Pelvic Health and Alignment

Recently, I have been keeping busy completing a Whole Body Alignment course with Katy Bowman and developing a pre-natal education program which I'm happy to share with you now! Introducing...  Body & Birth Physiotherapy Education, Alignment and Preparation for your Pregnancy and Beyond Pregnancy is an exciting and important time in a woman's life. It is also a time where your body is going through many changes and you have an opportunity to prepare yourself for the amazing feat that is childbirth.  Your body comes with all the equipment it needs to carry and deliver a baby, however the way that we use our bodies in this modern world has led to some of that equipment being ill prepared. This increases the risk of post-natal pelvic floor dysfunction, perineal tearing and the need for an emergency C-section.  Julie, my colleague, and I are both Pelvic Health Physiotherapists and often see post-natal problems that could have been prevented. Therefore, we...

Today's post is slightly different to most of the others. I've never written a book review before (outside of primary school), however I just had to share this particular one with you. Recently I was lucky enough to get my own copy of... Alignment Matters by Katy Bowman! My first impression was: Oh my gosh this woman is smart! If you've never heard of her, Katy Bowman is a biomechanist from the USA and teaches thousands of people easy ways to look after their body and keep it functioning the way that it should. I love this book from a Physio perspective as there is a huge focus on prevention of injury and maintaing (or gaining) whole body wellness. The information throughout the book is very well researched but also easy to read for people with lots or little health education. The book is a collection of the first five years of her blog, organised into relevant categories and body parts with each gem of knowledge presented in short chapters. Great if you don...

See Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Part 1 for information on what a prolapse is and some of the causing factors.  What can be done about it? !!Prevention!!:  As the support of the muscles underneath the pelvic organs decreases, the strain on the ligaments holding them increases and they eventually stretch beyond the point of no return. Ensuring good body alignment and m aintaining pelvic health and function of the muscles is key at any stage of life, but essential  during your pregnancy and leading up to delivery. Restoring optimal function of the core abdominal muscles and learning how to properly relax the pelvic floor muscles for bowel movements can help to decrease the overall pushing and strain required. Preparing your body for pregnancy to increase the space in the pelvic outlet (obstetrical conjugate) and yield of the pelvic floor muscles can help to decrease the amount of force required to get the baby out ( read less Valsava-ing ), as well as prevent perineal tea...