Why OBG/Gynae Physiotherapy Matters: Dr. Juhi Saxena Explains the Women’s Health Benefits (Part-2)
Many people still aren’t aware that OBG/Gynae physiotherapy exists—or how much it can improve women’s health at different stages of life. To spread awareness about this important and lesser-known aspect of physiotherapy, Dr. Pooja Bansal (PT) and Himani Negi from Medbound Times spoke with Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT), a women’s health physiotherapist.
Currently serving as a Consultant Lactation and Obs/Gynae Physiotherapist at Aarogyam Physio, Gurgaon, she has been actively working to raise awareness about this specialized field.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from SGT University and a Master’s in Obs and Gynae Physiotherapy from the same institution, she highlights in this interview how physiotherapy plays a vital role in managing pregnancy-related discomfort, supporting postnatal recovery, addressing pelvic floor issues, and promoting overall wellness.
Dr. Pooja Bansal (PT): How important is physiotherapy during pregnancy, and what kind of difference can it make for both the mother and the baby?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): How important is it? It’s just as important as visiting your gynecologist or obstetrician. It’s equally important to see a physical therapist or a women’s health therapist. Gynecologists, with all due respect, help you with medication or support around symptoms—like treating nausea or headaches with medicine.
But pregnancy is a journey. It’s a blessing, not a disease. You go to a doctor for a disease, not a blessing. There’s a lot that pregnant women can experience with us physiotherapists from the very beginning of pregnancy.
Even women with infertility issues can benefit from physiotherapy. During pregnancy, we help with posture, pains, and aches, giving small tips on how to maintain the body and take care of their mental health.
Most importantly, we prepare them for childbirth and childbearing. It’s not just about delivering the baby—the real journey begins afterward, and if the mother isn’t prepared in advance, it can be really tough for her to manage everything.
Dr. Pooja Bansal (PT): In many places, pregnant women often receive only basic exercise advice, like a leaflet or a few standard exercises. Can you explain why more personalized physiotherapy is important during pregnancy, and what challenges you see with the current approach?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): Most of the time, when you go to a gynecology clinic during pregnancy, they’ll hand you a leaflet or a printout with 5–6 standard exercises—duck walk, butterfly stretch, neck stretches, “don’t lift heavy weights,” and “stay active.” Quick tips, which are always on those handy sheets, and you just get it. That’s what gynaes generally give.
Some of them, after seeing the results we are able to achieve, actually step back and say, “Okay, now you go and meet this person—they’ll guide you better.”
But what’s happening nowadays is that after completing BPT and doing short 2-day or 5-day courses, many fresh physiotherapists have started copying those same exercises. They just add 2 or 3 more, and that’s it.
So, the general public—especially mothers—end up confused. One person explains it elaborately, while another wraps it up in 5 exercises or a 10-minute session. Thanks to social media, this confusion is growing. Those 30-second clips might be entertaining, but they’re not always accurate. Health issues cannot be addressed in 30 seconds.
Every health issue requires a customized plan. It’s not as simple as having a fever and taking a PCM tablet to feel better. Even every fever cannot be treated with PCM—then how can we expect every condition to be treated with a few “common exercises”?
Dr. Pooja Bansal (PT): As we’ve already discussed, many physiotherapists take just 2–3 day workshops before treating gynecological patients. How do we make the general public aware of the importance of choosing a trained gynae physiotherapist over someone with only such short-term training? What advice would you give?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): I completed a 2-year master’s program, and besides that, I have taken numerous 2-day and online courses. Honestly, in a 2-day course, maybe 5 minutes of the content is new to me because my basics were already strong. These short workshops help to brush up on knowledge or strengthen existing foundations, but they cannot build a foundation from scratch. For that, you need a master’s degree, where you learn everything from the basics.
