K.W was a 37 year old female, 32 weeks pregnant with her 3rd child. She didn’t have any pressing issues of pain, but being a medical provider herself, she wanted to have PT with the goal to prepare her body as much as possible for labor and a natural delivery.
Initial Examination
With her physical therapy evaluation, there was postural tightness in common areas for this stage of pregnancy. This included a deep arch in the lower back, a forward head and rounded shoulders. A gentle hands on assessment was also done to see how her baby was positioned in utero.
Treatment
Understanding that the postural demands would only grow until the baby was delivered, she had PT 1x/wk for 6 visits (until her due date). The focus was on postural re-alignment work (with stretches and gentle strengthening) to get her and her baby’s bodies in the best possible alignment. Deep core strengthening to preparing her for the pushing phase of labor and delivery. We also worked on relaxation, flexibility and perineal work to prepare her pelvis for labor and delivery.
Outcome
After 6 visits she reported feeling stronger and more comfortable in her body as she approached her due date. She had a natural delivery at home without any complications. She returned to PT for a 3 week postpartum assessment after being cleared by her midwife and was able to get her started on some gentle exercises to continue to speed up her postpartum recovery.
