If you’re reading this and you are currently pregnant, congratulations! Whether you are expecting your first baby or you’ve done this before, navigating pregnancy and the birthing experience can be very challenging. Guidance from a pelvic floor physical therapist throughout your pregnancy can provide you with the support that you didn’t know you needed! In this article, let’s dive into how pelvic floor physical therapy during your pregnancy can be beneficial for you.

Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC www.pelvicglobal.com”

Reduce Pregnancy Related Aches and Pains

 During pregnancy, your body rapidly goes through many changes which impose extra demand on your pelvic floor, low back and hips. Furthermore, your posture, center of gravity, walking patterns and overall body mechanics also change over time. Sometimes, these changes can result in physical discomforts such as pubic bone pain, groin pain and low back pain– all things that women often “tolerate” because they view it as just a part of “pregnancy pains”. A pelvic floor physical therapist can help you understand all the changes that are taking place in your body, identify any impairments and manage the symptoms in order to optimize your pregnancy experience.  You don’t have to “tolerate” pain in pregnancy!

Strengthen Pelvic Your Pelvic Floor and Core

As your baby grows, your abdominal wall inevitably has to stretch and lengthen– which can sometimes manifest as issues with pressure control and abdominal weakening. One goal of pelvic floor physical therapy is to provide you with exercises that help maintain your abdominal and pelvic floor strength as well as coordination so that you can support the increased pressure and demands that pregnancy places on your pelvic floor. This will reduce the severity of diastasis recti (normal abdominal separation that happens in pregnancy) and reduce the risk of developing pelvic organ prolapse.

Pelvic Floor Relaxation  and Manual Release

As pregnancy progresses, the demand on the pelvic floor increases, often creating tension and trigger points within the pelvic floor. In pelvic floor physical therapy, manual releasing of the pelvic floor muscles through internal treatment reduces overall tension and improves blood flow and oxygenation to the pelvic floor tissues. This can assist with maintaining pelvic floor function as muscles that are chronically tight can become weak over time. Furthermore, the ability to relax your pelvic floor muscles will assist with the birthing process.

Pelvic floor PT can help you before the the baby is born and after the baby is born.  Read more about the post partum journey here. If you want to return to climbing, running, or going to the park to make memories with your children, then pelvic floor PT is there to help you reach your goals!

The post Benefits of Pelvic Floor PT During Pregnancy appeared first on Physio Room.

Despite all that they do for us, the pelvic floor puzzle is made up of muscles that are often overlooked and misunderstood. Not only do our pelvic floor muscles maintain bowel and bladder continence and keep your organs in place, but they also play a major role in sex, posture and breathing—all prettyyyy important things. Yet, much of the public doesn’t know that these muscles even exist!

Hi, it’s Dr. Seher here, I’m Physio Room’s pelvic floor specialist and I’m here to give you a dive into understanding your pelvic floor puzzle and how it has sneaky connections with the rest of your body! 

What exactly is the pelvic floor?

First and foremost, I’d like to clarify that everyone has a pelvic floor and that it is not just a “women’s health” issue. With some anatomical deviations, both the male and female pelvic floor muscles are pretty much the same, with the same functions.

Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC www.pelvicglobal.com”

These muscles are like a “hammock” spanning inside of the pelvic cavity and  provide support for all your pelvic organs (bladder, rectum, prostate/uterus, abdominal viscera).

Their main functions are:

1.   Maintaining bowel/bladder control
2.   Voiding and defecation
3.   Sexual function
4.   Anticipatory postural control and stability
5.    During Pregnancy and and after child-birth

Now, let’s dive into all the connections that it has with the rest of the body!

Connection with the Core

The pelvic floor and the core are like dance partners in a routine to provide trunk stability, postural control and pressure management. This means that with everything that we do, these muscles are the first to kick on automatically for us to move with good control and stability.

Breathing and the Diaphragm

Your pelvic floor must work together with your diaphragm every time that you breathe! When you inhale, the diaphragm drops down and the pelvic floor relaxes down. When you exhale, the diaphragm lifts back up and the pelvic floor contracts and lifts as well.

Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC www.pelvicglobal.com”

Posture: A Balancing Act!

When initiating movement, the pelvic floor muscles are the first muscle group to automatically turn on to stabilize your trunk and core. These muscles activate ahead of time in anticipation of movement to provide smooth, coordinated movement. They also work in conjunction with your spinal stabilizers, your diaphragm and your deep abdominal muscles to maintain your posture. They are always working!

