Whitney was enjoying her time as a new mother when she began experiencing hip and back pain around twelve weeks postpartum.
“The pain came out of nowhere,” she says. “I was really uncomfortable, and it was difficult just to pick the baby up.”
She spoke to her gynecologist, who recommended that she consider physical therapy with someone who specialized in postpartum physical therapy. She searched the Charlotte area for a practice near her and discovered KCP Physical Therapy.
During her first assessment with physical therapist Joyce Kight, she learned that her pelvis was out of alignment and that her hips were overcompensating. This explained the pain in her hip flexors and lower back. She says that Joyce reassured her by saying, “Your body is recovering from all these adjustments, but it will heal.” She says that Joyce normalized what she was going through and that the visit was as good for her emotional wellness as it was for her physical wellbeing.
Whitney began regular PT, which included manual corrections for her pelvic alignment, strength training, exercise, and dry needling. She began incorporating 3–5-minute exercise breaks throughout her day and says she wondered, “How can this make such a difference?” She says that she enjoyed being able to get back in touch with her body and the compassionate, human experience that she received at KCP.
“They really connected on a human level, which kept me going back,” she says. “The staff is very welcoming – they all recognized me and used my first name, and they were always so accommodating.”
With this regular routine, Whitney says that she progressed to being able to join a postpartum exercise class to continue her work towards feeling better and stronger.
“I’m so thankful that I can exercise again,” she says. “I was really into exercising before the pregnancy, and now I can do everything that I did before. I can pick up the baby without any pain, play on the floor, and do tummy time again. I know I can come back if I need to, but for now I am in a good place!”
