I realize that being a man and writing about exercises after pregnancy and childbirth is a strange thing to do. Still, having helped hundreds, if not thousands, of women recover after birth, I’ve noticed some things, and I want to share them with you here.

Pregnancy and childbirth place significant stress on a woman’s body.  Whether a person gives birth naturally or via c-section, there is still a considerable recovery period, which most women ignore. The recovery / ignore cycle tends to get worse the more babies someone has!

I’ve been inspired to write an article by a recent episode of my podcast with Peter Lap, founder of the Super Affordable Healthy Postnatal Body Program. We discussed Peter’s expertise and experience and highlighted five key areas, which I’ll discuss below.

Diastasis Recti: Understanding and Rehabilitating a Common Issue

One of the most common concerns of new mothers is diastasis recti, a condition characterized by the separation of the abdominal muscles. This can lead to a weakened core, back pain, and other discomforts. The key here is to accurately measure the size of the split so that you can tell if there is any change over time. Physicians commonly measure it with fingers, but no ‘subjective’ data exists.  Two different physicians will get two different ‘finger’ measurements.  Peter recommends measuring the gap yourself with your hand; this way, you can track changes over time. There are many ways of treating diastasis recti, from doing nothing to specialized exercises; surgery isn’t always necessary, but you must have patience.  It takes time for the muscles to get back together, and it may never go all the way, but with exercise, you have some control, and your core will get stronger (1). Yes – I will plug Peter’s course here because I think it is a very affordable way to get some excellent guidance on exactly which exercise you can do.  Check it out at https://www.healthypostnatalbody.com/

Strengthening the Glutes: A Key to Postpartum Alignment

Pregnancy often shifts a woman’s center of gravity, impacting posture and weakening the glutes. This means the glutes (the muscles around your hips) can weaken. The body also tends to compensate and use other muscles, further adding to the weakness of the glutes and the “mummy butt” look of a flat butt, or bottom as we like to say in the UK. Strengthening these muscles through exercises like glute bridges, kickbacks, squats, and lunges can be a great way to get this area fired up again. Peter points out that the six-week post-birth period offers an ideal window to begin incorporating these exercises into your routine. I recommend a tool called the Pelvicore Ball by https://www.pelvicsolutions.com/ This allows resistance to be placed on all the muscles around the hip and pelvic floor simultaneously, no matter which lower-body or upper-body exercise you do.

Here is a quick video series of how to use the Pelvicore Ball, from beginner to advanced exercises.

1. Level 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVqSFOYfPvs

2. Level 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRNltZqQ9M

3. Level 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBL-DKXrGrI

C-sections and Postpartum Recovery: Tailoring Your Approach

For women who have undergone C-sections, the recovery process may be slightly different and require more time. Most new mothers don’t think about altering their regular movements to acknowledge that they recently had major surgery.  Massaging the scar and keeping it mobile can help reduce the redness and help with the healing. Using your everyday actions to help you get strong is also a good idea. Things like pushing prams and performing stretches for the back and shoulder muscles, specifically targeting the pectoral muscles and those beneath the shoulder blades. These exercises promote healing and prevent potential complications.

Lifestyle Medicine: Supporting Recovery Through Holistic Practices

As you know, I’m a fan of lifestyle medicine. This approach encompasses evidence-based practices such as a whole-food diet, regular physical activity, sufficient sleep, stress management techniques, avoidance of harmful substances, and fostering positive social connections. Granted, having a new baby throws a curveball into healthy habits.  However, I see it as an opportunity to establish new routines that help incorporate these elements into your daily life.  It’s a chance to reset and re-establish priorities for yourself and your baby.

Making Postpartum Recovery Accessible: The Journey Towards Affordable Options

On the podcast, Peter said something that I had never heard before.  He believes that high-quality postnatal care should be accessible to all. For him to back that statement up, his online programs are very affordable, ensuring that every woman has the opportunity to regain their strength and confidence after childbirth.  His weekly newsletter, a rich resource filled with practical advice and insights, is encouraged for further learning and support and is free! https://www.healthypostnatalbody.com/

Remember, every woman’s postpartum experience is unique. It’s crucial to listen to your body, seek guidance from healthcare professionals, and find the strategies that work best for you. With the proper support and knowledge, you can embrace motherhood while prioritizing your health and well-being. If you want to work with me using specific exercises and lifestyle medicine to help you recover and return stronger than ever, email me at ed@edpaget.com, and I’ll see if I can help.

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6454249/

Dealing with persistent pain between the shoulder blades is something that can disrupt your day, making concentration at work a challenge, turning driving into a struggle, and even triggering headaches that leave you wanting to lie down. Many people mistakenly attribute this discomfort to a tight muscle in their upper back, often pointing to the rhomboid muscles.
People try rubbing, massaging, cupping, and putting hot towels on it, but rarely does that work.

More often than not, the culprit isn’t a muscle issue but rather a stiff joint where the ribs meet the spine, known as the costo-vertebral joint. This joint irritation then affects the overlaying rhomboid muscle, contributing to the pain.

