Prenatal Women’s Health
As women progress and grow through their pregnancy, there are many changes that occur, including postural and pressure changes within the abdomen. These can contribute to many physical and functional issues, such as abdominal muscle weakness, pubic symphysis pain, sacroiliac joint pain, pelvic/groin pain, hip pain, low back pain, rib pain/discomfort, urinary incontinence and prolapse. These symptoms can be common during pregnancy but they are not normal.
Many of the issues that arise during pregnancy can be a result of postural changes and a weakening, or rather an un-coordinated group of core muscles (which includes the diaphragm, pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles). It can be helpful to learn about your posture, breathing pattern and coordination of your pelvic floor with your breath so you can move well throughout your pregnancy. If you are having any of the above symptoms, one of our physiotherapists can help to manage the changes that occur throughout your pregnancy and treat the injuries or dysfunction to keep you moving.
Postnatal Women’s Health
After delivering a baby, (vaginally or via cesarean section), there are many women who continue to have urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, back pain and a diastasis rectus abdominis. Many of these symptoms can persist and do not resolve on their own. Our physiotherapists have a special interest in training post partum women on how to restore their optimal posture and core function, treating many of these symptoms and injuries. We use an external assessment approach to evaluate how you are coordinating your breath, pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles, as well as your posture and movement patterns. The focus is on teaching you how to properly coordinate this system and integrate it into your daily life or activities and combining it with exercises specific to your concern(s).
Diastasis Rectus Abdominis
We can assess for diastasis rectus abdominis and uses current research and evidence to properly rehabilitate this condition. Many previous treatment approaches recommend you do sit ups/curl ups while trying to bring your abdominals together. There is evidence to suggest this form of treatment is not as effective as the current approach of coordinating the core system as a whole (incorporating your pelvic floor and diaphragm).
Other Women’s Health Concerns
Whether or not you have had children, if you are experiencing urinary incontinence, symptoms of pelvic pain, hip pain, back pain, or you are a female recovering from an injury, Instil Physio can help you. Our physiotherapists, have a special interest in women’s health and retraining the core. Using an external method, we can teach you how to properly coordinate and activate your core (which includes your diaphragm, pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles) to address your concerns, whether recovering from an injury or suffering from incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. There is an abundance of research informing us that we need to be addressing your posture as well as how you breath and activate your core to help you recover from your injury and treat your symptoms.
**We would like you to know that we have a physiotherapist who is trained in Pelvic Health physiotherapy and is able to perform internal pelvic assessments and is able to diagnose injuries/conditions relating to the pelvic floor. We also have another physiotherapist who works closely with female athletes at all stages of life using an external approach to the pelvic floor. Our role is to train female athletes how to integrate their core system to meet the demands of their chosen sport/fitness activity. We address the system and how it is functioning pre and post natal. Our goal is to help you get back to your sport/fitness safely and successfully.