Physical Therapy Blog

When preparing for childbirth, understanding the role of the pelvic floor muscles can help alleviate some concerns and better equip you for labor and recovery. The pelvic floor serves as a foundation for the body’s core, supporting organs, including the uterus, bladder, and bowel, while also playing an essential role in childbirth. During labor and vaginal delivery, the pelvic floor muscles undergo a series of complex changes and movements that facilitate the baby’s passage through the birth canal. In this article, we will explore how these muscles move and adapt during each stage of labor, potential muscle damage that can occur, and how pelvic floor physical therapy can assist in preparation for childbirth and recovery postpartum.

Gestational diabetes is a condition that can affect women during pregnancy, characterized by high blood sugar levels that are first diagnosed during pregnancy. Unlike other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes is not caused by a lack of insulin, but rather by hormonal changes during pregnancy that can make insulin less effective—a condition known as insulin resistance. Understanding this condition, its causes, risk factors, and how to manage it effectively, particularly through exercise, is vital for the health of both mother and baby. Our women’s health team at EW Motion Therapy can create customized exercise programs that are safe during pregnancy and can help keep you active. You may decide that our services don’t fit your needs, but you can still read on to learn about gestational diabetes, how exercise can help reduce your risk of developing the condition, and how physical therapy can be a valuable intervention to keep your exercises safe and effective.

Pregnancy, while very exciting, can also be physically demanding. Many pregnant women experience painful conditions during pregnancy, including back pain, sciatica, and pelvic pain, to name a few. Physical therapy can help alleviate these symptoms and improve overall health and well-being during pregnancy. However, you may not realize that physical therapy can be tailored to your pregnancy. So how do you start?

Pregnancy comes with a lot of physical and emotional changes in your body. Your belly grows, your appetite changes, and you may have increased pain in some areas. One common area that can become painful during pregnancy is your back, preventing you from sleeping well and doing the activities you would normally do. So why is back pain so common? And what can you do to help?

Trying to get pregnant and going through pregnancy is harder for some women than others. But for any woman, once you get that positive test result, you are met with a deluge of questions, doubts, and excitement. How should you best care for yourself and your baby throughout the different stages of pregnancy? And who should you go to for professional advice?

It is easy to get stressed before giving birth to a child, especially your first. You are about to put your body through one of the most physically intense things it can go through, and after that, you are fully responsible for a new baby, who requires your constant attention. At the same time, your own body requires a certain amount of care and attention. How do you prepare yourself for childbirth and optimize your body's physical outcomes?

Remember the adage that men are from Mars and women are from Venus? While that may be untrue in some scenarios, most would agree that women have the men beat when it comes to specialized healthcare. The female body can have many complications, the greatest of these being growing a human life. Any woman needs to find the right medical professionals to help her navigate her changing body. But with so many titles and specializations, who should you see, and when?

When you have a baby, there are many things going through your mind. You are now responsible for every single need of your tiny, helpless child, as well as the other responsibilities you had before you gave birth. Along the way, it can be so easy to forget to take care of yourself, especially dedicating time to postpartum rehab. But why should you try to work postpartum rehab into your busy schedule? Is it even worth it?

If you have just had a new baby, you probably have a million thoughts running through your mind. You have just put your body through one of the most intense experiences a woman can ever have, and come out of it with a new baby who needs around the clock attention. With this much responsibility on your shoulders, it can be hard to focus on recovery that your own body needs and is undergoing, whether you delivered vaginally or had a C-section. One condition that can present postpartum is diastasis recti, but how do you know you even have the condition? And what are your treatment options?

There are many things you can do during pregnancy to help yourself and your baby stay happy and healthy. Eating nutritious foods, getting a healthy amount of sleep, and avoiding large amounts of caffeine and alcohol can all help your body support the baby and give them the nutrients they need. Many women wish to improve or maintain their personal fitness during pregnancy, but there has been some debate about whether it is safe for the baby. So what exercise can you do?