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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...
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...
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...
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 8710 Views
Have You Ever Asked "What's Up Down There, Doc?"
Pelvic floor physical therapy is one of the best kept secrets in medicine.
I was on a recent plane flight and sat next to two women that were very chatty with one another. They quickly swept me up into their conversation. Inevitably, in situations like this, everyone asks “So what do you do for a living?”. My answer used to be “I’m a physical therapist”. The past couple of years, my standard response is “I’m a physical therapist, but let me tell you about what kind of physical therapist I am”. Then I go into the diagnoses I treat related to bowel, bladder and sexual health and, in general, how I treat them. Across the board, their reaction is a mix of astonishment and genuine interest. The follow up dialogue is always eye-opening for them, and more often than not, they will report either knowing someone close to them as having one of these pelvic floor issues, or they have it themselves.
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 11073 Views
Does Fear Create Vaginismus? Or Vice Versa?
I came across an article that came out last month and it brought up an old question I often muse over--Does Vaginismus create the fear and anxiety in women, or does an underlying fear or anxiety create Vaginismus? As we often say in physical therapy "It depends".
With some of my patients, there is a specific injury or infection that is at the root of their pain. The story is similar whether they were diagnosed with Vaginismus, Vulvodynia, Vestibulitis, Dyspareunia, or a host of many other diagnoses that lead to painful intercourse. For example, a young girl that always wore bathing suits and developed recurrent yeast infections, only to find out that over a decade later she had developed vaginismus. She had no fear or anxiety going in to first sexual encounter, yet she had severe pain. Now, she presents with what I perceive as fear and anxiety. Should she be treated for fear and anxiety? Or just the pain? Or both?
Read more: Does Vaginismus Create Fear, or Does Fear Create Vaginismus?
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 17874 Views
Should You Stop Doing Kegels?
Read on for the answer.
In my last post, “Why You Should Be Doing Kegels NOW”, I went over the specific diagnoses that tend to benefit most from doing pelvic floor muscle exercises. However, not all issues related to the pelvic floor are appropriate to prescribe pelvic floor muscle exercises for. In fact, doing Kegels can actually be harmful and counterproductive to your symptoms if you have certain diagnoses, and it may be best if you stop doing kegels depending on your diagnosis.
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 6212 Views
I am proud to announce the official book release today of Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve. It is available on Amazon.com, iBooks and other retailers.
43% of women will experience pain during sex or other sexual problems – why isn’t this a public health concern? https://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/09/prweb12156888.htm
Join us in helping to increase the awareness of female sexual dysfunction, including vaginismus, vulvodynia, vulvar vestibulitis, overactive pelvic floor and more. You are not alone if you or your loved one are experiencing painful intercourse. There is help!
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 9981 Views
Wondering why you should be doing Kegels?
In my early days of being a pelvic floor PT, I was convinced I had the answer to all the woes of the pelvic floor. One word – Kegels. As I’ve developed professionally, I certainly realized Kegels have their place.
However, they do not have their place with all things related to the pelvic floor. There are specific instances when Kegels (also known as PC or pelvic floor muscle contractions) are the answer. I’m a firm believer in doing a Kegel program combined with a core strengthening program that will address the bigger picture. Here’s why you should be doing Kegels if you meet certain criteria:
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- Written by: Heather Jeffcoat, DPT
- 13725 Views
What are Kegels?
Kegels are a contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, sometimes referred to as “PC Contraction”. PC is short for “pubococcygeus”, the name of one of the many pelvic floor muscles.
However, after over a decade of practice, I have found that simply telling a patient to “Do Kegels” is usually not enough. Often, women perform pelvic floor exercises incorrectly, or do not do an amount appropriate for their strength levels. This finding has been confirmed by Bump et al in an August 1991 article from the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, “Assessment of Kegel pelvic muscles exercise performance after brief verbal instruction”.
