The Staff of Femina Physical Therapy Blogs About Vaginismus, Pregnancy and Postpartum Best Practices, Treatments for Incontinence, and More

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Studies Find Connection Between Diet and Sexual Function

cooked food — Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash

A 2019 study by Towe et al., found that certain medical issues including metabolic syndrome, obesity, and eating disorders have an effect on female sexuality. The study also found evidence that incorporating of healthy dietary patterns into everyday life may positively influence female sexuality.

Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity May Cause Female Sexual Dysfunction

According to the Mayo Clinic, Metabolic Syndrome is a “cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels. The syndrome increases a person's risk for heart attack and stroke.” Those with Metabolic Syndrome often have apple or pear shaped bodies.

Studies Show Mindfulness Can Help You Start and Stick with an Exercise Program

Man Meditating on a Dock — Photo by Simon Migaj (Unsplash)

Physical Activity has Psychological and Physical Benefits

Studies have shown that physical activity has many physical and psychological benefits. Staying physically active can increase happiness (Wang et al., 2012), improve health (Lee and Skerrett, 2001), and enhance quality of life (Penedo and Dahn, 2005).

Getting Started with a Problem Can Be Hard but Mindfulness Can Help

Dishman and Buckworth (1996) found that it is common for adults to quit an exercise program within the first 6 months of starting it, which decreases the chance for folks to fully receive the benefits of an exercise program. One factor that has been identified as helping people stick with an exercise program is satisfaction with physical activity.

In 2016 Tsafou et al. (2016) found that a mindfulness practice while you are exercising can increase

Can Mindfulness Help With Painful Sex? Part 1

Mindfulness Is More Than A Mindset

From bullet journals to hot yoga, and five minute breathing exercises to weekend meditation retreats, mindfulness is the hashtag-goals wellness buzzword of the moment… and rightly so. It’s hard to argue with all the documented health benefits of being fully present in your activities and relationships.

But is mindfulness a magic cure for painful sex? That’s what many of my patients have been told by well-meaning friends, partners, and even medical practitioners and professional counselors. And I’ll tell you what I tell them:

The pain isn’t in your head; it’s in your muscles. It’s in your nervous system. It’s a complex interplay of the two in many cases.

Stressed from the holidays?

Try some gentle yoga poses that can be done anywhere you have a little floor space for your yoga mat.

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Cat/Cow

Cat/Cow is a dynamic yoga movement that links breath with movement. It flows through two poses that warm up the spine, relax low back muscles, hip muscles, pelvic floor muscles, and calms the nervous system.

Details: Written by Nancy Hoi Wong OTD, OTR/L, RYT200; Published: 19 November 2019; Hits: 686

The Holidays can be stressful!

Fortunately, you can help the mind and body relax with these handy techniques.

Deep Breathing

Stress and chronic pain can lead to short and shallow breathing which adds tension to the diaphragm, abdomen, and pelvic floor. Encouraging the body to breathe deeply will unravel the tension inside the body, often held in between the ribs, in the low back, neck, shoulders, belly, and pelvic floor.

Details: Written by Nancy Hoi Wong OTD, OTR/L, RYT200; Published: 08 November 2019; Hits: 686

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Today, we’d like to highlight an important women’s health issue for females serving in the military - a higher risk of developing both vaginal and urinary tract infections while deployed.

Females in the Military

According to the Defense Department, women now make up 20 percent of the Air Force, 19 percent of the Navy, 15 percent of the Army and almost 9 percent of the Marine Corps. As such a large population, increased awareness and advocacy is needed to ensure that our female troops are getting the best medical care as possible.

I am starting to teach some Gentle Yoga classes at the Montrose office.

For those of you who may be curious about what Gentle Yoga is, here are some basics:

What is gentle yoga?

In general, gentle yoga is a way of practicing yoga in order to balance the body and calm the nervous system. You will explore a variety of poses to help you with flexibility and strength, all while using breath and movement to calm the mind.

