that the massages target the muscles we are working on at PT. These are very effective massages and I always leave feeling 100x better!”
The Monthly Functional Movement Challenge: Anti-Rotation with the Pallof Press Exercise
Ellie is on board with our Anti-Rotation functional movement challenge this month, and it’s a great exercise for literally everybody.
“I am currently 8.5 months pregnant. So, during this pregnancy, I have tried to work on my overall strength and maintain some physical activity routine,” explains Ellie. “This month's functional movement challenge is important in keeping my abdominal and oblique muscles strong, especially considering I have not been exercising them as my belly grows larger. The movement is an effective way for me to engage my core in a way that is still approachable in late pregnancy.”
By focusing on anti-rotation, you can also help correct movement patterns that may have shifted over time due to injuries or specific training methods. Here’s what the Pallof Press exercise looks like: Using a band, push out away from you to strengthen your core and hopefully improve your stability. It’s a straightforward challenge, but don’t underestimate its power—your core will thank you!
“Anti-rotation exercises help strengthen and stabilize your core and extremities, which can be beneficial in many different ways,” says Cassie. “This is very helpful for balance and coordination to avoid falls, improve athletic performance, or even make other tasks like carrying groceries easier.”
If you have any questions about the Pallof Press exercise, contact us! And make sure to share how it’s going with us on Facebook or Instagram!
Prenatal Physical Therapy in Flemington NJ
If you are struggling with any kind of pregnancy aches and pains, or just want to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the birth process, we can help, as Ellie can confirm:
“Come to ALIB! They really care about getting to the bottom of your pain and working with you to find exercises that are approachable and effective. Their 1:1 approach for every single appointment is the best. I've been to 4 other PT locations before ALIB and always felt like I was just a number. At ALIB, you have dedicated attention during your entire appointment. They also make your time there enjoyable too! Win-win!”
