Recovering From a C-Section: How Physical Therapy Supports Postpartum Healing

For many moms, a C-section is a necessary and life-saving surgery—but what’s often missing from the conversation is how that surgery affects the body long after the hospital stay ends.

You’re sent home with a beautiful baby, a long list of care instructions for them, and maybe a few vague tips about your own healing. But what about your core strength? The numbness or tightness at the scar? The way your body just doesn’t quite feel like your own anymore?

We see you—and physical therapy can help.

What Happens to the Body After a C-Section?

A Cesarean birth is major abdominal surgery involving multiple layers of muscle and connective tissue. While every experience is unique, some common challenges after a C-section include:

These aren’t things you “just have to live with.” But they do require thoughtful, guided support to address fully.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

1. Scar Sensitivity and Mobility

It’s common to feel hesitant about touching or looking at the scar—especially in the early weeks. But over time, gentle scar work can make a big difference. Physical therapists can guide you through safe techniques to reduce scar tightness, improve mobility, and ease discomfort or numbness around the incision.

2. Core Rehabilitation

The abdominal muscles are stretched significantly during pregnancy and surgery. With proper guidance, you can begin to rebuild strength from the inside out. This doesn’t mean crunches or sit-ups—it means gentle, progressive movements that retrain the deep core muscles to fire effectively.

For many women, this is key in managing or resolving diastasis recti and restoring functional strength.

3. Pelvic Floor Recovery

Pregnancy itself puts strain on the pelvic floor, and postpartum healing—no matter how you delivered—can benefit from assessment and support. Therapy may help address common issues like leaking, pressure, or pain with activity or intimacy.

4. Whole-Body Support

Beyond the scar and core, recovery includes regaining confidence in movement, addressing posture shifts from pregnancy and feeding, and simply being supported through the transition into motherhood.

Physical therapy can offer reassurance, education, and small steps forward—especially when healing feels uncertain or overwhelming.

You Don’t Have to Navigate C-Section Recovery Alone

There’s no exact timeline for how you should feel after a C-section. Every person’s experience is different. But you deserve care that goes beyond rest instructions and routine check-ins.

If you’re unsure of what’s normal, feeling stuck in your recovery, or just want to feel stronger again, postpartum physical therapy can be an incredibly helpful step.

Ready to feel better in your body after a C-section?

You’ve done something incredible—now let us help you recover fully, not just functionally, but completely.

Click here to schedule a free breakthrough visit or speak to one of our postpartum specialists today.

Let’s help you feel your best as you prepare to meet your baby.