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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.
Featured From the Blog:
Restorative 20 Minute Home Yoga Practice For Chronic Pelvic Pain
Yoga Practice For Chronic Pelvic Pain Can Be a Very Helpful Routine
As stated in my last blog post, yoga can be so beneficial as a pain management tool due to its ability to modulate the sympathetic nervous system3,4 which plays a large role in chronic pain. The exact mechanism of how yoga helps with chronic pain is still being studied, however, it is reasonable to believe the full body relaxation promoted by a yoga practice helps to decrease tension in key muscle groups- including the hips and pelvic floor which are often tight in people with chronic pelvic pain.
Currently, evidence has mostly focused on one hour long practices as an intervention, although there are some studies that report improvements in pain with shorter practices, such as the routine below. As with any mobility/stretching routine, benefits will be seen with more frequent practice, however even twice weekly can help decrease pain.
Read more: Restorative 20 Minute Home Yoga Practice For Chronic...
Lightning Crotch in Pregnancy: How You Can Start Recovering from SPD
What is symphysis pubis dysfunction (Lightning Crotch)?
Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), also known as pubic symphysis dysfunction, anterior pelvic girdle pain, or lightning crotch, is a common musculoskeletal condition that is experienced by pregnant women and can vary from minor discomfort to severely debilitating pain. It is typically characterized by discomfort in the front pelvic area that can radiate to the inner thighs and perineum (think where your pubic bone is).
Read more: Lightning Crotch in Pregnancy: How You Can Start...
Running Mechanics and Pelvic Floor Health: The Impact of Footwear
Did You Know That Proper Footwear Can Improve Your Running Mechanics and Pelvic Floor Health?
How Do My Feet Impact My Pelvic Floor When I Run?
If you are a runner, you tend to look for ways to improve your running. If you’re thinking about starting up or returning to running, it can feel intimidating particularly if you have any symptoms related to pelvic floor dysfunction. This only complicates an exercise that, on the surface, seems fairly straight forward. There are some studies that have looked at how your feet can play a part in your pelvic floor muscle function while you run. And if you are looking to return to running postpartum, read on and also check out this article by one of our pelvic floor physical therapists.
Read more: Running Mechanics and Pelvic Floor Health: The Impact of...
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- Written by: Staff
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Endometriosis Affects 1 in 10 Women of Reproductive Age
And yet the delay in diagnosis hovers around 8.5 years (Barbieri, 2017; Ballard, 2006), meaning that, on average a woman will experience 8.6 years of symptoms and disease progression before they are diagnosed with the disease.
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial-like tissue grows outside of the uterus (endometrial tissue is tissue that usually grows inside of the uterus and sheds each month). The most common area for it to grow is in the abdominal cavity, where it can implant on the surface of other structures including the ovaries, bladder, rectum, and along the walls of the abdomen and pelvis.
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 4955 Views
“The cure is worse than the disease."
We’ve all heard the cautionary proverb; but to someone desperate for a cure, it’s all too easy to ignore.
Sadly, that’s been the outcome of too many vaginal mesh surgery cases. It’s a popular treatment for stress urinary incontinence, among other conditions; but many of these patients have paid a heavy price. Increasingly, women are opting to have the mesh surgically removed; and some of them are further devastated to learn that one of the most common complications – pelvic pain – can persist long after the mesh is gone.
Read more: Is Vaginal Mesh Surgery Right For You? Don't Be So Sure.
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- Written by: Staff
- 18612 Views
Pudendal Neuralgia (PN) is a condition that can cause chronic pain or numbness along the course of the pudendal nerve, which is the nerve that innervates the pelvic floor.
What is the pudendal nerve and what does it do?
The pudendal nerve, like other peripheral nerves in your body, is how your brain “connects” with the muscles and tissues of the body- sending and receiving messages between the brain and body like movement and sensation. When nerves get compressed, irritated, or constricted, problems can occur in this “message chain” and you might feel things like pain, numbness, tingling.
Read more: What is Pudendal Neuralgia and How Can Pelvic Floor...
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- Written by: Staff
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Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD) is a condition that is poorly understood.
Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder is a rare disorder most commonly seen in those with female anatomy and is characterized persistent sensations of genital arousal in the absence of sexual desire or stimulation. These sensations typically stay after orgasm and are intrusive, unwanted, and can negatively affect quality of life.
The diagnosis itself is not well known among healthcare practitioners yet alone the general public. Those who experience its symptoms can be hesitant to talk about it with their healthcare practitioners even though it may be affecting their quality of life.
Read more: Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD) | What is it...
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- Written by: Staff
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September is Healthy Aging Month! In recognition, this blog will talk about Menopause and how it can affect your genitals and sexual function.
What Happens During Menopause?
Menopause marks the end of the regular menstrual cycle and the transition to life beyond the reproductive period.
Babies born with female anatomy have a set number of eggs which are stored in their ovaries. The ovaries make the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which control monthly periods and ovulation. Menopause happens when ovaries no longer regularly release an egg every month and menstruation stops.
Read more: September is Healthy Aging Month | Menopause and How it...
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 5154 Views
The History of Estrogen Therapy - A Cure for Hot Flashes, Insomnia, Vaginal Discomfort and More?
Hello, menopause! If you’re experiencing any of those symptoms, your doctor may have recommended some form of menopausal hormone therapy.
But is it safe?
When should you start?
And which therapy is right for you?
Researchers have been trying to answer those questions for decades, often with confusing and even conflicting results. Let’s take a look at the history of estrogen therapy, and how past studies are informing the latest recommendations.
A French physician coined the word ‘menopause’ in the 1800s and advanced the revolutionary idea that the health concerns of aging women deserved medical attention. Throughout that century, doctors experimented – sometimes on themselves – with various animal hormones. The science was far from perfected; but by the 1890s, women were being treated successfully for symptoms of menopause with a powder or pill made from cow ovaries.
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 10958 Views
September is Healthy Aging Month!
Curious about pelvic floor physical therapy for menopause? Read on.
You’ve probably already considered a visit to your primary care doctor and your gynecologist. But what about pelvic floor physical therapy for menopause?
About 6,000 women enter menopause every day in the US, usually between the ages of 45 and 55; and as life expectancy increases, so does the number of years most women will spend on the other side of it. Approximately half of all women can expect to live 40% of their lives in the post-menopausal stage. It makes sense to develop a solid strategy for optimal health, the earlier the better – and regular physical therapy can be an important component of that plan.
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 8239 Views
If you’ve trained for a marathon or half marathon, you’re well acquainted with the dangers of shin splints, pulled muscles, and joint injuries.
And you probably take deliberate care to avoid them.
But it may surprise you to learn female distance runners face a little-known health risk that can have serious, even permanent, consequences.
I’m talking about Female Athlete Triad (FAT).
A recent article in the Journal Of Women’s Health Physical Therapy defines the condition by its three components: “low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone density”. Those components form a chain reaction of problems that build on each other. Unchecked, each one can lead to long-term health issues from hormonal imbalance to lowered metabolism and immunities, to osteoporosis. But it’s easily ignored by those who suffer from it, and misdiagnosed by their doctors.
Read more: Female Athlete Triad – The Distance Runner’s Hidden Obstacle
