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Therapeutic Exercise Regarding Musculoskeletal Health of the Pregnant Exerciser and Athlete

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Exercise and Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Postpartum

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Abstract

Physical activity during pregnancy is recommended and has been shown to benefit most women. However, some modifications to exercise routines may be necessary due to normal anatomic and physiologic changes and fetal requirements. Therefore, knowledge about the systemic changes of pregnancy should be considered when counseling women who wish to exercise through their pregnancy and should be complemented by the knowledge about the potential effect of exercise (therapeutic exercise) for the prevention and resolution of some common pregnancy-related musculoskeletal conditions. Therapeutic exercise is the systematic and planned performance of exercises that aims to improve and restore physical function.

This chapter presents the scientific evidence foundation on the effect of therapeutic exercises on the prevention and resolution of three commonly pregnancy-related musculoskeletal conditions: pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti abdominis, and low back and pelvic girdle pain. The chapter emphasizes the potential effect of exercise on the prevention and resolution of these musculoskeletal conditions and provides useful information when tailoring therapeutic exercise programs for pregnant women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biomechanics and Functional Morphology, Faculty of Human Kinetics, Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance, University of Lisbon, Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, Portugal

    Augusto Gil Pascoal & Patrícia Mota

  2. Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

    Britt Stuge

  3. H&TRC-Health and Technology Research Center, ESTeSL-Lisbon School of Health Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Patrícia Mota

  4. Department of Physiotherapy, OsloMet-Oslo Metropolitan University (former: Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences), Oslo, Norway

    Gunvor Hilde

  5. Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway

    Kari Bø

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway

    Kari Bø

Authors
  1. Augusto Gil Pascoal
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  2. Britt Stuge
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  3. Patrícia Mota
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  4. Gunvor Hilde
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  5. Kari Bø
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Augusto Gil Pascoal .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior - ESDRM, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Rio Maior, Portugal

    Rita Santos-Rocha

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Pascoal, A.G., Stuge, B., Mota, P., Hilde, G., Bø, K. (2022). Therapeutic Exercise Regarding Musculoskeletal Health of the Pregnant Exerciser and Athlete. In: Santos-Rocha, R. (eds) Exercise and Physical Activity During Pregnancy and Postpartum. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06137-0_12

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