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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:
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...
Postpartum Sexuality & Mood Changes in Women with Pelvic Girdle Pain
Does my pelvic girdle pain have anything to do with my mood and sexuality?
Many of our patients experience sexual dysfunction and anxiety, depression and chronic pain. These conditions are known to coexist, and we unpack each component of pain, mood and one’s behaviors, desires and attitudes related to sex and physical intimacy.
Pelvic girdle pain is defined as “pain between the posterior iliac crests and gluteal folds particularly in the vicinity of the sacroiliac joint” (Simonds). More simply stated: in the very low area of your back and buttock. Pelvic girdle pain is common postpartum and may impact disability in the fourth trimester. Many are aware of peripartum symptoms such as low back pain, incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pain with intercourse, and postpartum depression. Knowing that many women experience pain during and after pregnancy - what can we learn about the effects of pelvic girdle pain? Specifically, what impact does pelvic girdle pain have on symptoms of mood and sexuality?
Read more: Postpartum Sexuality & Mood Changes in Women with Pelvic...
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...
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- Written by: Staff
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Involuntary loss of urine during athletics is more common than you thought
Athletic incontinence is a type of stress incontinence that happens during an athletic event. Stress incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine due to a pressure or force like coughing, sneezing or jumping. When most people think of urinary incontinence they do not usually picture young athletes, however it is surprisingly common.
A study of young, elite athletes found 43% experienced urinary leakage while participating in their sport. The study also investigated which sports had higher incidences of incontinence:
Read more: Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Athletic Incontinence
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- Written by: Staff
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What studies say about returning to running as postpartum exercise
Most of the therapists in our office are moms, and we intimately understand wanting to get back to exercise after delivery. Caution should be taken when returning to running postpartum - we see this clinically and research also shows postpartum movement strategy changes that can increase your risk of injury.
A recent pilot study by Provenzano et al., 2019 compared the biomechanical changes of runners pre-pregnancy (or <14 weeks gestation and postpartum). They found at six weeks postpartum subjects had decreased trunk and pelvic rotation, decreased running speed, with increased step width and stance time compared to pre pregnancy measurements. They also found decreased motion in the hips with increased motion at the knee as a compensation.
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- Written by: Staff
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Laxity in Pregnancy is what may be causing you those aches and pains
The Role of the Relaxin Hormone
As discussed previously on the blog, pregnant people undergo some major changes in their bodies, including producing different hormones that play various roles during pregnancy. One hormone that affects the musculoskeletal system in a pregnant person’s body is called relaxin.
Relaxin is a hormone produced by the corpus luteum (an endocrine gland made in the ovary when a follicle has matured and released an egg during ovulation) and the placenta (an organ developed in the uterus during pregnancy that provides oxygen and nutrients to your baby). Relaxin inhibits uterine activity and helps relax the pelvic joints so your hips can widen in preparation for birth. Relaxin peaks during the first trimester. However, relaxin can also contribute to laxity in other areas of the body during pregnancy, not just the pelvis.
Read more: Joint Laxity and Pregnancy | What is it and What can you...
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
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There really is an app for everything… even pelvic floor exercises!
And research proves supervised pelvic floor home exercise programs can reduce treatment time and result in significant improvement over in-office therapy alone.
So why don’t all my patients have pelvic floor apps? Especially at the beginning of treatment, those exercises can be difficult enough to squeeze into a daily schedule without the added anxiety of scrolling through hundreds of options to find an affordable and reliable one; and no one wants to base sensitive healthcare decisions on anonymous user reviews.
Wouldn’t it be great if a medical expert could cut through all the clutter?
Read more: There’s An App For That? Medical Pros Rank Top SmartPhone...
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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
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“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
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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...
