Postpartum Pain & Recovery in Union Square, New York City

Active Release Techniques® for Postpartum Pain & Recovery

Active Release Techniques® is a hands-on therapy used to diagnose and treat soft tissue problems by identifying and releasing adhesions or scar tissue through targeted pressure combined with specific movements I guide you through.  Using Active Release Techniques®  I can target specific muscles that were strained or overstretched during pregnancy and labor. 

Releasing any tension, restrictions or adhesions within your pelvic floor muscles, fascia, and surrounding tissues will help improve your blood flow to pain points; reduce muscle spasms, soreness and thereby improve muscle function; overall healing and a return to comfort as you begin to rebuild strength

Active Release Techniques® is also very effective in breaking down scar tissue that forms after a C-section thereby improving your mobility; reducing pain and any pulling sensations around the incision; and preventing long-term complications associated with scar tissue build-up.

Additionally, Active Release Techniques® can relieve muscle tension in the chest, shoulders, and upper back to improve breastfeeding posture, and indirectly support your 4th trimester recovery in areas such as revitalizing your pelvic floor muscles to better manage urinary incontinence and general pelvic pain. To help reduce persistent swelling in your legs and ankles following pregnancy, Active Release Techniques can be used to improve lymphatic drainage.  Regarding Diastasis Recti, which is the separation of your belly muscles down the middle due to pregnancy stretching, it’s important to know that while Active Release Techniques® won’t close this gap directly, it can effectively treat tension in the surrounding abdominal fascia and muscles. This is an important part of a well-rounded rehabilitation program aimed at improving your core stability and overall function.

Chiropractic Care for Postpartum Pain & Recovery

During your 4th trimester postpartum recovery, chiropractic care can provide significant support by focusing on restoring proper alignment and function to your musculoskeletal and nervous systems.  Though it doesn’t directly affect the uterus, ensuring proper alignment of the spine and pelvis can optimize overall body function and reduce stress on the surrounding structures, thereby supporting the body’s natural healing processes.

For example Chiropractic adjustments can stave off the poor posture from the musculoskeletal tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back caused due to breastfeeding. Also, misalignments in the pelvis and sacrum can exacerbate muscle imbalances and tension in the pelvic floor. Gentle chiropractic adjustments can restore proper alignment and improve nerve function to the pelvic region and in doing so support healing, alleviate pain and combat 4th trimester fatigue and sleep deprivation. 

Also for those who’ve had a C-section, your body will naturally shift your posture afterward as a way to protect your incision and compensate for weaker abdominal muscles. However this also commonly leads to uneven stress, muscle imbalances, and altered weight distribution. Collectively these factors, along with the impact of scar tissue, can produce spinal and pelvic misalignments as the body adapts to the physical changes following surgery. Here too Chiropractic care can support recovery with gentle chiropractic adjustments that help restore proper alignment, reduce muscle tension, improve posture, and support core strength.  

Postpartum Recovery Exercise

While every woman’s journey back to exercise after giving birth is unique, staying active can significantly support your body as it navigates the physical challenges of the 4th trimester.  Research has determined postpartum exercises can help prevent and treat issues such as weak pelvic floor muscles, depression, stress, anxiety, poor sleep quality, fatigue, pain, urinary incontinence, and sexual dysfunction.  -See: The Effect of Exercise on Postpartum Women’s Quality of Life.

When exercising after birth it’s essential to listen to your body and stop if you experience any pain or discomfort, noting that temporary increases in postpartum bleeding can sometimes occur with exercise. Ensuring you’re using correct technique is key to preventing injury and maximizing the benefits of postpartum exercise, which is where my custom-tailored guidance comes in. A small example of beneficial types of exercises include:

Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels): These are essential for strengthening the muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and bowel, which are often stretched or weakened during pregnancy and childbirth. Regular Kegels can help improve bladder control, aid in the healing of perineal tears or episiotomies, and reduce the risk of pelvic organ prolapse.  Research shows that doing exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles after giving birth can make it less likely you’ll experience urine leakage or have organs in your pelvis drop down. Also, exercises for your belly muscles after childbirth can help reduce the gap between those muscles (diastasis recti).

Gentle Core Engagement Exercises: Focusing on activating your deep core muscles, particularly the transverse abdominis, can help heal diastasis recti (abdominal separation) and provide crucial support for your back and pelvis. Exercises like gentle pelvic tilts, heel slides, and modified bird-dogs (on hands and knees, being mindful of any discomfort) can be beneficial. Studies show that a deep core stability exercise program effectively treats diastasis recti and improves the quality of life for women after giving birth. 

Research consistently shows that incorporating structured exercises into your postpartum recovery can actively support your body’s return to its pre-pregnancy condition and enhance your overall well-being.

