Hey Everyone! My name is Linnea, and I am the Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist here at CSC+M! Today I want to speak about changes in proprioception that occur during the third trimester of pregnancy and in the postpartum population.
What is Proprioception?
Proprioception is your body’s way of telling where you are in space.
It combines sensory input from mechanoreceptors in our joint capsules, ligaments, tendons, skin, and musculature and sends information to our brains to allow us to plan and coordinate functional movement patterns. Our body uses this information along with visual and vestibular input to regulate postural control and balance.
During the third trimester of pregnancy, there is a large increase in joint mobility as a result of hormonal changes to prepare for delivery of the baby, which ends up causing a decrease in overall proprioception. Due to the decrease in proprioceptive awareness, this can lead to significant increase in fall risk during the third trimester. After delivery, impaired proprioceptive awareness does not automatically improve on its own, but extends into the postpartum phase.
There is evidence indicating improvements in proprioception that occur at 6 weeks postpartum and continue to improve up to 12 weeks postpartum. One interesting thing is that without additional proprioceptive training that occurs after 12 weeks, people will not regain all of their previous proprioceptive awareness postpartum.
How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help With
This can be remedied with undergoing a course of physical therapy with a focus on postural stability to help your body integrate sensory input during functional activities. Completing a round of pelvic floor physical therapy during your postpartum phase is current clinical guidelines, to help with returning to the previous level of function without injury. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please contact us at CSC+M today.
References:
Observation of knee and ankle proprioception during the third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum period among primiparous women: An Observational longitudinal study; J Educ Health Promot. 2022; 11: 241. Published online 2022 Jul 29. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_311_22
