Pregnancy and postpartum recovery bring significant physical changes to the body. As your body adapts to a growing baby, changes in posture, hormones, muscle strength, joint mobility, and pelvic floor function can contribute to discomfort and changes in how you move.
Physiotherapy can help you manage common pregnancy-related aches and pains, prepare your body for birth, and safely rebuild strength and function after delivery. Whether you’re experiencing pelvic or back pain during pregnancy, recovering from a vaginal or C-section delivery, or looking to safely return to exercise, our physiotherapists can create a treatment plan tailored to your stage of pregnancy and individual goals.
Pregnancy & Postpartum Physiotherapy
At Allied Physiotherapy Health Group, we have a team of physiotherapists who are highly trained to provide personalized care throughout pregnancy and after childbirth. Treatment may focus on reducing pain, improving mobility, maintaining strength, supporting pelvic floor function, and helping you safely return to the activities you enjoy.
Our Pregnancy & Postpartum Physiotherapists can help you understand how your body is changing and provide practical strategies for movement, exercise, lifting, feeding, carrying, and caring for your baby.
Common Pregnancy & Postpartum Concerns
Pregnancy and childbirth can affect many areas of the body. Physiotherapy may help with:
- Low back pain
- Pelvic pain
- Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain
- Hip pain
- Tailbone pain
- Pubic symphysis pain
- Pelvic floor dysfunction
- Urinary leakage or urgency
- Diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation)
- Abdominal weakness
- Pain following C-section
- Scar tissue and mobility restrictions following C-section
- Pain or discomfort following vaginal delivery
- Pain with intercourse after childbirth
- Difficulty returning to exercise
- Reduced core strength and stability
- Postural changes
- Neck and shoulder pain related to feeding and carrying your baby
Symptoms You Don’t Have to “Just Live With”
Many physical changes during pregnancy and after childbirth are common—but that doesn’t mean you have to accept ongoing pain, weakness, or discomfort as your new normal.
Consider seeing a physiotherapist if you experience:
- Persistent back, pelvic, hip, or tailbone pain
- Pain with walking, standing, sitting, rolling in bed, or getting in and out of a car
- Pelvic heaviness, pressure, or a feeling of instability
- Urinary or bowel leakage
- Difficulty controlling your bladder or bowel movements
- Pain during intercourse
- Abdominal separation or difficulty activating your core
- Pain or sensitivity around a C-section scar
- Difficulty lifting or carrying your baby
- Pain while feeding or holding your baby
- Difficulty returning to exercise or sport
- Ongoing weakness following pregnancy or childbirth
- Pain that is interfering with sleep or daily activities
How Physiotherapy Helps During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Our Pregnancy & Postpartum Physiotherapists use evidence-based treatment strategies to help you feel stronger, more comfortable, and confident in your changing body.
- Comprehensive Assessment: We assess your posture, mobility, strength, movement patterns, and areas of pain or dysfunction to develop a treatment plan appropriate for your stage of pregnancy or postpartum recovery.
- Pain Management: Hands-on treatment, education, exercise, and other appropriate physiotherapy techniques can help reduce pain and improve comfort during daily activities.
- Manual Therapy: Gentle hands-on techniques can help improve mobility, reduce muscle tension, and address areas of stiffness or discomfort.
- Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation: Assessment and individualized exercises can help improve pelvic floor strength, coordination, relaxation, and function. Allied Physiotherapy offers specialized pelvic floor physiotherapy for concerns including urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, prolapse, and postpartum recovery.
- Core & Abdominal Rehabilitation: We can help you safely retrain your abdominal and core muscles following pregnancy and address issues such as diastasis recti.
- Strengthening: Individualized exercises help maintain strength during pregnancy and progressively rebuild strength after delivery.
- Pregnancy-Specific Exercise: Receive guidance on safe and appropriate exercises that can be modified as your pregnancy progresses.
