Quick answer
Antenatal physiotherapy manages the back, pelvic and postural pain common in pregnancy, and prepares the body for birth. Treatment includes hands-on therapy, appropriate strengthening, pelvic floor training and practical advice on positioning and daily activity, adapted to each trimester.
Back and pelvic pain in pregnancy is common, but common is not the same as untreatable. Physiotherapy in pregnancy addresses the specific mechanical problems that ligament laxity and a shifting centre of gravity create.
What we treat
Low back pain, pelvic girdle and pubic symphysis pain, sciatica-type leg pain, rib and upper back pain from postural change, carpal tunnel symptoms, and swelling in the legs.
What treatment involves
Hands-on treatment is adapted to pregnancy, with positioning that stays comfortable as pregnancy progresses. Alongside that we work on the muscles that support the pelvis and lower back, pelvic floor training — which matters for birth and for recovery afterwards — and the practical adjustments that make daily life manageable: how to turn in bed, get out of a car, lift a toddler.
Support belts help some women with pelvic girdle pain. We fit and demonstrate them rather than leaving you to work it out.
Safety
Exercise in an uncomplicated pregnancy is safe and beneficial, and the programme is adjusted by trimester. Where there are complications — placenta praevia, a cervical stitch, pre-eclampsia, a history of preterm labour — we work only with your obstetrician's clearance, and we ask before starting.
Medically reviewed by Nasir Mughees, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026