postnatal recovery shorts
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SRC Recovery Shorts

One garment worth investing in for after your baby is born is the SRC recovery shorts. Pregnancy, labour and ultimately delivery of your new born put a lot of stress on your muscles, joints and ligaments around your abdomen, back and pelvis. The common complications we see as physiotherapists in women post-partum include:

  • DRAM- A gap in the outer tummy muscles (Diastasis Rectus Abdominus Muscle)
  • Pelvic floor dysfunction leading to stress urinary incontinence, faecal incontinence and pelvic prolapse
  • Ongoing low back and pelvic pain

We’ve been stocking the SRC garments for over a year now and have had fabulous feedback from our clients.

SRC recovery shorts are designed in a fabric that provides support and comfort without feeling too restrictive. In hospital, women are often given tubigrip to wear for support but this is often thick, frays easily and rolls or bunches up uncomfortably. The SRC shorts can be worn for longer periods, wash without fraying or shrinking and have been designed with extra support in all the right places.

The feedback we get from our clients is that the recovery shorts help them feel ‘ like everything is being held in place’. This is because with a Rectus Diastasis, the weakness in your outer abdominal muscles can cause inner tissues/ organs to potentially ‘herniate’. Having the extra outer compression will make you feel much more supported, as well as providing back and pelvic support, therefore reducing patient’s pain. They certainly help reduce muscle separation and swelling and therefore give women a lot more confidence to move around more freely. We encourage returning to core strengthening (usually after about 6 weeks), to further help strengthen your abdominal muscles.

From a physiotherapy perspective, the SRC recovery shorts encourage abdominal muscles to work rather than just being a passive support. A garment that is too tight or restrictive places too much compression on your muscles and may not allow them to work effectively. It is best to wear a garment that provides some compression but not too tight, and can be worn for longer periods of time during the day.

In saying that, being measured up correctly by your physiotherapist is important, as we do get many women reporting that the pair of recovery shorts they purchased felt good for a week or two but then were too large once they lost some of the post-natal belly. All our staff are trained up in measuring and fitting SRC garments correctly so you get the most out of wearing them!

In the case of a Cesarean section, any incision or surgery causes swelling to surrounding tissues. Application of compression to the C-section wound can help reduce swelling and improve healing and therefore lead to less pain and more mobility.

There are also garments that can be worn during pregnancy (shorts and leggings) to help provide pelvic/back support and support varicose veins, a post surgical range, a more active range for after your baby is born (SRC activate) and a men’s range- so ask us for more info!

The bottom line: Whilst the SRC garments may appear like a hefty investment- they are listed as a medical compression garment and therefore you may be able to claim them from your private health insurance. Make sure to check with your individual fund. They may be listed under any of the following items: Aids and Appliances, Orthoses, Splints, Medical compression garments.

-Sheree

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