Chronic Pelvic Pain is no new kid on the block. With that said, chances are most of you have probably never heard of it. A silent epidemic, this condition affects approximately 30 million women at any given time, and that’s in North America alone. That means that 1 out of 3 women will experience CPP at some point in their lives. If that number sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.
Modern living presents us with an overwhelming amount of options when it comes to every aspect of our lives. Healthcare is no exception. With research studies and treatment guidelines being created on a daily basis, they can often leave us feeling confused about which option is best for us when we are faced with an ailment. It is of the utmost importance that we question and research our options when considering the practitioners and treatments that are most fitting for our needs and lifestyles.
I wanted to take a moment to let my readers know about a ground-breaking book that was just released by my colleague and dear friend Dr. Kelly Brogan. A Mind of Your Own is a courageous and illuminating book that takes on the powers-that-be by challenging the status quo about the use of anti-depressants, which is estimated that 1 in 4 women are taking today.
The hip area is the conduit between the upper and lower extremity and therefore receives messages from multiple body parts and systems. The hip joint is also connected to the pelvis and can contribute to female gynecological conditions such as sexual pain, deep vaginal pain, pain with walking/sitting and pain with prolonged standing. In this blog post I am going to outline3 self-care techniques to help you get rid of stubborn hip pain.
Sex is an important part of life and when things are not going right in the bedroom it can create a lot of stress, anxiety and strain for even the strongest of relationships. I am a pelvic floor physical therapist and I help women overcome pain associated with sex. A firm believer in empowerment healthcare, I never take credit for the healings. I believe that the job of a healer is to awaken the doctor within the patients so they can treat themselves.
Women and men are seeking new ways to improve their pelvic power, sexual function and core strength. When women and men have significant weakness in their pelvic floor muscles there are detrimental side effects and these individuals are seeking a new ways to regain their pelvic power. AT Renew PT, we have been raining our patients with a revolutionary new Kegel combo, the Hypopressive Kegel.
A great new article was recently published in Parents Magazine in their Aug 2015 edition. It is a very well written article on the subject of Diastasis Recti separation, and I wanted to take a moment to share it with you. Kudos to Anne Machalinski for her great story and for interviewing me on this topic which is so near and dear to my heart.
Birth is an all-encompassing experience filled with ups and downs. Its unpredictable nature can fill both grown women and men with fear. Fear is predominant because so many things can occur. Many times birthing partners are not prepared to handle the unpredictability or simply just don’t know that things can happen beyond their control.
When I thought about writing this blogpost I wanted it to be an exposé of sorts. As a physical therapist that rehabilitates women with obstetrical trauma I can share what I know in an honest way that is not as scary as what you may see on TV or read in the paper.
Many of my patients complain about pain right above the pubic bone. When I started to investigate this area over time I discovered that many of my patients would experience bladder pain, urgency and referral pain to the urethra and pelvic floor muscles. The bladder and more of the main pelvic floor muscles the PC muscle (Pubcoccygeus) live underneath the pubic bone and it makes sense that if there is a dysfunction in the bladder or the pelvic floor muscles that the top of the pubic bone and the lower abdominal area will be painful and filled with trigger points.
Prenatal yoga is great medicine for pregnant women and a fantastic vehicle that improves flexibility, strength, stamina and helps to promote relaxation. However not all pre-natal yoga poses are appropriate for all pregnant women and some may cause more harm than good. When I was pregnant I did a lot of yoga but it was not until I started working with a physical therapist (PT) and having my PT supervise and tailor my yoga program that I really started to get to get pain relief and the most of out of my prenatal yoga classes.
Prenatal yoga is great medicine for pregnant women and a fantastic vehicle that improves flexibility, strength, stamina and helps to promote relaxation. However not all pre-natal yoga poses are appropriate for all pregnant women and some may cause more harm than good. When I was pregnant I did a lot of yoga but it was not until I started working with a physical therapist (PT) and having my PT supervise and tailor my yoga program that I really started to get to get pain relief and the most of out of my prenatal yoga classes.