Short courses often teach attractive, marketable things, but don’t cover the foundational knowledge. For example, with diastasis recti, many people know it as a gap between the abdominal muscles—that’s the simple, layman’s explanation. But how it affects the whole body, from head to toe, is much more complex.
You can’t really learn that in two days. Also, some protocols may work generally, but every patient is different. Sometimes, the problem may not be what it seems—it might have a different root cause. If you don’t have in-depth knowledge, you can only treat the symptom, not the root cause. So you won’t be able to eradicate the issue fundamentally.
For all women’s health conditions, I feel one must have a strong basics first before treating patients.
Himani Negi: Now, let’s say there is a pregnant woman at home with no knowledge of physiotherapy. Generally, people think physiotherapists just prescribe exercises and help with posture. Could you please explain, for someone with no understanding, when exactly physiotherapy starts during pregnancy? Is it before conceiving? After conceiving? During which trimester? How and when should a woman connect with a physiotherapist?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): Ideally, if you are planning to conceive, reaching out to a physiotherapist before conception is a wonderful idea. Preparing your body for pregnancy is also a thing that a physiotherapist can help you with. The sedentary lifestyles and health issues we face today, getting help early can prepare your body better for pregnancy.
Once pregnancy is achieved—whether naturally or through fertility treatments—you generally become aware around 12 to 14 weeks, after a missed period or delayed cycle. At that point, women are busy with many tests and doctor visits, which can be exhausting.
So the ideal time to start physiotherapy is around 20 to 24 weeks, when you have a little more time and energy.
A physiotherapist specialized in obstetrics and gynecology will handhold you through the entire journey—from pregnancy, childbirth, to postpartum care. We prepare your body and mind for childbirth, help manage pain and discomfort, teach breathing techniques, posture, and how to care for yourself mentally and physically.
Childbirth is not just about delivering the baby; it’s about preparing your whole body and mind for the process. After delivery, the body has undergone huge changes and needs support and guidance to recover well.
So starting physiotherapy at the right time helps ensure a healthy mother and baby and eases the entire journey.
Dr. Pooja Bansal (PT): Can the general public directly consult a gynae physiotherapist, or do they need a referral from a gynecologist?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): In India, you do not need a referral. You can directly approach an obstetrics and gynecology physiotherapist for any relevant issues.
If it's in our scope of work. We can definitely help you. But if the condition is outside our scope, or is pathological, we will refer you back to a gynecologist or obstetrician.
It’s a cycle of teamwork. We work within our scope and refer when needed to ensure the patient gets the best care possible.
Himani Negi: Is this kind of physiotherapy support commonly available in government hospitals or mainly in private hospitals?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): Currently, private hospitals are more focused on this, partly because it is also a revenue-generating area for them. Government hospitals have a lengthy administrative process for implementing new services, so many government institutes have not yet started dedicated obstetric physiotherapy departments.
However, government hospitals do refer pregnant women to physiotherapy departments if they have pain or discomfort, but they usually do not allow physiotherapists during the delivery itself.
So physiotherapy is available in government settings, but it’s more established and developed in private hospitals currently.
Himani Negi: We often hear that lifestyle factors, especially sedentary habits, contribute a lot to health issues. We also have multiple medical systems like allopathy and Ayurveda. Coordination among doctors of different systems is often poor. From your experience, how well is physiotherapy accepted within the medical community? Are there challenges in interdisciplinary collaboration?
Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): In India, there are standard practices in place, and trying to introduce new interventions is not easy. My personal experience is that it’s less about how the system works and more about how you approach it.
If I go to a doctor and say, “Hey, you’re doing this wrong; I can do it better,” they won’t accept it easily. But if I approach with respect, say, “You are doing great, but I think you are overburdened. Can I give you a little help? Let me try this my way. You see to someone else, and I'll deal with this patient,” and then show them good results, they become confident and open to collaboration.
Most gynecologists and senior doctors have many years of experience, so it’s important to approach with humility and teamwork. Our goal should be to help each other, not compete.
