Quick answer
Postnatal physiotherapy rehabilitates the abdominal wall, pelvic floor and back after childbirth. It addresses abdominal separation, pelvic floor weakness, caesarean scar recovery and the back pain that comes with feeding and carrying. A structured programme typically runs over eight to twelve weeks.
The six-week check clears you for normal activity. It does not rehabilitate the abdominal wall or the pelvic floor, and it is not a return-to-exercise assessment. That gap is what postnatal physiotherapy fills.
What we assess and treat
- Diastasis recti — separation of the abdominal muscles. We measure it and work on the deep abdominal muscles rather than prescribing crunches, which typically make it worse.
- Pelvic floor function — leaking with coughing, sneezing or running is common after birth and is treatable. It is not something to accept permanently.
- Caesarean scar recovery — mobilising the scar and restoring the abdominal control that surgery interrupts.
- Back, neck and wrist pain from feeding positions and carrying.
- Return to exercise — a graded progression rather than resuming where you left off.
Timing
Gentle breathing and pelvic floor work can begin within days of an uncomplicated birth. Structured strengthening usually starts around six weeks, or later after a caesarean. Running and high-impact exercise are best delayed until the pelvic floor and abdominal wall can handle the load — commonly around three months, tested rather than assumed.
Where symptoms persist despite treatment — significant prolapse, ongoing pain — we refer on rather than continuing indefinitely.
Medically reviewed by Nasir Mughees, BPT, MPT, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy · Last reviewed September 2026