Monthly updates to help you achieve and maintain a healthy and happy bladder, core, and pelvic floor.
August 2021
This month's newsletter is a bit delayed because I am very happily enjoying some long overdue vacation time out west in CO with family and friends! The weather couldn't be better and the smoke of last year's Colorado fires is long gone, so we are enjoying beautiful, long summer days and balmy nights. I hope you have had the opportunity to take some relaxing time off this summer as well.
Promotion of the Month
I still have two free one-hour Postpartum
Readiness-to-Run Screening slots left, so if you or someone you know needs some guidance on how to safely hit that pavement again, be sure to claim your spot before they are gone!
Remember, there is no expiration, so even if you are expecting and not yet ready to run, you can still sign up. Click here to schedule.
You can also read more about safely returning to running after pregnancyhere.
In this study of 150 women, those who delivered with epidural analgesia (about half of the women in the study) had a higher incidence of pain with intercourse (43.2% vs 26.3%) at 6 months postpartum and had longer labor durations than those who delivered without epidural analgesia.
What really struck me is that even without using an epidural, the rate of pain at 6 months was 26.3%! I knew the rate was high from my experience as a pelvic PT, but this rate surprised even me.
This does not mean that epidurals should be avoided; they conclude that an epidural "is still worth recommending in view of its considerable benefit of relieving labor pain", but that the effect of increased pain with intercourse should be identified and managed. The takeaway: regardless of whether or not you get an epidural, if you still have pain with intercourse after your first few attempts following giving birth, be sure to
advocate for yourself and seek guidance from your physician and pelvic floor PT.
While many of theses types of lists exist, this one is the most comprehensive I've seen. After all the strange looks I got from my healthcare providers when I said I thought the heart palpitations I was experiencing were hormonally related, I was glad to finally see this unsettling symptom show
up on a list! Turns out we women are not that crazy—we know our bodies better than anyone else, so remember to always advocate for yourself.
This is one of the best articles I've seen explaining pelvic floor problems in men and what treatments can help. Almost all articles about the pelvic floor are about women. Often the prostate is incorrectly blamed, but many bothersome pelvic symptoms men complain of originate in the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor PT is not just for women!
See the video below for an interview about how pelvic floor physical therapy can help pelvic pain. We discuss the importance of normalizing pelvic floor muscle tension and holistically addressing related musculoskeletal dysfunctions. (If pressed for time, check out the
5:00 minute mark :-)
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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