Physical Therapy in Maternal Care: Prenatal and Postnatal Approaches for Health and Recovery

Abstract

Physical therapy also serves as an important element of maternal care, addressing prenatal and postnatal physical, physiological, and emotional changes. During pregnancy, you will have changes such as hormone changes, postural adjustments, and increased physical demands, often leading to discomforts like back pain, pelvic instability, and reduced mobility. Like the postpartum phase, the postpartum phase is characterized by diminished pelvic floor muscles, diastasis recti, as well as psychological problems of postpartum depression. Prenatal physical therapy involves tailored interventions to prepare the body for childbirth, i.e. pelvic floor strengthening, core stability exercises, and postural alignment. On the other hand, postnatal therapy is aimed at restoring physical function, stabilizing the core, and correcting the residual discomforts. But these approaches not only promote quicker physical healing but also help the betterment of mental health and quality of life. Although it has been proven to have benefits, there a barriers to accessing physical therapy, and those barriers are financial and sociocultural. Technological improvements such as wearables, telehealth, and virtual reality hold promise to solve the problem of access and effectiveness. Fostering holistic support for women in this transformational journey requires these innovations to be integrated into maternally minded practices of maternal care.