Image used with permission from Pelvic Guru®, LLC www.pelvicglobal.com”

Hip Stability, strength and mobility

Our pelvic floor muscles contribute to our overall hip stability and strength. If the pelvic floor muscles aren’t working properly to stabilize the pelvis, this can lead to hip pain. The reverse is also true! If the hips aren’t strong, stable or mobile enough, this can result in pelvic floor muscle compensation which can cause further issues.

Your jaw and voice

This one is going to sound a little random, but hear me out… Your jaw and pelvic floor are inherently connected since fetal development! During development, they arise from the same tissue and there is a long line of fascia that connects them in our bodies. Studies have shown that when we clench our jaw, especially during stressful situations, our pelvic floor also clenches with it. Furthermore, our voice and vocal cords also have an affect on our pelvic floor. When we speak in higher pitched voices, our pelvic floor muscles contract, and when we speak with lower tones, it relaxes. 

Your nervous system and stress response

Although everyone’s body and nervous system responds to stress differently, there is a common link between pelvic floor tension and stress/anxiety. When we are stressed, we often clench our jaws, contract our neck muscles and create tension in our pelvic floors. This is an innate nervous system and anxiety response for many people. So next time you find yourself feeling stressed or anxious, check in with your jaw and pelvic floor. See if you can take deep breaths, untuck your tailbone and relax your pelvis. 

What happens when things don’t work together?

If there is a dysfunction with one or more of the systems described above, this is when issues relating to low back pain, SI joint/hip pain, hernias, pressure management and bowel/bladder leakage can occur. Sometimes, when rehabbing other areas of the body such as the low back or hip—the pelvic floor is the missing link that often gets overlooked!

Dr. Seher Vatansever
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist

I’m here for you!

Understanding your pelvic floor and its connections is the first step towards a healthier and more balanced you. If you find yourself curious or concerned about your pelvic floor’s function, you can always reach out to me with questions via e-mail at Seher@physioroomco.com. If you’d like to work on your pelvic floor health with expert guidance, you can book a session with me here.

As a pelvic floor physical therapist, my mission is to empower you with knowledge and to support you through any issues that you may be experiencing! Stayed tuned for more blog posts relating to pelvic floor health!

The post Pelvic Floor Puzzle – the sneaky connection appeared first on Physio Room.

You are absolutely NOT alone. It may feel like it sometimes, but the first six weeks postpartum after delivering your child is a time that is extremely difficult to navigate. 

Dr. Amber, PT, DPT, OTR/L, CHT, CMTPT here. I am a Women’s Health Specialist at Physio Room, and I am here to help you navigate this time when you may not have many resources to turn to.

I am a wife and proud mama to my son, Eagan. I can relate to your postpartum struggles! 

From an abdominal injury during my pregnancy to a first triathlon a few years postpartum, I am now helping new moms realize that anything is possible.

I often find myself preaching that just because symptoms are common does not mean they are normal. I can’t wait to help you find your full potential in your very own postpartum story.

For so many, there is such a focus on the pregnancy and what we can do or should do and then boom you are handed a baby, sent home to keep them alive and told “see you in 6-8 weeks.

”There is not a whole lot of guidance or support for this period. This is when the questions of..

“When can I return to _____”

“What can I do”

“Where should I start”

“I feel great, am I ready for______”

..begin to come in. I hear it all of the time with my Physio Room patients.

So, I have created a guide designed to help those who feel like doing a little more of something, or anything in their lives. This is not designed to be an all inclusive guide or to make you feel like you should be doing more than you feel ready to do.

For many, doing something is prioritizing sleep, figuring out feeding and trying to get a shower in. Especially if you are already chasing a big sibling.

If this is you, do not feel like you are missing out or going to be “behind” when you feel like you can add some movement back in. Right now the priority should be on acclimating to the new baby and your life. Your body is doing a lot of healing that we can’t see and being intentional now allows you to do more later.

In my full 6-Weeks Postpartum Ebook, I outline several questions that you should ask yourself daily to check-in and stay on top of your own health after having your baby. 

It may be easy to forget self care habits and check-ins when your main focus is now your child, but trust me, it’s SO important to continue to treat yourself and your body kindly during this time, too. 

My Ebook also outlines 7 great exercises for you to try! From deep breathing to helpful squat tips, my main focus is to help you feel like yourself in your body again. 

Fill out the form below to receive your FREE Ebook straight to your inbox. And if you have any questions relating to postpartum or general women’s health, please contact us here.

The post A New Mom’s Guide to Postpartum Life appeared first on Physio Room.