The RehabAuthority "Moms on the Move" Program

During pregnancy there can be a multitude of aches and pains and minor physical problems that occur.  Many issues can be treated successfully with physical therapy, which may include gentle exercise, stretches or possibly just education. 

One area that we would like to see more emphasis on is post C-section rehabilitation.  There are a number of physical and mechanical problems that occur with disruption of the abdominal muscles.  In particular the surgery affects one of the primary stabilizers of the lumbar spine (what is called the transverse abdominus) . 

Studies have shown that once the stabilizer is disrupted it does not instinctively recover in most people. This usually begins a vicious circle of weakness and pain which leads to a reduction in activities due to pain. Inactivity then leads to more weakness and so on.  Training of the transverse abdominus requires very specific exercises, and traditional exercises such as walking, swimming or basic weight training do not work well.  RehabAuthority's role is to teach the patient the specific routine needed to retrain injured muscles. 

In practice we see a significant number of women with low back pain and many times looking at their history we will see a C-section in their past.  We often discover these women were unclear regarding what they could and couldn't do during their recovery. Most people tend to err on the side of caution and don't accomplish much.  When they finally decide to start exercising they generally do too much too soon and develop significant muscle soreness. 

Uncertainty and most of the pain can be avoided by seeing RehabAuthority. We start using a basic home program with occasional office visits, as needed, to monitor the patient and progress the routine. In most cases only a few visits are required and the patient can do most of the activities on her own. One of the most important obstacles we help patients overcome is fear.  Many women are afraid something is going to hurt or they are going to do something wrong which may aggravate their surgery site. We can help overcome the fear by lending proper direction during the recovery phase.