Postpartum Recovery

What’s actually going on

The postpartum period is a substantial physical recovery — closer in scope to recovery from a major injury than most people realize. The body has just gone through nine months of progressive change followed by either a vaginal delivery or major abdominal surgery, and it’s now operating in a state of significant sleep disruption, hormonal shift, and the new physical demands of caring for an infant.

The musculoskeletal recovery happens in phases:

• Weeks 0–6 — early recovery from delivery itself. The pelvic floor, abdominal wall, and (after C-section) the surgical site are all healing. Most physical activity beyond gentle walking and infant care should be modified or paused.
• Weeks 6–12 — surgical clearance is typical at the 6-week postpartum visit. This is the window where structured musculoskeletal care becomes appropriate, and a careful return to broader activity begins.
• Months 3–6 — gradual return to fuller activity. Specific issues that haven’t fully resolved (SI joint, diastasis, wrist pain) often need targeted attention.
• Beyond 6 months — the long arc. Many postpartum patients find that returning to pre-pregnancy activity capacity takes 12 months or more, especially with subsequent pregnancies, breastfeeding, or limited recovery time.

That timeline is normal and doesn’t mean something is wrong. The body is doing real work for the entire duration.

Common postpartum musculoskeletal issues

The most common things that bring new parents to the clinic:

• Persistent SI joint or pelvic pain that didn’t fully resolve after delivery
• Low back pain from a combination of carrying postures, sleep deprivation, and reduced core capacity
• Upper back, neck, and shoulder tension from feeding postures (especially with smaller babies who need a lot of holding)
• “Mommy thumb” — De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, the wrist and thumb pain from repeated infant lifting and supporting
• Diastasis recti — separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, which often improves with appropriate exercise but can persist
• Difficulty returning to running, lifting, or sport without symptoms

When to see someone — and who

For musculoskeletal symptoms, we typically wait for surgical clearance from your OB, midwife, or family doctor before beginning chiropractic and RMT care after a C-section — usually around the 6-week mark. Vaginal deliveries with no complications can typically begin gentle care earlier when you’re ready.

A few specific things deserve other providers’ attention:

• Pelvic floor symptoms (incontinence, prolapse symptoms, painful intercourse, diastasis assessment) — pelvic-floor physiotherapy is the right specialty here. We coordinate with pelvic floor PTs in town and don’t try to do their job.
• Mood or mental health changes — your family doctor, public health nurse, or a perinatal mental health provider. A surprising amount of “this just feels really hard” is appropriate to talk about with someone trained in it.
• Anything obstetric or surgical-recovery-related — back to your OB or family doctor.

For the musculoskeletal piece — the back, pelvis, neck, shoulders, wrists, and gradual return to activity — that’s our lane.

How we treat it

A typical postpartum care plan combines:

• Chiropractic care — gentle adjustments and mobilizations for the pelvis, SI joint, and spine, modified appropriately for the postpartum body.
• Registered massage therapy — particularly helpful for the upper-body tension that almost universally accompanies the new physical demands of feeding and carrying.
• Pregnancy & Postpartum care — the specifically adapted approach Dr. Laura takes for this population.
• Exercise rehabilitation — graded return to loading, with specific attention to core reconnection, pelvic stability, and the capacity needed for the activities you want to get back to. The pelvic floor PT we coordinate with handles the deep pelvic floor specifics; we handle the broader strength and movement piece.

We coordinate with your other providers as helpful — communicating with pelvic floor PTs, family doctors, and (rarely) referring back if something we’re seeing warrants their attention.

A note on returning to activity

The single most common pattern we see is patients trying to return to running, lifting, or sport too quickly — feeling reasonably good at 8 or 10 weeks postpartum and jumping back in at full intensity, then getting hurt or developing pelvic floor issues that take much longer to unwind.

The boring, evidence-based version: return to high-impact activity in stages over months, not weeks. The body that handled it pre-pregnancy is the same body, but the rebuild takes time. Going slower in the first six months almost always pays off in the first year.