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Birth Trauma Awareness Week is from 14–18 July 2025. The annual event is held to help people understand that birth can cause physical and/or emotional trauma and highlight the need for better care, support, and understanding. Birth-related trauma can be physical, psychological, or a combination of both.  

Physiotherapy and the Maternity Care Pathway 

In a statement on the role of physiotherapy in birth trauma prevention and treatment, the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) cites several studies showing that trained pelvic health physiotherapists play a critical role in preventing and treating perineal trauma.

Physiotherapists play a holistic role in the maternity care pathway. They assist during all stages of pregnancy, including pelvic floor muscle training in both antenatal and postnatal care, preparing for childbirth, promoting recovery, and prescribing appropriate exercises during pregnancy and at birth. 

Physiotherapists work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals in the maternity care pathway, including midwives, obstetricians, and other allied health professionals. This collaborative approach ensures that women receive continuity of care throughout their pregnancy and postnatal journey. 

Physical trauma can present as: 

  • Perineal tears
  • Bladder damage
  • Pelvic floor damage
  • Pelvic organ prolapse (POP)
  • Infected stitches
  • Incontinence
  • Pelvic fractures (pubic bone, coccyx, sacrum)
  • Cesarean wounds
  • Pudendal neuralgia (nerve pain/damage)
  • Wound dehiscence (wound breakdown/separation)
  • Hysterectomy (removal of womb/uterus)
  • Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH/secondary PPH)

Psychological trauma may present as: 

  • Postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Postnatal depression and/or anxiety (PNDA)
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

At Right at Home Allied Health, we are committed to treating women's pelvic health. Our allied health professionals can help with pelvic floor muscle training, bladder training for urgency, bowel training for urgency, constipation management, and much more.

If you would like to engage with Birth Trauma Awareness Week, visit the Birth Trauma Australia website for their ‘This is Birth’ campaign. You can also download a series of informative resources here. 

Right at Home Allied Health is dedicated to delivering quality, patient-centred care across Australia. Our allied health services comprise chiropractic, exercise physiology, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychology, and speech pathology. We also provide remedial massage therapy, clinical nutrition, clinical naturopathy, and clinical Pilates. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for those we serve by decoding health, happiness, and harmony. Discover, heal, and optimise your physical and emotional wellbeing with Right at Home Allied Health. Book a Discovery Session at your local clinic today. 

*Some services may not be available in all locations. Please contact your local office to learn more about their in-clinic and at-home allied health and wellbeing services.