Login
Register

Home

About Us

Diagnoses

Treatments

Classes

Resources

Media

Testimonials

Blog

Account

Blog
Register
unsplash: Emiliano Vittoriosi

You feel it coming, but you can’t stop it; that twitch in your pelvic floor perfectly timed to your sudden cough or sneeze, or the confirmation you’ve pushed that pigeon pose a little too far. Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) – involuntary leakage that occurs with increases in intra-abdominal pressure – is one of the more frustrating and embarrassing hallmarks of womanhood, the inescapable tradeoff for motherhood or a satisfying workout.

As a women’s health professional, I’ve spent years dispelling that myth. You don’t need to put on your (specially designed) big girl panties and deal with it; pelvic floor therapy can help you vanquish incontinence. But the best experts can admit they don’t have all the answers. You may be surprised to learn something that has come up in more recent research about Stress Urinary Incontinence that I’m passing on to my patients (and to you):

A weak pelvic floor may not be the culprit!

For a long time, pelvic floor muscle training has been the recommended treatment for many forms of incontinence. There’s a good reason for that; many patients – including mine – see dramatic results. But this past year, during a larger study, a group of researchers in New England collected data that is changing the way physical therapists think about, and treat Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Not all the study participants had Stress Urinary Incontinence; and the researchers were expecting to see significantly weaker pelvic floor muscles in those who did. As it turns out, there was a difference in muscle strength and mobility between the two groups; but it was in their hips, not their pelvic floors. They even found limited evidence to suggest hip strength and flexibility may serve as a coping mechanism for women with pelvic floor weakness who don’t experience Stress Urinary Incontinence.

What does that mean for you? First, if you’re already on top of your pelvic floor health, good for you. It’s still central to bladder control; so keep doing what you’re doing.

Think Beyond Kegels

  • Prioritize hip stretches and strengthening exercises (and watch your form!)
  • Work your IT band (foam rollers are a big help-check out which ones I recommend here)
  • Avoid sitting for long periods of time (take regular breaks during work)

And if you suffer from Stress Urinary Incontinence, ask your medical professional to follow the researcher’s recommendation to broaden your examination and treatment to include your hips – especially if pelvic floor exercises alone aren’t helping.

And if you’re still just dealing with the stress of Stress Urinary Incontinence? Make an appointment with a Femina PT therapist today. Fortunately, our philosophy has always been to treat the whole patient; and we’ve included hip, low back and whole body assessment and treatment (when necessary) in our pelvic floor therapy from the beginning. We’re glad to know we’re ahead of the game this time; but we are constantly reviewing the latest medical research – including the follow up to this study – as part of our ongoing commitment to patient care.

Reference

Hartigan, E., McAuley, J-A., Lawrence, M., et al. Pelvic Floor Muscle Performance, Hip Mobility, and Hip Strength in Women With and Without Self-Reported Stress Urinary Incontinence. Journal Of Women’s Health Physical Therapy. 2019. 43:4 160-169.

What Our Patients Have to Say

Prev
Next

Testimonial by S.P., Age 26

I would like to start off by thanking Heather Jeffcoat for educating me and curing me of Vaginismus. I had been married for almost three years before I was referred to Heather. I never knew about Vaginismus until almost three years into my marriage. I knew something was wrong when I went on my honeymoon and came back a Virgin. I had always imagined how magical my first night would be but boy was I wrong.

Read more: Testimonial by S.P., Age 26

Testimonial by R.D., age 38

"I had a severe tear during childbirth that was not stitched together correctly and therefore healed poorly. Even after having a surgery a year later to remove the scar tissue, I was still having pain, and no one could explain why -- there was no overt 'reason' to explain the pain. I had tried other 'specialists' and even saw another physical therapist who had me do hip / leg stretches -- what a joke! I was about to give up and just 'live with it' until thankfully I kept searching online and found Heather.

Read more: Testimonial by R.D., age 38

Testimonial by T.H.

I started seeing Heather in October 2014. For more than two years, I had been suffering from painful urinary tract infection type symptoms after my bartholins gland surgery which included constant burning and urinary frequency sensation that led to more and more painful intercourse. I had made multiple visits to internist, obgyn and urologist's offices, went through a range of treatment with UTI and bladder frequency medication that included antibiotics, vesicare, estrogen cream, but nothing worked.

Read more: Testimonial by T.H.

Testimonial by J.B.

My husband and I were having problems with painful intercourse. My therapist recommended that I go and get a pelvic floor evaluation from a physical therapist. Having never been treated by a physical therapist, I wondered how this really was going to help me. My husband who is a physician was very supportive and agreed that a PT evaluation would be a great idea. So i made the appointment and was blown away by what I learned. I had no idea that pelvic floor muscles could get tight and have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. I'm a massage therapist and very familiar with tight muscles, and this new thought really amazed me. Heather's program to help relax and strengthen these muscles made such a difference. I can say that I am 100% pain free during intercourse now. Yippee! Going to the PT appointments and doing the at-home exercises was definitely a discipline, but it's 100% worth it! The rewards are amazing.

-- J.B.

Testimonial by Julie T.

Femina PT (née Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy) has honestly changed my life. Before receiving treatment at Femina, I was going doctor to doctor to try and find the answer to my pelvic pain. It has taken me YEARS to find someone that can help fix this. It wasn't until my gynecologist recommended your clinic that I finally felt relief. My pelvic pain is almost gone, and granted I still have a lot more to work on with Laureen (my PT), my original problem is nearly cured. I am so grateful to her.

What is even better is she gave me practical exercises to do at home that were not tedious and provided instant (and lasting) relief. Although I mainly work with Laureen, my interaction with the owner (Heather) has been great. She is very generous, kind, and committed to her business.

It hurts to know there are women out there suffering who will never know or have the opportunity to work with women like Laureen and Heather because this issue is hardly talked about and this field is so rare. I hope more doctors and physical therapists see the value in this work and can relieve more woman of their pain.

-- Julie T., 12/4/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by J.B.

My husband and I were having problems with painful intercourse. My therapist recommended that I go and get a pelvic floor evaluation from a physical therapist. Having never been treated by a physical therapist, I wondered how this really was going to help me. My husband who is a physician was very supportive and agreed that a PT evaluation would be a great idea. So i made the appointment and was blown away by what I learned. I had no idea that pelvic floor muscles could get tight and have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. I'm a massage therapist and very familiar with tight muscles, and this new thought really amazed me. Heather's program to help relax and strengthen these muscles made such a difference. I can say that I am 100% pain free during intercourse now. Yippee! Going to the PT appointments and doing the at-home exercises was definitely a discipline, but it's 100% worth it! The rewards are amazing.

-- J.B.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get access to our free downloads and a 15% discount on Heather's book "Sex Without Pain"!
captcha 
I agree with the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy policy