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The Femina Physical Therapy Blog
Featuring original articles by our staff about current events and trends
Explore our insightful blog articles on pelvic health, where we delve into essential topics that empower and educate. From understanding pelvic floor disorders to strategies for conquering infertility, our content is designed for those seeking knowledge and support. We discuss the latest research, expert advice, and practical tips to enhance your well-being and foster a deeper connection to your body.
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What are Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Urinary Incontinence?
What is the biggest risk factor for both conditions? And how can you tell if you have them?
Not sure? You’re not alone. In fact, one research study found women actually know more about erectile dysfunction than they do about pelvic organ prolapse! While pharmaceutical company advertising bias may be to blame for part of that equation, one of the largest surveys of pregnant women and new moms ever conducted on the subject (by a team of medical experts in New England) reveals women’s healthcare providers consistently miss their biggest window of opportunity to educate patients about these conditions and offer treatment strategies that work.
Read more: POP Quiz About Two Common Postpartum Conditions - Pelvic...
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Physical therapy can help women across their lifespan. This includes support with orthopedic considerations related to breastfeeding, as well as other breastfeeding care with clogged milked ducts and noninfectious mastitis.
Symptoms & Causes of Clogged Milk Ducts and Mastitis
Breastfeeding can be a joyous time for some, but unfortunately it can be painful for others. Clogged milk ducts can be extremely uncomfortable and painful. It often arises due to not being able to drain fully, causing a back-up of milk along the mammillary ducts. It can occur when feeding sessions are interrupted or skipped, as well as when mom is under stress. One may experience symptoms such as a painful lump in the breast tissue, pain during breastfeeding that subsides after, and/or decreased milk supply from the blockage. Sometimes if unresolved, it can lead to mastitis, or infection of the breast tissue. Monitor for symptoms such as fever, swelling of breast tissue, redness of breast tissue, and escalation of pain/breast tenderness. If you start to experience these aforementioned symptoms, give your doctor a call as soon as possible.
Read more: How Physical Therapy Can Help with Clogged Milk Ducts and...
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Third Stage of Childbirth: Delivery of the Placenta
You made it!
Now, at this point you have delivered your baby and your body’s hormones have shifted tremendously! You may feel overwhelming emotions of joy and exhaustion at the same time. Oxytocin, the bonding hormone, rises sharply to compensate for the drastic drop in estrogen and progesterone. You may find yourself shivering, and this is normal immediately post-giving birth and can last up to one hour.
Delivery of the Placenta
Read more: Vaginal Childbirth Positioning Series | Part 3: Delivery...
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Postpartum Pelvic Health Recovery Should Start Day 1.
Here are some tips to help you get your postpartum pelvic health (and general health) back on track:
This article focuses on 5 key techniques you can use to improve postpartum pelvic health. It covers diaphragmatic breathing to activate core muscles and kickstart lymphatic drainage, pelvic floor muscle coordination, posture, and the benefits of a pelvic floor evaluation by a physical therapist to begin improving postpartum pelvic health on day 1. It also provides detailed instructions and references scientific studies to provide further research.
Read more: 5 Things You Can do to Improve Postpartum Pelvic Health
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Levator Ani Avulsion: Understand your pelvic anatomy to better understand your injury
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles positioned like a hammock along our saddle region.
The group of muscles attach from our pubic bone on the inside and then to our lateral pelvic walls with a bundle of collagen fibers called the levator arch, and attach to the ischial spines (the inside of the sit bones) and tailbone on the back side. During vaginal childbirth, the pubococcygeus muscle, a group of pelvic floor muscles, stretches 3.26 times more than its normal length to make room for the coming baby in the vaginal canal! As you can imagine, this may result in some perineal tearing and/or levator ani avulsion.
Read more: Pelvic Floor Injury During Childbirth: All About Levator...
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A healthy lifestyle includes getting back to exercise postpartum
Exercise has shown to be beneficial in all stages of life, and the postpartum period is no exception.
Some of the benefits of postpartum exercise are:
- Strengthen and tone abdominal muscles
- Boosts energy
- May help prevent postpartum depression
- Promotes better sleep
- Relieves stress
- Can help you lose the extra weight that you may have gained during pregnancy
(ACOG, July 2019).
Even with all these benefits, research shows that most mothers stop participating in exercise programs which leads to increased weight gain and obesity (Minig et al., and O’Toole et al., 2003). There are many adjustments that have to be made when becoming a new mother and the information on the internet regarding postpartum exercise can be misguided and overwhelming. Let's break down what the literature says about guidelines for returning to exercise postpartum.
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Mommy tummy aka diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) is a prevalent issue.
One in three American moms have DRA that persists greater than a year.
So what is a diastasis recti? It is the stretching of the linea alba, a connective tissue that runs down the midline of the abdomen and connects the abdominal muscles. The stretching happens during pregnancy in almost 100% of mothers to make room for a growing baby. Many of these moms are told this is a normal part of pregnancy, even by their healthcare providers.
DRA is not just about appearance, it is also connected to pelvic floor dysfunctions as well as pelvic and low back pain. In a study by Kari Bo et al., they found that mothers in the US with DRA were also more likely to have the following:
Read more: Mommy Tummy - Not Something You Have to Just Live With
