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Education:
First and foremost, comes education. It is recommended the candidate attend one of
the many Pre-natal Fitness classes being offered locally (such as the classes offered by
Responsive Physical Therapy). These classes offer valuable information and guidance for
achieving a healthy pregnancy. A typical outline follows:
Relaxation: How to decrease anxiety, stress and improve body awareness.
Pelvic Floor Toning: Anatomy, Importance and Exercises.
Body Mechanics: Center of gravity changes in pregnant vs. non-pregnant
state. Proper lifting and bending techniques.
Stretching and Toning: Rationale including relief of back pain,
preparation for delivery, improvement of psychological state, posture and postpartum
recovery.
Weight Gain & Nutrition: How to monitor proper weight gain, and
control your diet.Relief of Back Pain:
More than half of all pregnant patients have back problems.
Some obstetricians put that figure at 70 to 80 percent. Pregnancy affects the back in
three ways.
One, the softening of cartilage during pregnancy makes the spine less stable.
Two, added weight puts pressure on a frame that is not use to carrying an additional 20,
30, 40-plus pounds.
Three, and most important, the patient's posture changes during pregnancy.
As the pregnancy progresses, a woman's center of gravity shifts upward and forward. She
begins to lean backward slightly to maintain her balance. In fact, if she didn't make this
adjustment, she would fall over. This adjustment also causes a dramatic curvature of the
spine which is the major cause of low back pain during pregnancy. The best advice to
young women contemplating childbearing is to begin back and abdominal strengthening
exercises.
Pelvic Floor Toning:
Strengthening of this area through exercise prepares the
mother for labor and delivery by increasing strength, stamina, endurance, and tolerance
for the physical and mental stress. It also diminishes the possibility of incontinence
which is a common problem during pregnancy and with postpartum recovery.
Safe Exercise:
The final step is to arrange for a safe exercise program.
Before doing so, a candidate must be cleared by her physician for the program selected.
The program should then be developed under the guidance of a licensed Physical Therapist
trained in Women's Health. It should be noted that any program so developed is completely
safe for any uncomplicated pregnancy. The goal of the program should be to improve overall
strength, endurance and control of the muscles attached to the spine and pelvis.
Participation in a properly supervised exercise program can avoid or considerably lessen a
whole array of pains and problems associated with pregnancy. |
