A Pelvic Floor Therapist’s Guide to a Safe Recovery

After birth, it's common to want to feel "normal" in your body - to return to your workouts (or start something new!), move, and sweat. It can be tricky to know when you can start working out postpartum. Do you have to wait until your 6 week check-up — shorter or longer?

In this article, we'll share what postpartum recovery looks like, signs your body isn't ready for intense exercise, how pelvic floor therapy can drastically improve your recovery, and gentle ways to begin moving.

Postpartum recovery is a journey - and it is unique to every woman. While the 6-week check up is considered standard care, it is not a green light to fully begin working out. The pelvic floor and core need gradual, intentional rebuilding.

Research shows us:

The uterus and placenta site heal in the first several weeks, though your body is still doing quiet internal repair for months.
Muscles, joints, and tissues can take up to a year to fully recover and feel strong again.
Hormones and brain chemistry shift rapidly after birth but can remain in flux for months to years, especially while breastfeeding.

The transition into motherhood—your routines, identity, and sense of self—is a journey that continues well beyond the first six weeks. For more details on postpartum recovery and the stress that both a vaginal delivery and a cesarean delivery can put on your core and pelvic floor, check out this blog post.

Signs Your Body May Not Be Ready for Intense Exercise

We recommend seeing your doctor at your 6 week check up and a pelvic floor therapist between 3-6 weeks after delivery. This is the best way to know if you are cleared for exercise and how to get back into exercise safely and effectively. Some signs that your body may not be ready for intense exercise are:

Leaking urine
Abdominal doming or coning
Pain in the pelvis, hips, or low back
Heaviness or bulging sensations in pelvic area like an organ is slipping

It’s important not to ignore these signs. At Chicago Mama Physical Therapy, we address the root causes of your symptoms so you can experience lasting relief. We break everything down in a way that feels manageable, creating a customized action plan to support you through one of the most demanding — and transformative — times in a woman’s life.

How Pelvic Floor Therapy Helps

Pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) is a specialized form of physical therapy that focuses on strengthening, relaxing, and retraining the muscles of the pelvic floor and their coordination with the rest of the body. The pelvic floor does not work in isolation so we want to see how it is functioning with your core, glutes, foot, and even upper body muscles. The pelvic floor muscles support vital functions like bladder and bowel control, sexual health, and core stability. When they become too weak, too tight, or uncoordinated, it can lead to discomfort, pain, and dysfunction in daily life.

Your first visit will typically include a thorough evaluation of your medical history, posture, movement patterns, and pelvic floor function. A therapist may assess internal and external pelvic muscles (with consent) to determine any imbalances. Treatment may include:

Manual Therapy – Hands-on techniques to release tight muscles or improve circulation
Exercise & Strengthening – Core and pelvic floor exercises to restore function
Lifestyle & Postural Adjustments – Guidance on habits that support pelvic health, including your fitness goals (running, lifting, yoga, etc.)

Gentle Ways to Incorporate Movement in Your Day

As you begin to increase your exercise, it's important to start gradually, to teach your pelvic floor, core, and surrounding muscles to tolerate load- just like you would start with light weights and work up to heavier weights for any other part of your body. These are great options when you’re easing back into movement after childbirth and wondering how to safely start working out postpartum:

Walking
Breathwork and core connection exercises
Stretching and mobility exercises
When you are ready to progress— start with body weight movements and progress to weights. For example: start with body weight squats and dead lifts and progress to weighted movements. You can eventually progress to single leg movements like lunges and step-ups and progressively load over time.

Remember to start slowly and listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, you may need to skip that activity or pull back a bit. Be gentle with yourself. We like to tell all of our patients to:

Take the time. Give yourself patience. You don’t need to “bounce back.” You are already doing an incredible job. And, we got you!

What to Expect at Chicago Mama Physical Therapy

At Chicago Mama Physical Therapy, we believe you do not need to fear working out after pregnancy. You deserve to feel strong, confident, and supported as you return to exercising. We want to empower you to say YES to taking care of yourself and join you on your journey towards healing.

What you'll experience at Chicago Mama Physical Therapy:

Dedicated attention for one-on-one sessions that last one hour and you will never be handed off to an aide
Treatment in the privacy and comfort of a tranquil private treatment room rather than a busy physical therapy gym
You will always be seen by the same physical therapist instead of seeing different practitioners each visit
Your therapist is specialized in the field of pelvic health and pregnancy/postpartum physical therapy
We will treat you as a whole person looking not only at your pelvis but the rest of you with a focus on helping you understand and prioritize your goals
We will provide a road map to reach your goals successfully; we’ll get there together!

Next Steps for Healing

If you’re ready to start working out postpartum but want to make sure you’re doing it safely, schedule your free discovery call today. Our team will guide you through a personalized plan so you can rebuild strength, heal fully, and return to movement with confidence.

If you’re in Barrington, IL or the surrounding Northwest suburbs, visit chicagomamapt.com/contact or call 312.554.5146.

Schedule Now!

When Can I Start Working Out Postpartum?