By 
As a women’s health and pelvic physio, I specialize in supporting pregnant and postnatal women with any discomfort, pain, or muscle issues that may arise during pregnancy or after birth. I also treat women experiencing pelvic floor issues. Since establishing the women’s health physio team at SIX Physio in 2010, I have been leading the team in Chelsea, where we now have a dedicated group of six women’s health physiotherapists across our clinics.
Maintaining fitness and activity is crucial, as women with a strong fitness base generally cope better with the physical demands of pregnancy. However, rest is equally important to balance these demands. Pregnancy often brings unexpected exhaustion and physical symptoms like nausea, headaches, and fatigue, which can make exercising challenging, especially in the early stages. For those who aren’t very fit at the beginning of pregnancy, this can make it hard to regain fitness later, though it’s never too late to start.
While it’s common to experience aches and pains after pregnancy, they should not be considered normal. Conditions like back, rib, or pelvic pain occur due to the body’s changes over the nine months, but they are treatable, and pain should not increase leading up to or following birth.
For women experiencing pain or pelvic floor issues, immediate postnatal support is available. We also provide comprehensive postnatal body assessments from six weeks postpartum, checking the back, spine, pelvis, and abdominal muscles for separation, and assessing pelvic floor function.
Where consent is given, a vaginal examination can help gauge recovery progress, enabling us to offer specific guidance for a safe return to desired activities, whether that involves gentle movements or resuming running.
This service is accessible to all women, both privately and through NHS women’s health physiotherapists. Postnatal checks are a sensible choice for ensuring proper recovery guidance, without risking further issues.
Pregnancy impacts the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles significantly, affecting spinal, pelvic, and hip stability, as well as upper and lower limb function. Before engaging in rigorous physical activity, it’s essential to verify that core muscles are functioning correctly. We examine abdominal muscles for any diastasis, the ability to activate the core, and check for pelvic floor symptoms like bladder or bowel issues, leakage, or prolapse. We assess pelvic floor strength and endurance, with additional examination as needed.
For more information, visit SIX Physio.
