Pelvic Floor & More
Monthly updates to help you achieve and maintain a healthy and happy bladder, core, and pelvic floor.
May 2021
This is my favorite month of the year—we get to honor our mothers and mother-figures in our lives, celebrate graduations, get a break from the routine of school, welcome college kids home, and look forward to summer vacations—overall it just feels joyful and hopeful! I hope that this is the May that is greeting all of you 😊🌺🌼
What's new at My Pelvic Therapy?
I have received a lot of questions over the past few months about safely returning to exercise after having a baby, and more specifically, how to safely return to running. I decided to do a deep dive into the research, and learned that there is really not much quality research on the subject at all! I was, however, able
to find an excellent guide which was put together by some physical therapists in the UK in 2019, and I break those guidelines down for easier consumption in my most recent blog entry.
If you have an idea for my next pelvic floor-related deep dive, hit reply and let me know! I enjoy digging into the research and helping make it more accessible 📖
It's Dad's turn! With Mother's Day behind us, we turn our focus to the men in our lives who have had such a profound affect on us. Get 20% off a gift
card of any amount for dad, good towards any offered services for men. Just enter code THANKSDAD20 at checkout to receive the discount. Through June 30, 2021. (Gift cards do not
expire.)
Partial Squats
This a terrific exercise to strengthen the pelvic girdle muscles which help stabilize our pelvis and lend power to our pelvic floor muscles. You can maximize this affect by leaning forward at the hips, keeping your back straight, as you see in the picture. If balance is a problem for you, hold onto the back of a sturdy chair
for support as you perform this exercise.
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Stand with feet about shoulder width apart
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Partially squat down as in the picture, leaning forward at your hips and sticking your bottom out as if you are going to sit down
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Return to starting position.
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Repeat up to 10 times to start, every other day. As you get stronger, you can work up to 2-3 sets of 10 every other day. You can also add a light dumbell as in the picture, which is a nice way to increase the difficulty of the exercise.
Note: If you have knee pain during this exercise, try not to squat down as far, and do fewer reps; if the pain persists, stop and discuss with your healthcare practitioner.
(Remember: it is important to check with your healthcare practitioner BEFORE starting any new exercise program. If you are unsure if you are doing this exercise correctly or have any pain, stop and discuss with your healthcare practitioner, or schedule a free virtual appointment with me for help.)
What's new from around the Web? This month I'm highlighting three areas that are often neglected in the medical world: sexual dysfunction in menopause, endometriosis, and urinary complaints in men.
Women who slept poorly were nearly twice as likely to report issues such as lack of sexual interest or pleasure than women who got good quality sleep, and unsurprisingly, good quality sleep was linked with having more sexual activity. If you struggle with sleep, here are some tips to try. Don't be afraid to discuss with your healthcare provider if you cannot get the shut-eye you need! We have to be our own best advocates😊
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I'll warn you ahead that this is a long read, but it is fascinating and excellent. Endometriosis is a painful and often debilitating ailment which impacts one in 10 women, as well as trans men and nonbinary people who menstruate—that is a lot of suffering people.
In this article, read about how bioengineer and endometriosis-sufferer Linda Griffith at MIT is "reframing endometriosis as a key to unlocking some of biology's greatest secrets".
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The medical world for some reason has long ignored the fact that men have pelvic floor muscles too—this does a great disservice to men, as often simple exercises and strategies can significantly improve urinary symptoms and pelvic pain. Thankfully, this seems to finally be changing, albeit slowly!
This new systematic review found that practicing self-management techniques can help with lower urinary tract symptoms (urgency, frequency, urination hesitancy, dribbling, and voiding at night) as much as taking medications. The self-management techniques included:
- adjusting the timing of when patients drank fluids
- reducing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol
- adjusting the schedules of or replacing medications for other conditions
- adjusting patients’ habits for urinating
- performing pelvic floor exercises for better performance of muscles controlling urination.
The study's author concluded “Self-management interventions for lower urinary tract symptoms should be considered as a cheap and safe alternative to drug interventions with unfavorable safety profiles.” In other words, give pelvic floor PT a try! Important to note: they excluded men from the study who had undergone prostate surgery, had prostate cancer, and men with neurologic conditions.
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See below for my latest blog entries
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| Running after Pregnancy
By: Angela Fishman, PT
Published: May 07, 2021
Continue Reading |
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| Validation for Pelvic Floor Experiences
By: Angela Fishman, PT
Published: February 12, 2021
Continue Reading |
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Thanks for reading! Are there other topics related to the pelvic floor and core that you would like to know more about? Hit reply and let me know! I just may include them next month 😊
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My passion is helping busy people find peace and confidence in their bladder, core & pelvic floor through online physical therapy & wellness coaching. To learn more, click below and schedule a free consultation, or email me in confidence at angela@mypelvictherapy.com. I'm happy to
help 😊
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Owner | My Physical Therapy, PLLC | VirtualPT
angela@mypelvictherapy.com
224-255-7678
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