At 5 Point Physical Therapy we practice what we preach. When our founder, Stacey, was pregnant with her daughter she made sure to include prenatal pelvic floor physical therapy in her pregnancy journey. Stacey shares:
“I was delivered by a midwife and a doula. At 45 I was able to have a vaginal delivery without tearing. I saw a pelvic PT in my 3rd trimester for gentle stretching of my pelvic floor in order to prepare the vaginal vault for delivery!”
A recent study published in the International Urogynecology Journal confirmed the benefits of perineal massage in pregnant women over 35 years old. In this randomized controlled trial with 400 subjects the participants were divided into two groups. One group only received a prevention education program. The other group, in addiction to receiving the education program, was also educated to do digital perineal massage and pelvic floor muscle training. The outcome showed significantly lesser degrees of perineal tear, fewer episiotomies, and less postnatal pain in the group receiving education in addition to perineal massage and pelvic floor training.
If you’re pregnant give us a call and talk to one of our pelvic floor PT specialists to hear your options!
Reference:
Dieb, A.S., Shoab, A.Y., Nabil, H. et al. Int Urogynecol J (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-019-03937-6