The Role of Physiotherapy in Antenatal Care – PSRI

Pregnancy is the most beautiful phase in the life of a woman. A pregnant woman experiences hormonal changes, an increase in the size of the abdomen, and an increase in body weight. A multitude of changes occur during pregnancy, and it is important to remain healthy and fit during the time to avoid complications. Antenatal care is a vital pillar of safe motherhood.  If a woman is given optimal care, she can endure all the months of pregnancy with ease. Exercise programmes confer an array of benefits and can relieve discomforts associated with pregnancy. However, often it is observed that there is limited awareness about antenatal exercises especially in developing countries like India. Women believe that it is more important to rest than to perform some exercise.

A study conducted with 375 pregnant women in different hospitals revealed that more than 50% of the women in the survey were referred by their gynaecologists for physiotherapy. Along with this, approximately 15% of them had no knowledge about physiotherapy. This figure depicts that women are not aware of the effectiveness of physiotherapy intervention and the prevalence of physical exercise is low. It is crucial to spread consciousness regarding the benefits of physiotherapy and change the perception regarding physical therapy.

• Physiotherapy can help with numerous musculoskeletal changes observed in women during childbearing months.
• The therapies are designed to treat issues such as low and mild back pain, piriformis muscle spasm, rectus diastasis, carpal tunnel symptoms, various bladder problems, and joint pain.
• If a woman adopts antenatal physiotherapy, she can enhance normal labour as well, which will prevent her from the complications of cesarean
• It will be easier for the mother to recover in the postnatal period due to the physiotherapy interventions and return back to normal. Moreover, exercise sessions prevent postpartum problems as well.
• It can also prevent urinary incontinence that a majority of the women experience during pregnancy.
• Physiotherapy also helps a woman to feel energetic and happy with a baby in the womb as it increases happiness hormones.

As is evident, exercise is essential at the time of pregnancy to avoid unnecessary problems and complications. However, a mother must not take up an exercise schedule by herself. A physiotherapist who is trained in maternal health must be consulted for exercises as she/he can prescribe the best physical exercises to a mom-to-be. At PSRI, we have excellent physiotherapy services for pregnant women. The department is headed by Dr. Lakshay Bhaktiani who has over 12 years of experience. Visit PSRI today.