Postpartum: Returning to Our Life as Before

Returning to high-impact exercise may seem easy, but the truth is that our body is not the same as it used to be. It's important to understand our needs in order to adapt our movements, get stronger, and avoid injury.

Many hormonal changes occur to help our body adapt to the baby growing in our pelvis. One of the main hormones responsible for this is relaxin.

This hormone is especially important during pregnancy because it relaxes the ligaments and joints of the pelvis and reduces the stiffness of connective tissue.

For this reason, it can sometimes cause:

• Increased joint instability
• Lower back and pelvic pain
• A higher risk of injury if muscular control is poor

Is High-Impact Training Bad for the Pelvic Floor After Giving Birth?

No. We all need to handle high-pressure situations in our lives, especially after giving birth, when we spend most of our time carrying our newborn in our arms.

However, we also know that the body changes constantly during pregnancy, and the pelvic floor is subjected to pressure it has never experienced before. That's why a proper pelvic floor assessment is necessary before returning to normal life and before resuming the sport we used to practice.

Common Discomfort Symptoms When Returning to Sport

• Urinary incontinence (leakage when coughing or exercising)
• Difficulty controlling gas
• Abdominal pressure — the core is not functioning properly
• A feeling of heaviness in the pelvic floor — poor pelvic floor muscle strength
• Perineal pain — in cases of episiotomy or tearing
• Sensation of a vaginal bulge — possible prolapse
• Pain during sexual intercourse — dyspareunia

These symptoms are common in early postpartum, but they should not persist long-term. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can significantly help, and we would be delighted to help at The Verbier Touch. We are so fortunate to have Ane — a specialist Women's Health Physiotherapist on our team.

Written by Ane