Musculoskeletal Issues and Care for Pregnant and Postpartum Women

Abstract

This paper seeks to review the important musculoskeletal issues that arise for pregnant and postpartum women. It outlines the background, diagnosis, and management of these musculoskeletal issues; reviews the existing and recent literature; and offers clinical opinions from the perspective of women’s health PM&R physicians. Existing and recent literature on pelvic girdle pain, lumbosacral back pain, pubic symphysis separation, transient osteoporosis, rectus diastasis, and postpartum neuropathy offer some new insights on management, which is often context-dependent. Management requires individualized physical therapy and precautions for delivery and postpartum. Emerging alternatives like acupuncture for pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and surgical reconstruction for diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) may be considered. The various musculoskeletal pathologies that occur in the peripartum period can produce significant disability for women. With timely diagnosis and treatment, however, these musculoskeletal issues are often transient in nature and do not result in long-term functional deficits.