PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY
My favorite PT accounts: @empoweryourpelvis, @disruptphysiotherapy (Rachel is my PT!), @thevaginawhisperer, @genesisptwellness
Prior to my standard 6 week postpartum checkup I had no clue what pelvic floor physical therapy was. At my checkup I was referred to a PT and I’m so glad I was! This is not standard though- and now that I know more I can see that it was actually rare that my midwife just initiated the referral. This is sometimes hard to get. Depending on where you live you have to get a referral before seeing a PT. Each state is different.
Pelvic floor therapy is a very underrated/unknown specialty that (in my opinion) all women need to take advantage of.
My experience with is has obviously just been for postpartum care but women of all ages can benefit from seeing a PT.
Why see a PT?
Possible reasons: incontinence issues, pelvic area pain, pain with intercourse, prolapse or heaviness symptoms, feelings of urgency with needing to use the restroom, diastasic recti, postpartum rehab, post-surgery rehab, tailbone pain, dryness, c-section recovery, core muscle weakness, muscle spasms, overactive bladder, bladder pain, sciatica, low back pain, etc…. the list could go on and on.
When you go see a PT you likely will have a pelvic exam if you consent to that and if you need one based on symptoms. I personally had one and it was very informative and not anything that made me feel uncomfortable. There was no pain. I’ve seen two different PT’s and both of them made me feel at ease and it wasn’t awkward or anything.
It’s standard practice in some other countries to send all postpartum mamas to PT but of course that’s not the case in the U.S. It’s really a disservice to new mamas because pregnancy does a number on your body and your core and it needs to be rehabbed. My PT (whom I LOVE) gave me a good analogy once. She said, you wouldn’t have knee surgery or hip surgery and then just be sent on your way without any rehab. Pregnancy should be treated the same. Regardless of how you gave birth, this was a big event and your body needs to be strengthened and rehabbed.
PT isn’t just for postpartum mamas though. Women of all ages can benefit and from my research I see that sometimes when women hit menopause things can go south due to hormone changes so really, PT can benefit ALL women of ALL ages (& even men!).
I’ve really benefited from seeing a PT during the postpartum period. There is a big misconception that you have a baby and then your body just goes back to normal & that’s not the case, especially if you’re breastfeeding. When you breastfeed, your body produces the relaxin hormone that continues to keep your ligaments/tissues loose. It takes several months after you’re done breastfeeding for your hormones to regulate and for your estrogen to go back up (low estrogen affects your laxity down there as well).
Due to my own journey, I’ve really become WAY more educated on our pelvic floor and I’ll share more in the future I’m sure but this is just a little intro to it!
Have you gone to pelvic floor therapy? If so- tell me how it has helped you!
Did you know your pelvic floor is part of your “fight/flight” muscles? The pelvic floor consists of the muscles that help you urinate and have bowel movements (yes, for men also), and the muscles that help you give birth.
When we are chronically stressed, these muscles are often overly tight and hyper-contracted. Eventually, they get tired, and can’t relax, which will create issues in the pelvic floor.
Vagus nerve stimulation can help train our bodies to relax the pelvic floor from this hypertonic state, but it must be done consistently to achieve the results. Many people are told that their pelvic floor issues are due to weak muscles, which may be true, in some cases, but it can also be connected to hypertonic (right & contracted) muscles caused by chronic stress or traumatic experiences.
Many women don’t have issues with pelvic floor health until after they give birth, but that doesn’t mean the issues weren’t there prior to having a baby or being pregnant. Those muscles and ligaments are connected to the abdominal wall, which is connected to vagus nerve and our fight/flight response.
Integrating vagus nerve stimulation and other forms of relaxation techniques, including breath work can have tremendous positive impacts on the whole body, including the pelvic floor.
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