BY PHRC Admin Team All those who are pregnant and/or postpartum can benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy given the crucial role these muscles play during delivery and how prevalent dysfunction is after birth. Pelvic floor physical therapy reduces the risk of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain. Similar to other diagnoses we treat, many …
Common Pelvic Floor Health Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MSPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack The pelvic floor plays a significant role in several crucial functions, including bowel health, sexual function, and balance. However, certain common habits and misconceptions can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. Did you know we were featured in an Insider magazine article? Let’s review these common mistakes and hopefully give you a few ways …
Success Story! Jackie’s Postpartum Recovery at PHRC
By Alexa Savitz, DPT, PHRC Pasadena Meet Jackie! Jackie, six months postpartum, came to PHRC experiencing heaviness, pressure, muscle spasms around the rectum, and pelvic pain near her right hamstring and sit bone. She had a vacuum-assisted vaginal birth and a Grade Two Perineal Tear. Despite being ‘cleared for activity’ at her six-week check-up, her pain persisted. After consulting …
6 Unexpected Reasons to See a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Pasadena Urinary leaking during sneezing and coughing is common. Constipation affects millions of people. Irritative bladder symptoms plague women at multiple points in their life for a number of reasons, and bother men too. If one stops to think about orthopedic surgeries for broken ankles and shoulder dysfunction, why isn’t pelvic floor physical …
As The Pelvis Turns: Top Blogs of 2023
By PHRC Admin Team As we find ourselves on the cusp of a new year, it’s time to take a nostalgic walk down memory lane and revisit the top blogs of 2023. This year has been a rollercoaster ride, filled with insightful discussions, enlightening discoveries, and inspiring stories from all across the globe. So, let’s wrap up the year …
What to Expect at a Prepartum/Postpartum Evaluation
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles During prepartum/postpartum evaluations, a physical therapist will take an extensive medical history. Following the history, the PT will perform a thorough external and internal musculoskeletal exam. Your evaluation should include: Musculoskeletal: An assessment of structure, muscles, tissue, joints and manual evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles. We can identify problematic …
Common Prepartum Symptoms and Their Treatments
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles If you are expecting, plan to be in the future or know someone that is, here are some common Prepartum symptoms! Low back pain- Foot and back pain are due to hormonal and musculoskeletal changes. Studies have shown that 40% to 60% of women will experience back pain during pregnancy and …
Hormonal Prepartum Changes and Postpartum Complaints
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Hormones play a vital role in day-to-day function. They allow for the organs to communicate with each other so that we can filter toxic waste, grow muscle, sleep well . . . . and even grow a human! Let’s take a look at what happens during pregnancy: Estrogen goes up, elevating …
Pain Interventions for Labor and Birth With a Partner
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, Birth Doula When it comes to pain management during labor, most of us think of medical interventions such as an epidural or pain medication. Did you know that there are things that your doula, support person, midwife, partner or even OB can do to decrease pain? When I’m working with patients to help them prepare …
Announcing Virtual Pregnancy + Postpartum Pelvic Health Services
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco Virtual appointments are now available for those who are pregnant and postpartum! We are excited to offer this service to birthing people around the world. Whether you are pregnant and are interested in learning more about how to prepare your body for birth or need help developing a birth plan and …
A Peripartum Product Guide for Pregnant Friends by a Pelvic Floor PT
What does a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist gift her pregnant friends at their baby showers? By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco Working in the medical field places one in a unique position when it comes to relationships with family and friends. Frequently I’ll receive questions about aches and pains, emails asking for advice, etc. Working in …
Meditation & Yoga for Pelvic Pain Relief [Videos Links Included]
By admin Wondering what you can do besides pelvic floor physical therapy for your pelvic pain? This week we compiled the yoga sessions our PT, Melissa Patrick, has been hosting on our Instagram. Find the best yoga session for you based on the pelvic pain you are experiencing directly below its description. Yoga for Pudendal Neuralgia Working with …
Pregnancy Awareness Month- Pregnancy & Postpartum Services
By Stephanie A. Prendergast, DPT, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles With May being Pregnancy Awareness Month, we wanted to share an overview of the pregnancy and postpartum services we offer here at the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center. Along with the overview we will discuss what to expect in your appointment with additional blogs, videos and general pregnancy and postpartum …
Considerations of Musculoskeletal Harm Reduction During Labor and Birth
View PostPregnancy Hormones 101
Pregnancy is wild. Someone is walking around growing a human being. It blows my mind every time I see a pregnant person and here at The Pelvic Health & Rehabilitation Center, we get to see a lot of pregnant people! Now a lot of things happen during pregnancy, and hormones are a big key player in the process. You may …
The 4th Trimester: Postpartum Pelvic Pain is Common but Not Normal
By: Courtney Edgecomb, DPT Postpartum Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is increasingly utilized to help new moms recover from pregnancy and delivery. Is pain normal after giving birth? Of course that is an extremely open-ended question and I would get different answers from almost every single mom (and from each of her pregnancies). But it is hard to tease out what …
Can Chiropractic Care Help Pregnancy and Labor?
By: Dr. Kandyce Mutter, BScKin, DC ICPA Webster Certified There’s no question that a woman goes through tremendous changes during the nine months of pregnancy. The most obvious physical changes that are likely to affect the spine will begin to occur during the second trimester. As the uterus grows to accommodate the fetus, the lumbar curve of the spine will …
5 Easy Exercises to Help Ease Pregnancy Aches and Pains
By Sigourney Cross, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Pelvic and low back pain during pregnancy affects up to two-thirds of women and can start anytime from the first trimester to months after giving birth.1 This is due to a couple of reasons. First, there is a change in your hormone levels. Increased levels of the hormones relaxin, estrogen and progesterone begin …
Childbirth Medical Interventions and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
By: Admin As a pregnant woman and pelvic floor physical therapist, I am surrounded by stories, advice, and opinions about the right way to give birth. Most of us know that pregnancy and childbirth often result in trauma to the pelvic floor and perineum, which can lead to incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and painful sex, among other things. …
Reducing perineal trauma during labor and delivery
By Stephanie Prendergast, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Who doesn’t love a crowning baby cake? If our image didn’t catch your eye the title of this post probably did if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. Last week we presented a pelvic health quiz about the role of the pelvic floor muscles play in childbirth. This week we …
What women do and don’t know about childbirth and their pelvic floor muscles
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Los Angeles Recently, a number of studies were published on what women do and don’t know about their pelvic floor muscles, childbirth, and longer-term pelvic health. How much do you actually know? Take our quiz and find out! If you do not know the answers, don’t fret. You are amongst 93% of …
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