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My journey towards becoming a pelvic health PT began with my own path towards motherhood.  I got pregnant and got curious about preventing injury in myself both during and after delivery.  Over time, I began to collect skills to serve pregnant and post-partum people at the clinic, and it became an area of specialty.  Those skills expanded to include persons without children with pelvic pain, constipation, erectile dysfunction, etc. but the vast majority of my patients in this space were under 40.  Then something interesting happened…I got older, and so did my clients.   One of the gifts of being a physical therapist is forming relationships with people in your community, and serving as a care provider for them intermittently throughout their lifetime.  I noticed that the people I once cared for in the early days of parenthood were now corralling teenagers.  There was a group of clients returning to the office in their 40s and 50s with new symptoms and new concerns.  They were people entering the phase of life described as perimenopause, and they had questions.  As it happens, so did I.   If menopause describes the phase of life when one no longer menstruates, perimenopause is the time that […]

Have you noticed an increased bulge in your lower abdomen?  You know the one…the lower belly pooch that won’t go away regardless of your eating or exercise habits?  You’re not alone!  We at Thrive are here to help explain why you’re seeing what you’re seeing, and how we can help. The lower abdominal belly bulge is common amongst all persons regardless of gender or age, and is a sign of muscle coordination issues in the abdominal wall.  For the purposes of this blog, we are going to use toileting mechanics to illuminate common and treatable abdominal muscle dysfunction that contributes to this belly bulge.  Ultimately, bowel and bladder habits tell us a lot about pelvic floor muscles, the abdominal wall, and diaphragm function. For example, in order to eliminate liquid or solid waste, there needs to be a slight increase in abdominal pressure prior to evacuation.  This pressure signals to the pelvic floor that it should relax and allow the passage of stool from the rectum or urine from the bladder. This cycle should be fluid.   Ideally, one experiences a sensation that suggests that the bowel or bladder needs to empty, goes to the toilet, and easily eliminates waste.  It’s like turning on […]

The physical therapy goals in the conservative management of scoliosis include halting curve progression and preventing surgery, addressing spinal pain syndromes, managing respiratory dysfunction, improving aesthetics and body image. In addition to Schroth physical therapists employ an array of manual techniques including joint mobilization, myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization, crainosacral therapy, visceral mobilization and neuromuscular stretching techniques.