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Fitness professionals working together with
medical professionals and women’s health
physiotherapists can build a support team
around a recovering post-natal mum
in the early weeks following injury and can extend over 12 months
or more.
When training post-natal clients, it is advisable to consider their
recovery in terms of stages.
0 – 6 weeks
Post-natal women are also affected by
changing hormones, as the body adjusts
from pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding
hormones which can affect the body’s
recovery. Altered and interrupted sleep
patterns are also common for post-natal
women, and these can affect healing and
recovery time.
Energy levels also need to be considered
in the recovery process.
Forming a team of support
Fitness professionals working together with
medical professionals and women’s health
physiotherapists can build a support team
around a recovering post-natal mum. Child
and Community Health nurses also can form
part of this team, as can mother’s groups and
networks providing support groups, such
as Breastfeeding Australia, to assist in the
overall health and wellbeing of the mother.
REPRESENTATION OF REGAINED SOFT TISSUE STRENGTH
Uninjured tissue
Injured tissue
• Postural changes from pregnancy that
may have caused hip flexor, back muscle
or joint tightness.
Early post-natal recovery exercises
Some clients will have access to a physiotherapist early post-birth,
others will not. To prepare your client for this stage, you can pre-
program during the third trimester of their pregnancy.
Home programs can include:
• Pelvic floor exercises
- gently initially, and building up endurance and hold time
steadily
• ensure relaxation between voluntary contractions
• Post-natal abdominal wall bracing
- this can be done in sitting, standing and side-lying and, when
comfortable after 3-4 weeks, in the hands and knees position,
although some clients may prefer to wait until they have seen
you before introducing this latter option.
• Pelvic tilts and back mobility exercises
• Thoracic mobility exercises
• Neck and shoulder stretches
• Walking.
Recovery timeline
Timeline guides can be given to women
based on the physiological and hormonal
changes known to have taken place during
pregnancy and from the birth process.
Healing time for collagen and connective
tissue will depend on the extent of any tissue
damage incurred during the birth process.
Collagen repair needs appropriate levels of
force applied to assist healing which starts
Hermostasis/
Inflammation Proliferation/
Fibroplasia
DAYS WEEKS
Remodelling/
Maturation
MONTHS
YEARS
TIME
Image source: electrotherapy.org/modality/soft-tissue-repair-and-healing-review
NETWORK AUTUMN 2019 | 39