Hey Everyone,
Thank you for including me on your Stroller Strides workout Monday morning! It is always fun to join in on a workout with you and present. This is a review of what my presentation was on at the end of the workout. If there is anything you have questions on or want more information about, please let me know. Happy to be a resource for you!
I'm the owner of Mojo Physical Therapy and Trail Moms Coaching. For physical therapy I work with orthopedic injuries, pelvic health and visceral manipulation. I love taking a thorough look at how the entire body moves and works together to promote complete recovery from any pain or injury. With Trail Moms Coaching I provide health and lifestyle coaching to moms, focusing on health, wellness, fitness, nutrition, support systems, etc.
As a physical therapist, the main things I am looking for in your evaluation are:
- Posture and Alignment
o From the side, I want to see your ear, shoulder, bone on the outside of your hip (greater trochanter) and outside ankle bone (lateral malleolus) all create a straight line.
o From the front I want to see your ribs stacking on top of your hip bones
o During pregnancy, there is a lot of weight in the front and limited room for your diaphragm to move. This causes you to shift your weight forward towards your toes and flare your ribs. Staying in this position can cause neck/mid back and low back pain as well as other problems.
- Breath and Coordination with Breathing
o As mentioned above, with pregnancy your ribs flare open a bit to make breathing a little easier. Following pregnancy, we want you to coordinate the normal mechanics again.
o First thing to work on: diaphragmatic breathing. Place 1 hand on your chest and 1 hand on your belly. Take a slow, long inhale feeling the hand on your belly elevate as your top hand stays still. You can also start working on coordinating your pelvic floor with this exercise. As you inhale, your pelvic floor muscles lengthen and as you exhale they gently contract. Start by creating an awareness for this relationship.
- Diastasis and Core Stability
o Making sure you aren’t having a lingering diastasis/gap between your core, checking oblique mobility, and checking core stability.
o With core work, always exhale with the “work” portion of the exercise.
- Incontinence
o First we have to identify if you're experiencing stress or urge incontinence. Then we look at the pelvic floor muscles and isee if they are too tight or weak. Kegels aren’t always the answer. Check with a pelvic floor PT to diagnose what you are having.
- Pelvic Pain and Pressure
o If you’re having pelvic pressure with activity, discontinue that activity and rest. You’re pushing yourself a little too much.
o With both of these symptoms, talk with a pelvic health PT
As a health coach the main things I am addressing are:
- Stress Levels and how we can manage/address them
- Circle of Support
o Even just having a list of contacts that can help you can already help with stress.
- Nutrition
o Are you getting enough food and giving yourself time to eat
- Activities/Scheduling and how to fit everything into your busy lifestyle
If you need any additional resources, information on pelvic floor physical therapy or health coaching don’t hesitate to reach out!
Find more information on Mojo Physical Therapy at mojophysicaltherapy.com
Find more information on Trail Moms Coaching at trailmomscoaching.com
Hope to talk with you soon,
- Brittany