Aquatic exercise for strengthening the perineal area in pregnant women. a literature review

Abstract

Background: In the recent history of research in physical activity for health, it has been shown that the use of the properties of the aquatic environment (hydrostatic pressure, hypogravity and thermoregulation) provides numerous benefits for the population of women in pregnancy, this being very suitable with many advantages for the time of delivery and postpartum, both for the mother and the baby.

Objectives: Carry out a bibliographic review of the studies that analyze the integrity of the pelvic floor and episiotomies during the labor of delivery after participating in physical activity programs in the aquatic environment.

Method: After the initial search, taking into account its strategy, the result obtained was 88 publications from PubMed, Scielo, etc., which after discarding duplicates and analyzing the inclusion criteria, 3 articles remained, 2 of which were study protocols, and 1 research article.

Results: Said publications highlighted the following of the guidelines proposed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for this population of 3 weekly sessions of 60 'at a moderate intensity (12-14 Borg Scale).

Conclusions: Thanks to the exercise developed in the aquatic environment, with strength-resistance exercises involving the pelvic floor muscle groups, it is possible to significantly increase the rate of integrity of the perineum, improving labor and reducing postpartum recovery.

Keywords: gestation, perineum, aquatic program, strengthening, natural childbirth, episiotomy, tear.