CASE STUDY: After delivery, women should gradually increase their physical activity, with the timeline being individualized based on the delivery course and persisting physiological changes. While women with uncomplicated vaginal deliveries typically receive clearance to exercise around 4 to 6 weeks postpartum, those recovering from a C-section may need more time. Women who were active before and during pregnancy can often return to their pre-pregnancy routines sooner after medical clearance, whereas those who were inactive should start more gradually. Key tips for restarting exercise include obtaining medical clearance, beginning with low-intensity activities, considering step tracking as an initial focus, being mindful of breast milk lactate levels with high-intensity exercise, and gradually incorporating resistance and functional training. Engaging in physical activity postpartum offers numerous benefits, including improved body composition, lipid profiles, and mental well-being, and all women are encouraged to start as soon as appropriate and maintain an active lifestyle. –  American College of Sports Medicine, Postpartum Exercise

CASE STUDY: A new analysis of 35 studies involving over 4,000 women found that exercise after childbirth significantly reduces the risk of developing major postpartum depression by 45% compared to not exercising. Additionally, exercise was linked to less severe symptoms of both depression and anxiety in the postpartum period. Starting an exercise routine earlier, specifically before 12 weeks after birth, was associated with a greater reduction in depressive symptoms, and the more exercise women engaged in, the greater the decrease in the severity of their symptoms.

CASE STUDY:    A survey of over 1600 women revealed that stiffness, aches, and pain in muscles and joints, particularly lower back pain and shoulder, is common across all postpartum stages, emphasizing the need for interventions focused on improving strength, coordination, balance, and how easily you can perform physical tasks. The study demonstrated that a rehabilitation program [exercise] tailored to postpartum physical conditions resulted in positive psychological and physical effects. 

CASE STUDY: Postnatal exercises administered during the immediate postpartum period helps improve the quality of life by improving physical, mental, social and general wellbeing. – Effect of Postnatal Exercises on Quality of Life in Immediate Postpartum Mothers: A Clinical Trial

Cupping Therapy for Postpartum Pain & Recovery

Cupping is a holistic manual therapy that involves placing cups on your skin above or near the area of pain, or perhaps on related anatomical areas or trigger points that may be contributing to your pain, to create a comfortable suction. The suction is negative pressure that gently lifts your skin and underlying soft tissues, such as fascia and muscle, thereby significantly increasing blood flow to the treated area.

Cupping can release built-up muscle tension and adhesions (where tissues can get stuck together), improve tissue mobility, the body’s natural healing response and thereby reduce pain. It has become a popular in postpartum recovery due to how it can treat the tightness and adhesions that can form around C-section scars;  alleviate muscle tension in areas strained by pregnancy and the demands of caring for a newborn, particularly in the back, core and shoulders; and improve overall tissue mobility and comfort in areas that were impacted during pregnancy and birth.

Research has indicated cupping as proven effective in reducing chronic pelvic pain, lower back pain due to pregnancy and delivery, perineal pain (discomfort in the area between the vagina and anus, often due to childbirth tearing) and postpartum anxiety.

Researchers have also looked at how quickly a mother’s uterus returns to its normal size after birth (called uterine involution) post cupping therapy.

A study found that postpartum mothers who received cupping massage therapy had their uterus return to its pre-pregnancy state faster, taking about 35 days compared to about 42 days for those who didn’t get the massage. This suggests cupping massage is effective for helping the uterus recover.

Graston Technique for Postpartum Pain & Recovery 

Graston Technique is a  manual therapy technique wherein I apply targeted myofascial release with specialized stainless steel instruments on your skin over muscles and connective tissues. This technique can detect and treat areas of scar tissue, adhesions, or restrictions and break them down, improve blood flow, and accelerate the body’s natural healing. Graston Technique has become popular in how it can help women in postpartum recovery by treating the back, arms and legs. 

Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) for Postpartume Pain & Recovery

Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) is often used to improve core stability and movement control by practicing exercises that mimic an infant child’s developmental positions. During postpartum recovery your core system—the “muscle team” includes the abdominal muscles, back muscles, diaphragm, and pelvic floor—and has undergone such enormous changes that it often needs to re-learn how to work together for stability. Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization taps into our body’s natural blueprint for core stability learned during infancy.  The idea is to use exercises and positions that mimic developmental stages to help reactivate and coordinate the deep core muscles along with the pelvic floor.  For example with DNS you’ll learn proper breathing which is fundamental to core control and managing internal pressure (something that changes dramatically during pregnancy). The aim here is to regain overall core stability after your abdomen has been stretched and in doing so, this can then support the recovery of diastasis recti by generating better tension along the midline abdominal tissue.

Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) for Postpartum Pain & Recovery

As noted, pregnancy and childbirth place significant stress on your core “muscle team”—the diaphragm (breathing muscle), abdominal muscles, back muscles, and pelvic floor—which work together for stability. This stress, combined with pregnancy postures and the asymmetrical demands of caring for a baby, often creates imbalances, affecting your posture and how you move. Thus another therapy I offer is called Postural Restoration Institute (PRI), which is an approach that uses targeted exercises and breathing techniques to help your body shift out of these ingrained patterns of imbalance. The goal is to restore a more neutral, symmetrical state and optimal function by re-balancing the system so all the muscles can do their job properly.