November is Bladder Health Month!

Urinary incontinence is very common, affecting up to 1 in 3 women. Despite some common beliefs, leaking urine is not a normal part of aging and can be treated, especially with the help of a pelvic floor therapist. Today we’ll cover some common contributing factors that you can be mindful of to prevent urinary incontinence.

What is urinary incontinence?

Bladder Health Month and the Great American Smokeout - November 21st

In honor of both, today we are going to cover the damage that smoking nicotine products and tobacco use can do on the bladder.

Doctors have known for decades that smoking affects lung and heart health, greatly increasing risk of both lung cancer and heart disease. In recent research, they have been finding that smoking increases risk to various urologic diseases as well.

Details: Written by Nancy Hoi Wong OTD, OTR/L, RYT200; Published: 30 October 2019; Hits: 737

Sitting hunched over a desk and computer for hours will lead to a stiff neck and shoulders, a sore lower back and tight hips.

Throw in some office yoga to help refresh the body and mind, try these stretches at least 1x every 2 hours during your work day.

What are lubricants?

Lubricants are fluid or gel substances designed to offset genital dryness or inadequate natural lubrication which can be associated with discomfort or pain with sex or general activity. Lubes can be used for sexual activity, or just to alleviate dryness throughout the day.

User Rating: 5 / 5

Details: Written by Nancy Hoi Wong OTD, OTR/L, RYT200; Published: 30 October 2019; Hits: 3229

It’s transgender awareness week

Today’s post may be elementary to some but nonetheless important!

How is gender different from sexuality? How does gender exist outside the binary of male & female?

The Gender Unicorn is a brilliant resource developed by Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER) that shows the differences between gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, and physical & emotional attraction.

User Rating: 3 / 5

Details: Written by Nancy Hoi Wong OTD, OTR/L, RYT200; Published: 28 October 2019; Hits: 2325

Some patients are surprised about how much I ask them about their bowel movements. They are in the office to with pelvic floor dysfunction and problems like urinary incontinence or pain with sex - what does that have to do with poop?

Want to start a spin class? Afraid of returning to cycling because of knee pain or pelvic pain? Come see Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, or another therapist for an assessment of your form.

We love biking at Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy / Femina PT! We have a Peloton bicycle used to evaluate, modify and progress spinning and cycling routines. Our clinic director/owner Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, is our in-house spinning guru. She is here to help you with your form as well as how to fit the bike properly to your body.

Details: Written by Nancy Hoi Wong OTD, OTR/L, RYT200; Published: 21 October 2019; Hits: 686

Did you know that riding a bike that doesn’t fit your body can cause and exacerbate nerve and orthopedic problems?

Avoid nerve and joint pain with the following tips!

Before We Begin: Ask for Help

Wait, you're not a PT?

I often get questions from clients regarding how my training as an occupational therapist differs from my physical therapist co-workers here in the office. Today’s blog is a little overview.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) as “the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of enhancing or enabling participation in roles, habits, and routines in home, school, workplace, community, and other settings” (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014).

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Testimonials
- I was hopeful but frankly skeptical when the doctor treating me for Interstitial Cystitis recommended that I go to Heather for physical therapy. Medication and diet helped control my IC symptoms, but I had never heard of physical therapy being used to treat IC. The education and treatment I received from Heather was a revelation. She explained that the pain I experienced with IC had helped create a cycle of muscle guarding which affected the entire pelvic area. I had no idea of the amount of...
  
  Read more Testimonial by P.M.
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Testimonials
- I was hopeful but frankly skeptical when the doctor treating me for Interstitial Cystitis recommended that I go to Heather for physical therapy. Medication and diet helped control my IC symptoms, but I had never heard of physical therapy being used to treat IC. The education and treatment I received from Heather was a revelation. She explained that the pain I experienced with IC had helped create a cycle of muscle guarding which affected the entire pelvic area. I had no idea of the amount of...
  
  Read more Testimonial by P.M.
- More Testimonials...

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