What to expect from postnatal physiotherapy for pelvic girdle pain

Your appointment may cover where the pain is felt, how birth and pregnancy affected movement, sleep, walking, stairs, turning in bed, and caring for your baby. The physiotherapist may observe your posture, gait, hip and lower-back movement, muscle control, and pelvic-floor symptoms. Pelvic girdle pain can involve the joints and surrounding muscles, so the assessment helps identify activities that increase load or reduce support.

You may receive advice on pacing, changing position, getting in and out of bed, carrying your baby, and using support when appropriate. Exercises can target the abdomen, hips, back, and pelvic floor, with the level adjusted to your symptoms. Short, regular practice is often easier to manage than pushing through a long session. Keep a note of triggers and of which movements leave you more comfortable, then share that pattern at review.

Arrange medical review for pain that is rapidly worsening, new leg weakness, numbness around the saddle area, loss of bladder or bowel control, fever, or pain after a fall. Seek urgent help for severe pain with inability to walk, faintness, heavy postnatal bleeding, chest pain, or difficulty breathing. These warning signs need prompt assessment rather than a routine physiotherapy adjustment.

Ask which movements to limit temporarily, whether a belt or other support suits you, how to handle stairs and baby care, how to build walking safely, and what symptoms should trigger an earlier appointment.