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Thursday, 19 May 2011

Pre-natal Physical Therapy

Abstract

Background Information: During the pre-natal period, a woman can suffer various physiological and physical changes. Sometimes, these changes carry over to the post-natal period.Therefore, it is important for all pregnant women to understand their changing bodies pre-natally to optimize post-natal recovery and the possible complications can be treat with physical therapy that consists of a series of physical activities and exercises that are  strengthening and preparing the future mother for the moment of the birth.

Purpose: To identify how the pre- natal physical therapy can be treat the most physical discomforts experienced during pregnancy as a shortness of breath, diastasis recti, leg cramps, sacro-iliac joint dysfunction, pubic symphysis pain and/or separation, thoracic pain, urinary incontinence, and constipation, helping to improve the physical and emotional well-being of the pregnant women.

Methods: twenty pregnant women without associated pathologies of various ages participated in several sessions of pre- natal physical therapy throughout pregnancy until one week before childbirth in the office of the commune, treated by a physical therapy and a midwife, to observe the benefits of this procedure in users.

Results:  of this research, we found that almost 90% of pregnant women in the study, no complications during pregnancy, childbirth and / or postnatal period.

Conclusions: For all this, it’s very important for pregnant women to receive the pre-natal care across the physical therapy since it help to reduce the discomforts that commonly are experienced during the gestation and avoid possible complications in the childbirth and post-natal period.

Key Words: pregnancy, physical therapy, exercises, childbirth.

Monday, 2 May 2011

Pre-natal Physical Therapy


“During the pre-natal period, a woman can suffer various physiological and physical changes. Sometimes, these changes carry over to the post-natal period. Therefore, it is important for all pregnant women to understand their changing bodies pre-natally to optimize post-natal recovery.”

Most physical discomforts experienced during pregnancy can be treated with physical therapy. The physical therapist will evaluate, inform and educate the future mother in these activities that will help to strengthen and relieve her musculature of the spine, to adapt the joints that intervene in the childbirth, to stimulate the blood stream, through the prenatal gymnastics, respiratory exercises, new positions in the pregnancy and the childbirth, etc.