Exercise and the Pregnant Patient
Frequently I get the following question from my pregnant patients: “I’ve never really exercised before, but I need to. Is it okay to start now?” Let’s look at the risks of exercise during pregnancy. “Risks!” you say, “What risks?” Now, before you stop reading this and come to the conclusion that you should not exercise during your pregnancy, I urge you to look at this through my eyes. As a physical therapist, I am specially trained in exercise prescription. In other words, I teach people how to exercise. Sometimes that involves rehabilitative exercise in order to heal from an injury or surgery, occasionally it includes performance coaching for seasoned athletes, and sometimes it involves teaching someone who has never exercised before how to start. If you fall into the third category of people, this blog is for you! First of all, let me state the few reasons why women would absolutely not be allowed to exercise during a pregnancy. These are set by the American Co...