Women’s Physiotherapy in Sheffield

“After having my second child in September 2017 I decided to book in to see Emily Elgar, specialist women’s health physiotherapist at Katie Bell Physiotherapy and Wellness. I wanted to return to a moderate level of fitness (be able to run 10km again), make sure that I would not cause any further or lasting damage and ensure I wasn’t returning to activity too soon post baby. I had a good pregnancy and labour but once again tore internal muscles when giving birth to my second baby, just like my first and I felt that my stomach muscles were weak too.

Emily was lovely and made me feel comfortable straight away. It’s not easy talking to someone else about your private areas but Emily made it very easy. We talked through my pregnancy, birth and post birth problems, Emily covered all areas. Emily was able to feel my stomach muscles to assess how much they had torn through my pregnancy and also provide me with exercises and advice to ensure they were healing well and I wasn’t causing any further damage. Emily also carried out an internal examination to assess how strong my pelvic floor muscles were, how well they were healing post baby and how to increase my pelvic floor strength to ensure I was able to return to running, jumping etc.

I have completed 24 weeks of Pilates classes with Emily. Even though I was in a class environment (no more than 10 in a class) Emily always made sure I was working at the appropriate level and carrying out the exercises properly. I also saw Emily 1:1 for a few sessions to track my progress and provide me with specific exercises to help me improve my strength in my pelvic floor, abdominals and hips.

I am very happy with how far I have come. It’s scary how much strength and tone you lose when you have a baby and it was important to me to return to sport as it’s something I enjoy. I have now returned to running and currently increased my distance to 7km only 7 months post birth. I’m working up to my 10km goal. At 5 months I started lifting weights again at the gym and feel much stronger during my Pilates classes. I’m very happy with the progress I have made and feel that I am continuing to get stronger week on week. Even though I am a mum of two, it’s important to make some time for yourself and still set personal goals.”