While a quick massage of the rhomboid might provide temporary relief, it doesn’t address the underlying issue. To truly beat the pain, focusing on getting the ribs and spine moving is crucial. With this in mind, I’ve created a series of simple exercises designed to target and remedy the root cause, facilitating joint mobility and relieving tension in the upper back muscles, including the rhomboids.

These exercises do many differing things but aim to:

• Mobilize the Upper Back: By engaging in specific movements, you can promote mobility in the upper back, targeting the costo-vertebral joint and allowing for greater freedom of movement.
• Lengthen the Scapulothoracic Joint and Traction for the Neck: Addressing the scapulothoracic joint and loosening muscles that connect the scapular to the neck is crucial for relieving tension in the neck. These exercises focus on lengthening and providing traction to this mobile area, promoting a healthier and more comfortable range of motion.
• Improve Flexion and Extension in the Spine: Enhancing flexibility in the spine is a vital component of these exercises. By incorporating controlled movements as you breathe, you’ll work towards improved flexion and extension, fostering a more resilient and adaptable upper back.
• Pulling Up and Rotating the Ribs: Targeting the ribs, these exercises use the muscles to both pull up on and rotate the ribs. These movements stretch the shoulders front and back and mobilize the costo-vertebra joints, contributing to overall relief.

If you’ve been grappling with persistent pain between the shoulder blades, it’s time to shift your focus from mere muscle massage to addressing the root cause. The video shows you simple yet effective exercises that are designed to break the cycle of discomfort by promoting joint mobility and releasing tension in the upper back: no more nagging upper back pain, just a more mobile back and better posture.

As you may know I help people recover from illness and injury using a combination of specific movements and lifestyle medicine. If you want to see if I can help you, we can jump on a call to find out.  Simply go to the contact page, message me, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

If you’re experiencing neuropathic foot pain, you’re not alone. This type of pain stems from dysfunction or damage to the nervous system and can result from various causes, ranging from diseases to injuries.  Before beginning any kind of rehabilitation, it’s crucial to understand why you have pain in your foot.  The causes of foot pain can vary from things like plantar fasciitis, an overuse injury to the foot, or damage to the skin.

However, neuropathic foot pain is caused by damage to the nerves.  One prevalent contributor to this is diabetes, where prolonged high blood sugar levels can damage nerves, causing pain, tingling, and numbness, particularly in the extremities. Physical trauma where the nerves are injured, infections like herpes zoster (shingles), autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, and certain medications can also lead to neuropathic pain as they all affect the body’s nerves.

If you’re unsure about the cause of your foot pain, seeking a professional diagnosis is crucial. Whether you’re managing it with medications or lifestyle changes, incorporating specific exercises can really help. I’ve made a quick video below that shows you 4 exercises that can help alleviate neuropathic foot pain:

Exercise 1: Tennis Ball Foot Rolling
A common cause of compression on the nerves is tightness in the foot’s fascia. You can relieve this tightness by massaging each area of the foot with a tennis ball. The motion helps loosen the fascia, skin, and connective tissue, promoting better blood circulation to the peripheral nerves. Be mindful of the pressure applied, avoiding excessive body weight. This is important because, ironically,  neuropathic foot pain can be accompanied by numbness, and it is sometimes hard to tell how much pressure you are applying, which can lead to bruising of the skin. 

Exercise 2: Toe Lifts
The nerves need a fresh supply of nutrients to heal.  This comes in the blood, but the problem is the feet are the furthest part of the body from the heart, and blood flow is often compromised.  This is why some people seem to have really cold feet all the time!
To help with this, we want to move the feet and ankles so they pump blood back up the legs. Enhance coordination by lifting each toe individually, starting from the outside and working down to make your foot as wide as possible. This exercise engages intrinsic foot muscles and can be performed for 3 to 4 minutes.

Exercise 3: Ankle Mobility for the Calf Pump
Adding onto the mobility of the feet in the exercise above, this exercise really gets the blood flowing.  The idea is to work on the calf and front shin bone muscles by moving your foot up and down while lying on your back. Perform three sets of 20-30 reps on each leg, ensuring ankle and toe movement. You can progress this exercise by repeating the toe and heel lifts while sitting on a chair.

Exercise 4: Calf Raises On A Step
Taking the exercise above to the next level, we will use our body weight to increase mobility and strengthen the calf by performing calf raises on a step.
Stand on the edge of a step and let your heels drop down.  Then, contract the calf muscles to lift your body back up.  Do two sets of ten reps with feet pointing inwards and two sets with feet pointing outwards.

When incorporated into an overall fitness routine that considers things like nutrition, sleep, and avoiding toxins, these exercises can contribute to effectively managing neuropathic foot pain.

If you want my help in managing your pain, illness, or injury using specific exercises and lifestyle medicine, email me at ed@edpaget.com, and I’d be happy to see how I can help.

Always consult a healthcare professional before starting a new exercise regimen, especially if you have underlying health conditions. Take proactive steps to address the root causes of your pain and enhance your overall foot health.