The Impact of Exercising on Pelvic Symptom Severity, Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength, and Diastasis Recti Abdominis After Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study.
Sabine Vesting, Annelie Gutke, Monika Fagevik Olsén and 2 others
PMID 38109793WHAT IT FOUND
Women who exercised low-impact at least twice weekly in the first 3 months postpartum reported less pelvic girdle pain than those who did not.
However, non-exercisers saw their stress urinary incontinence worsen over the year. Pelvic floor strength and abdominal separation improved in all groups, regardless of exercise level.
Key findings
01Low-impact exercisers showed a significant decrease in pelvic girdle pain scores from 3 to 12 months, while non-exercisers showed no significant change.
02Non-exercisers experienced a statistically significant increase in stress urinary incontinence severity at 12 months compared to 3 months.
03Pelvic floor muscle strength increased and diastasis recti abdominis width decreased significantly in all four exercise groups, including non-exercisers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study relied on self-reported exercise habits, which may be inaccurate, and did not measure the duration of exercise sessions. The high-impact exercise group was very small (n=32), limiting conclusions about the safety of running or high-impact sports. Participants were highly educated and recruited via advertising, which may introduce selection bias and limit generalizability. Pelvic girdle pain was assessed by questionnaire without clinical confirmation, and the Swedish version of the tool differed slightly from the standard English version. The improvement in pelvic floor strength and abdominal separation occurred in all groups, suggesting natural recovery may play a larger role than exercise alone for these specific outcomes.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Healthcare Committee, Region Västra Götaland, and the Research and Development Centre Gothenburg and Södra Bohuslän. The funders did not influence the design, conduct, or reporting of the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that exercise is the sole driver of improved pelvic floor strength or reduced abdominal separation, as these outcomes improved significantly even in women who did not exercise. This suggests natural postpartum recovery plays a major role in these specific physiological changes.