Dr Shadman Pandit P.T
MPT (Neuro), MPT (Cardio)
Consultant Physiotherapist
The multiple roles that women play tend to give low priority to their time. Women always place the need of others before themselves, and priority to their health, exercise or any form of relaxation is never given preference.
Today this article is for the women’s to take care of their fitness. The good news is that the scope of practice has now increased to include all women’s health concerns: incontinence, pelvic/vaginal pain, prenatal and postpartum musculoskeletal pain, osteoporosis, rehabilitation following breast surgery, lymphedema, education prevention, wellness and exercise. All females across the life span, from the young athlete, the childbearing woman, the menopausal and older woman, receive benefit from physiotherapy. Their improper lifestyle causes overuse of muscles and joints, which leads to muscle fatigue, back pain, neck pain, soft tissue injuries in their day to day life due to their excessive workload and in the later stage of life they are more prone to diabetes, thyroid, hypertension, arthritis etc.
In our society, there is a lack of awareness regarding women’s fitness during pregnancy which is an important phase of life.
PREGNANCY IS A WONDERFUL TIME OF LIFE AND TAKING CARE OF YOUR HEALTH ISN’T ONLY ABOUT NUTRITION BUT FITNESS AS WELL.
Pregnancy is one of the most important periods in the life of women, family and society. Due to the lack of awareness in our society, a woman during pregnancy and after pregnancy suffers weight gain and other multiple problems. The physical changes to a women’s body as related to pregnancy are numerous. There are the centre of mass changes, pressure on the organs, and increased weight gain.
It’s a well-known fact that exercises are good for the mind and body, making it beneficial for expectant and new mothers.
Aerobic and strengthening exercises help in adjusting to the increasing weight and posture changes to cope effectively with the labour and the postnatal period. Although exercises in pregnancy are extremely beneficial, they can cause more harm than good if not done correctly.
Is Physiotherapy Safe during Pregnancy?
Firstly, you should know that physiotherapy is a medical treatment that involves solutions like massage, heat therapy, exercise, and electrotherapy. It does not include any kinds of medicines/drugs and surgery. This makes it a perfect approach to treat ailments during pregnancy since taking drugs or undergoing surgery at this time can be dangerous to the health of your unborn child. Physiotherapy Can Help Alleviate Pain. One of the most effective and safe ways to deal with the common structural pains felt during pregnancy is undergoing physiotherapy treatments. These may include:
- Educating you on what is wrong and why
- Advice on your posture/ ergonomic education
- Assessment and exercises to help strengthen and coordinate your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles
- Using certain belts or compression pants
- Treatment such as massage or ultrasonic therapy
- Advice on using heat and ice
- Activities and positions you should avoid to help decrease your pain
- Prepare for immediate postnatal period
- Cardiovascular and respiratory fitness
- Exercises for General body muscle tone and relieve tension
(The author can be reached at 9149965711 [email protected])