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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:
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...
Why a Multidisciplinary Team is Best for Treatment of Bloating and Abdominal Distension
Bloating and Abdominal Distension Often Benefit Greatly from Multidisciplinary Treatment
Bloating, abdominal distension, loose stools, constipation, abdominal or pelvic pain, fatigue, brain fog, weakness, nutritional deficiencies…
These symptoms may be caused by a variety of gastrointestinal or pelvic conditions. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, this article is a good place to start when deciding who to have on your care team, and what treatments can help!
Bloating is the sensation of excess abdominal gas or a feeling of being distended without obvious visible abdominal distension. Some people have a feeling of fullness or discomfort in the upper abdominal area. Abdominal distension is the visible increase in abdominal girth. A multidisciplinary treatment team of primary care physicians (PCPs), gastroenterologists, dieticians/ nutritionists, and physical therapists is ideal to help manage these symptoms and find the root cause. For example, symptoms of bloating and abdominal distension affect 66 - 90% diagnosed with IBS. Getting the proper diagnosis can help direct the best treatment options for you.
Read more: Why a Multidisciplinary Team is Best for Treatment of...
Understanding Relaxin: Why It Doesn’t Cause Pain in Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a time of significant physical and hormonal changes, and among the many hormones involved, Relaxin plays a crucial role. However, there’s a common misconception that Relaxin is responsible for pain during pregnancy. Let’s take a closer look at what Relaxin does and why it doesn’t directly cause pain.
What is Relaxin?
Relaxin is a regulatory hormone involved in growth, metabolism, and tissue remodeling after an injury to our bones, ligaments, muscles or tendons (Dehghan 2014). During pregnancy, Relaxin levels begin to increase in the first trimester to help the body prepare for childbirth by relaxing the ligaments in the pelvis and softening the cervix (Aldabe 2012, Daneau 2014). The ligaments of the pelvis will begin to relax around the 10th-12th week of pregnancy (Aldabe 2012). This process allows for greater flexibility in the pelvic area, facilitating delivery and accommodating the growing baby.
Read more: Understanding Relaxin: Why It Doesn’t Cause Pain in...
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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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The latest literature review conducted by Mazur-Bialy et al. (2020) shows the most modern methods of pelvic floor physical therapy that can help with urinary incontinence.
Here at Femina PT, we pride ourselves in keeping up with the current best practices and latest techniques. Here’s a breakdown of the latest techniques and how we utilize them at the clinic.
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence refers to the involuntary loss of urine, which can range from a few drops (also called light bladder leakage) to complete loss that wets the floor. There is actually more than one kind of urinary incontinence: the two most common types of urinary incontinence that affect women are stress incontinence and urge incontinence (also called overactive bladder, or OAB).
Read more: The Latest in the Treatment of Urinary Incontinence
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Recent studies have shown evidence vibration therapy is just as effective as massage in reducing muscle soreness after exercise and can also help increase range of motion.
Over the past few years, we’ve been using more vibration and percussive therapy products at the clinic, such as the Hypervolt gun, vibrating foam rollers, and vibrating massage balls. But what’s all the hype about?
Effect on Muscle Soreness
In a 2014 study by Imtiyaz et al., they found that a 5 minute session with a vibration device provided as much relief to muscle soreness as a 15 minute massage session over the same area, as compared to control groups who received neither after a bout of exercise.
Read more: Vibration Therapy | A New Way to Reduce Muscle Soreness...
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Sexual Dysfunction After Pelvic Fracture Can be Traumatic
A 2014 study by Harvey-Kelly et al. points to the fact that the long term consequences of this injury can include sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain for both males and females.
Pelvic fractures occur most commonly with a high-energy trauma. The most common ways people fracture their pelvis include motor vehicle (57%), pedestrians hit by car (18%), motorcycle crushes (9%), falls from a height (9%), and crush injuries (5%) (Harvey-Kelly, 2014).
Chronic Issues After Pelvic Fracture
Thanks to advancements in critical care medicine and acute trauma care, the mortality rate for those who have had a pelvic fracture has been reduced over the years. However, pelvic fracture survivors often report chronic issues including chronic pain, chronic pelvic pain, changes in gait, issues with bowel and bladder, and sexual dysfunction. This is because the muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels, are often all implicated in these injuries, and the pelvis contains the organs of the urinary, bowel, and sexual function systems. Therefore, the subsequent rehabilitation of all these systems is more complicated than, say, a fracture of your ulna or radius in your forearm.
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How do Histamines Affect Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder Syndrome)?
Newly published research by Grundy et al. (2019) shows a more direct connection.
In this study published in the February 2021 issue of The American Journal of Physiology: Renal Physiology, Grundy et al. show correlation that histamines in the body lead to changes in the sensory nerves of the bladder, particularly hypersensitivity during bladder distension, or when the bladder is filling or full.
The study determined that certain sensory nerves in the bladder can become more sensitive when histamines are present. This activation occurs in the bladder membrane, the detrusor muscles, as well as the afferent nerves of the bladder.
Read more: Histamines and Interstitial Cystitis (Painful Bladder...
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Simple Tips for Using Yoga for Sciatica Pain
Sciatic nerve pain can be uncomfortable and may affect your quality of life and your activities.
Flares in sciatic pain can be debilitating, and yoga for sciatica pain can help immensly. Often times the lower back and hips can contribute to sciatic pain. Try these yoga stretches for some relief.
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult with your doctor or a physical therapist for an individualized session and exercises.
Here are some stretches you can do at home, at the gym, or at the park to keep your sciatic nerve pain at bay and enjoy your day pain-free.
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Dealing with too much tension? Try yoga to relieve your headache.
Tension headaches can be caused by tension in the jaw, face, neck, shoulders, and back.
Headaches caused by tight and restricted neck muscles can be helped by a seated neck release, which will stretch the scalene muscles on the neck. Sometimes headaches are caused by back pain that’s radiating up the spine, and yoga to relieve your headache may be the answer.
Try these simple poses to release the tension that may be giving you a headache.
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Lasers And My Vagina - Do They Really Belong Together?
A Breakdown of common Energy Based Devices Marketed for your Vagina
Risks and Possible Benefits
In the past decade, nonsurgical devices using radio-frequencies, lasers, and infrared light have been marketed as non-invasive treatments for “vaginal rejuvenation.” However, there has been conflicting opinion among the medical community as to what the lasers have evidence of treating. The rampant use of the lasers to treat conditions they have not been approved to treat has also caused the Food and Drug Administration to warn the public about these devices in 2018.
