How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help Women
My dream is for all women to have an evaluation with a Pelvic Health PT to learn a good pelvic floor strengthening program. Our Pelvic Floor is literally the foundation of our abdominal area and deserves its own workout routine. It does not take long, but can make a world of difference in the teens, child bearing years, during menopause and beyond.
I urge all the expectant and new mothers to take some time to do something for the health and wellness of the pelvic floor during pregnancy. There is so much time spent on making sure that the mother and baby get through pregnancy and delivery safely that the well being and function of the mom’s body is not always a priority. During pregnancy, labor and delivery, our bodies do amazing things but can also be damaged.
Whether a mother delivered vaginally or via caesarean, her core and pelvic floor will deserve some treatment after delivery. Some lucky women are able to bounce back and have no further issues. But for the larger majority, there are problems that can linger. These can pop up in a lot of ways soon after delivery or years after: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, back pain, that mommy tummy that won’t go away, pain with intercourse, pelvic organ prolapse or increased difficulty with resultant pregnancies.
These things may be common but they are not normal. They can be treated if they have occurred (even years later) and prevented with just a little bit of education for a Pelvic Health PT and daily self care. I recommend every woman who is planning to become pregnant or is newly pregnant see a Pelvic Health PT to get a customized strengthening program for during pregnancy. One to two months prior to delivery, Pelvic Health PTs can also help prescribe a stretching program to help get the pelvic floor muscles ready to birth the baby. Lastly, I feel every woman should see a pelvic floor therapist post partum. We can help with core strengthening, post birth damage and scarring to the perineum, pelvic and back pain after delivery and getting back to intimacy pain free.
With just a little work, self love and some lifestyle changes most women can greatly improve their quality of life from a little Pelvic Health PT.
Perfectly Yours,
Dr. Mo
