Symptoms
- Lower back and pelvic girdle pain
- Sciatica during pregnancy
- Swelling in legs and feet
- Diastasis recti (abdominal separation)
- Incontinence
- Round ligament pain
Common causes
- Hormonal changes (relaxin softening ligaments)
- Postural changes from growing belly
- Weight gain and shifted centre of gravity
- Increased joint laxity
- Pressure on pelvic floor
How physiotherapy helps
Safe exercise prescription for each trimester, manual therapy for pain relief, pelvic floor education and strengthening, preparation for labour (breathing and positioning), and management of pregnancy-related conditions.
Exercises your physiotherapist may give you
- Pelvic floor exercises (Kegels)
- Prenatal yoga and stretching
- Walking programmes
- Modified squats and lunges
- Cat-cow stretches for back pain
- Side-lying hip abduction
Please note: start these exercises only after an assessment, and stop if pain increases. Your physiotherapist will choose the right exercises, number of repetitions and progression for you.
Guide written by the physiotherapists of CAPT – Centre for Advanced Physiotherapy, MVM Educational Trust. For more reading, search MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine).