Physical Therapy Management of Dysautonomia in Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Literature Review

Susana Pardo

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Health Professions and Human Services

Major: DPT.PHYSTHERAPY

Faculty Research Mentor: Gentile, Jennifer  

Abstract:

Dysautonomia is a term used to refer to disorders of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is responsible for regulating involuntary body functions, including heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. Common disorders of dysautonomia include postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), orthostatic intolerance, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and more. Common symptoms seen are dizziness, increased heart rate, and headaches, especially with positional changes. Women have a high prevalence of being diagnosed with these disorders. There has been an increase in pregnant and postpartum women being diagnosed with dysautonomia, especially POTS. A large issue is that the main treatment for these disorders is pharmaceutical, which may cause adverse reactions in pregnant women. Physical therapy has been a tool to treat symptoms of dysautonomia, but the research is lacking. This study aimed to investigate physical therapy interventions to manage dysautonomia in pregnant and postpartum women. Studies from CINAHL and PubMed databases were collected and sorted for a final analysis of 4 studies. The most common treatment recommended was light exercise. The studies recommended doing light aerobic exercise for 20 to 30 minutes and avoiding exercises in upright positions to not provoke symptoms. One study found that acupuncture helped improve POTS symptoms during the postpartum period. Dysautonomia hinders many women in their daily lives, with many of them feeling discouraged and hopeless. This research will help bring awareness to these conditions and their effect in pregnancy and postpartum. By bringing more awareness, it will highlight the need for more research to find safe and effective physical therapy treatments for dysautonomia in pregnant and postpartum women.Keywords: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, orthostatic intolerance, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, pregnancy, postpartum