Is your foam roller collecting dust? Or, maybe you’re just not quite sure what to do with it? ![]()
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Give these exercises a try:![]()
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🪄static chest opening stretch: lay on the foam roller so your tailbone and head are supported. Open arms straight out to the side or for a more intense stretch with elbows bent in a🌵shape. ![]()
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🪄thoracic mobility: place the foam roller just below the shoulder blades horizontally and do a small “crunch” with back bend. You can also loosen up the muscles running along the length of the spine by rolling back and forth as shown in the second video 🎥. ![]()
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🪄 abdominal strengthening: take your usual ab exercise and make it more challenging by doing it on an unstable surface. The position of your arms will change your stability too. Bent arms 💪🏻will be more challenging. ![]()
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Now that you’ve broken a sweat 😓 and stretched and massaged that mid back, let us know what you think! Got any other favorite exercises with a foam roller we missed?? Let us know 👇🏼![]()
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PS. More videos and pictures on our Instagram @ptforpelvichealth. Check them out!!
Last post we discussed the pelvic floor myth that having a c-section means your pelvic floor won’t need any rehab after delivery. ![]()
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Today we want to give you a few ideas for exercises you can do shortly after your cesarean to address your core and pelvic floor. ![]()
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Diaphragmatic Breathing:![]()
✨ How: inhale through the nose, allow belly to rise, pelvic floor to open and rib cage to expand![]()
✨ Why: helps improve pelvic floor and diaphragm proprioception![]()
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Clam shells:![]()
✨ How: lie on your side with knees bent. Exhale as you lift your knee just past hip level. Inhale to lower. Repeat on opposite side. ![]()
✨ Why: glute medius and external hip rotation help support pelvic floor muscles. ![]()
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Bridges:![]()
✨ How: lie on your back knees bent. Exhale lift your hips from the ground. Stay in a pain free range - no tugging on your incision should be felt. ![]()
✨ Why: glute max also is an accessory muscle supporting the pelvic floor. ![]()
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Pelvic Floor Contractions:![]()
(No video because when you do these right, no one will be able to tell!) ![]()
✨ How: exhale as you close and lift your pelvic muscles. Aiming to engage about 50%. Inhale fully to relax and release the muscles. ![]()
✨ Why: contracting 50% will help ensure you don’t excessively engage your abdominal muscles.![]()
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Remember to follow your doctor’s orders and know these exercises are typically safe assuming there were no complications with your delivery. If in doubt, give your local pelvic PT a call. She will be able to provide you specific exercises to address your particular needs and concerns.
In honor of c-section awareness month, let’s do a little pelvic floor myth busting! 🤓![]()
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Your pelvic floor plays an important role in stabilizing our pelvis and supporting our pelvic organs (and a growing babe). 🤰🏻![]()
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During pregnancy and after, we become even more reliant on these muscles thanks to the changes from all those circulating pregnancy hormones (thanks, relaxin 😖). ![]()
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Oh, and those hormones? They can continue circulating at higher than pre-pregnancy levels up to 6 months after delivery or longer if you breastfeed. 😯![]()
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You wouldn’t neglect your abs if you had a vaginal delivery, so don’t neglect your pelvic floor just because you had a cesarean. 💪🏻![]()
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Not sure where to start? Check back next week for a few ideas!
I often field calls from prospective new patients who want to know if we offer biofeedback (yes, we do by the way 🙃). ![]()
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For those folks that like to do their research, they see that the literature 📚supports biofeedback as one of the most effective forms of treatment for a number of pelvic floor conditions. ![]()
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What is biofeedback anyway??![]()
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Biofeedback is a way of gaining greater body awareness and control with the help of external feedback. Sometimes that involves a fancy machine, sometimes it’s simply a tactile cue — a fancy way of saying touch. 👈🏻![]()
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Even if you didn’t realize it, you likely have done a form of biofeedback with your physical therapist, but if you ever have questions — ask!! Knowledge is power 🤓, and you always have the right to better understand the treatment approach you physical therapist (or any doctor for that matter) is using.
“Speeze” (n): when sneezing and leaking happens at the same time. ![]()
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If this is you every spring (thanks, pollen 🙄), it’s time to call your local pelvic floor physical therapist. ![]()
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Sure, leaking is common. In fact, some studies show 75% of women will experience leaking at some point. 👀 But, just because it’s common, doesn’t mean you have to live with it. ![]()
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Medically speaking, there are different ways to address leaking with surgery and medications. The good news is those aren’t your only options! ![]()
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Give your local pelvic floor PT a call and learn more about how they can help you - no surgery required!