By Melinda Fontaine Back By Popular Demand: Here is the sequel to my 8 Pregnancy Tips. This is what a Pelvic PT/Mom wants you to know about labor and delivery. First off, you have little to no control over it. This can seem scary, so it is important to be flexible. I am a supporter of birth “plans”; I even …
8 Pregnancy Tips from a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist /Mom
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek I recall being eight months pregnant treating other pregnant women or new moms. I would always hear, “How are you still working full time on your feet?” I still think the most honest answer is, “Pure luck”. Every pregnancy is different, and there are a lot of things that are out of …
Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner! Proper Body Mechanics for Parents
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT Having a baby is like running a marathon with your pelvic floor and pelvic girdle muscles. Did you know that: 65% of women who had low back or pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy reported persitent symptoms 14 months after delivery1 20 -70 % of new moms experience stress urinary incontinence 2 24% of women still experience …
How to Fix a Diastasis Recti
Most women seem to accept that pregnancy/childbirth changes their bodies. But, what many don’t realize is that some of these changes can be fixed. One of those “fixable” changes includes a diastasis recti (DR) (translation: the separation of the abdominal muscles), which occurs due to pregnancy. In this post, I’m going to give you a complete overview of diastasis recti, …
C-Section Scar: Problems and Solutions
Postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation is a big part of what we do at PHRC, and a major issue that we treat for new moms involves C-section scarring. In this post, we’re going to discuss the issues that can arise as a result of a C-section scar as well as how these issues can be addressed with the help of a PT. …
Pelvic Pain: The Role of Scar Tissue
Scar tissue is a common contributing factor to pelvic pain. The good news is: it’s an issue that’s highly treatable with PT. In this blog, I plan to give you the rundown of how scar tissue can impair the pelvic floor as well as how PT and self-treatment can successfully treat these impairments. Before we get into what scar tissue …
Pelvic Floor Rehab: It’s Time to Treat New Moms Right
After her first pregnancy, Angela gave birth to a beautiful 7 lb, 3 oz, baby girl. More than six months after leaving the hospital, baby was healthy and thriving, however, the same couldn’t be said for Mom. Mentally, she was full of joy over being a mom, but physically…well, physically, she just didn’t feel right. For one thing, every time …
PT for Pelvic Girdle Pain during Pregnancy
One of the issues we treat regularly at our clinics is prenatal and postnatal pain. Although discomfort or pain during and after pregnancy is an extremely common problem, like other pelvic pain syndromes, it’s often mistreated, misunderstood, or ignored by the medical community. So you can imagine my delight when I came across an article this month on the topic …