- Posture & Body Mechanics: Learn strategies for managing common activities such as getting in and out of bed, lifting, feeding, carrying, and caring for your baby.
- C-Section Recovery: Physiotherapy can help restore abdominal and core function, improve scar mobility when appropriate, and gradually return you to normal activities following a C-section.
- Return to Exercise: We can develop a progressive plan to help you safely return to walking, running, strength training, fitness classes, sport, and other activities after childbirth.
- Home Exercise Program: Receive a personalized program that fits your stage of pregnancy or postpartum recovery and can be progressed as your strength and function improve.
- Clinical Pilates: Individualized Clinical Pilates exercises can help improve core strength, pelvic stability, posture, mobility, and overall body awareness during pregnancy and postpartum. Exercises can be modified to accommodate the changing needs of pregnancy and progressively advanced during postpartum recovery.
Preparing for Birth
Physiotherapy isn’t only for managing problems after they occur. Seeing a physiotherapist during pregnancy can also help you prepare your body for childbirth.
Your physiotherapist can provide guidance on:
- Pelvic floor relaxation and coordination
- Correct postural positions for ergonomics, sleeping and low back/pelvis discomfort
- Breathing and pressure management
- Comfortable positions for pregnancy and labor
- Maintaining strength and mobility during pregnancy
- Preparing for postpartum recovery
- Safe exercise throughout pregnancy
- Strategies for managing common pregnancy-related pain
- Returning to exercise postpartum
Postpartum Recovery: When Can I Start Physiotherapy?
You don’t necessarily need to wait until you are experiencing a problem before seeing a physiotherapist. A postpartum physiotherapy assessment can help you understand how your body is recovering and identify areas that may benefit from rehabilitation.
Your physiotherapist will consider your delivery, symptoms, activity level, goals, and overall recovery when determining what is appropriate for you. Treatment and exercise will progress gradually based on your individual needs.
Preventing Pregnancy & Postpartum Pain: Self-Help Tips
While every pregnancy and recovery is different, these strategies may help you stay comfortable and active:
- Stay Active: Continue appropriate physical activity throughout pregnancy as recommended by your Allied Physiotherapy Health providers.
- Strengthen Your Body: Maintain strength in your legs, hips, back, and core with pregnancy-appropriate exercises.
- Change Positions Frequently: Avoid staying in one position for prolonged periods.
- Practice Good Body Mechanics: Use appropriate techniques when lifting, bending, and carrying.
- Modify Activities: Adjust exercises and daily activities as your pregnancy progresses and your body changes.
- Prioritize Recovery: Give your body adequate time to recover following childbirth.
- Progress Gradually: Slowly increase exercise intensity and activity following delivery rather than trying to return to your previous level immediately.
- Listen to Your Body: Pain, pressure, heaviness, or leakage are signs that your activity may need to be modified.
- Get Support: Don’t hesitate to seek professional guidance if pain or other symptoms persist.
Why Choose Allied Physiotherapy for Pregnancy & Postpartum Physiotherapy?
At Allied Physiotherapy Health Group, our physiotherapists understand that every pregnancy and postpartum recovery is different. We take the time to understand your symptoms, your experience with pregnancy and childbirth, and what you want to get back to doing.
Our multidisciplinary clinics offer physiotherapy, pelvic floor physiotherapy, kinesiology, massage therapy, TCM acupuncture, and other services, allowing us to provide comprehensive care based on your individual needs.
Whether you’re looking for relief from pregnancy-related pain, preparing childbirth, recovering from a C-section or vaginal delivery, or working toward a return to exercise, Allied Physiotherapists are here to support you through every stage of your journey.
Book Your Allied Physiotherapy Appointment Today
Don’t let pain, weakness, or changes in your body keep you from enjoying pregnancy, caring for your baby, or getting back to the activities you love.
Book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists today and take the next step toward feeling stronger, more comfortable, and confident in your body.
