Your Pelvic Floor Matters More Than You Think
Five ways pelvic floor therapy can help, a year-end benefits reminder, plus a recipe, an exercise and a quick game. Jump to anything in this issue from the menu.
Understanding Your Pelvic Floor
How pelvic floor therapy can help
Bladder leaks when you laugh. Pelvic pressure during a workout. Pain that makes intimacy uncomfortable. These concerns may seem unrelated, but they can all have something in common: your pelvic floor.
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Your pelvic floor is a sling of internal muscles that supports your bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs. When everything’s working as it should, you probably won’t think much about it. But when those muscles become too weak, too tense, or poorly coordinated, it can lead to a range of often surprising symptoms.
Fortunately, these symptoms aren’t something you have to live with. At Ability Physiotherapy, we offer pelvic floor therapy, a specialized form of physiotherapy that can help identify the factors contributing to those symptoms and develop a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Five Ways Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Improve Your Pelvic Health
1. Bladder Leakage and Urinary Urgency
Urinary incontinence is probably more common than you realize, even if it’s a symptom most people don’t like to talk about. It can manifest in different ways, too: some people might leak urine while coughing or laughing, while others experience a sudden, difficult-to-control urge to urinate or find themselves making frequent trips to the bathroom.
Because the pelvic floor helps control bladder function, pelvic floor therapy is often an important part of incontinence management. Techniques such as pelvic floor exercises, bladder training, and breathing strategies can help improve pelvic floor coordination and pressure management, thereby improving bladder control during everyday activities.
2. Pregnancy and Prenatal Pelvic Health
Pregnancy places new demands on the entire body–including the pelvic floor. As the body changes, some people experience pelvic symptoms, such as pressure or pain in the area.
Our team offers prenatal pelvic floor therapy to help you understand these changes and prepare your body for pregnancy, delivery, and recovery. We can work with you to improve pelvic floor coordination, relaxation, and strengthening, and share movement strategies, breathing techniques, and other options for managing changing physical demands.
And throughout the process, your care will reflect your stage of pregnancy and individual goals.
3. Postpartum Recovery
Pelvic floor therapy isn’t just for prenatal care, however. After all, your body continues to change after delivery, and many women experience pelvic floor symptoms as they recover from both vaginal and Cesarean births.
Pelvic floor therapy can help address a range of common postpartum concerns, including:
- Urinary or bowel leakage
- Pelvic pain or pressure
- Abdominal muscle weakness
- Diastasis recti
- Pain during sexual activity
- Difficulty returning to exercise
- Changes in pelvic floor strength or coordination
4. Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when one or more pelvic organs move downward and create pressure against the vaginal walls. You might notice heaviness, pressure, or a bulging sensation, and symptoms often worsen after prolonged standing or physical activity.
While pelvic floor therapy can’t correct every prolapse, it can play an important role in helping you manage your symptoms using a variety of treatment techniques, including:
- Pelvic floor muscle training
- Deep breathing techniques
- Pressure management
- Activity modifications
- Strategies for lifting or exercising comfortably.
5. Lower Back Pain
One of the more surprising pelvic floor complaints might initially seem like it doesn’t involve the pelvic floor at all. Sometimes, lower back pain can suggest an issue in the pelvic floor rather than the back itself.
The reason for this is that the pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolation. It coordinates with your core, diaphragm, hips, and spinal muscles to manage pressure and support movement. In some cases, dysfunction in the pelvic floor and pain in the lower back are related.
That’s not to say that every case of lower back pain is tied to the pelvic floor. But if your back discomfort occurs alongside symptoms like urinary incontinence or pelvic pain, it might be worth scheduling an appointment with our pelvic floor physiotherapist.
Build Better Pelvic Health With Personalized Support
Pelvic health concerns can have a big impact on your quality of life, but you don’t have to wait until your symptoms become severe before asking for help.
At Ability Physiotherapy, our pelvic floor therapists can assess your symptoms and personal goals to build an individualized plan to help improve pelvic floor function and support the activities that matter to you.
Ready to take a more active role in your pelvic health? Contact us today to schedule an assessment and learn how pelvic floor therapy may help you feel and function better.
Health Benefits Expiring at Year’s End? Put Them to Work
If you have extended health benefits, now’s the time to take a closer look to see if you have any remaining coverage that might be expiring at the end of the year. You may be able to use them at Ability Physiotherapy toward care that helps you move better, manage pain, and stay active.
How to Check Your Benefits
Start by reviewing your insurance portal, benefits booklet, or employer plan information. Look for:
Your Benefit-Year Dates
Confirm your plan follows the calendar year.
Your Available Coverage
Check how much coverage remains for physiotherapy or other eligible services, such as acupuncture or chiropractic care.
Referral Requirements
Certain plans may require a physician’s referral before they will reimburse for physiotherapy or other services.
Family Benefits
Review coverage for each insured family member, since individual limits may apply.
Put Your Benefits Toward Better Movement
You don’t have to be injured to benefit from services covered by your extended insurance benefits! At Ability Physiotherapy, services such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and acupuncture can address a wide range of goals, including:
- Managing pain from osteoarthritis or other long-term conditions
- Improving overall strength, mobility, and function to help you feel better in day-to-day life
- Helping you find ways to stay active
Plan Ahead With Ability Physiotherapy
Appointments can become harder to schedule as the end of the year approaches. Check your coverage now and book early if you have benefits you would like to use. And if you need help navigating your extended insurance, our team is happy to help.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment and take a practical step toward feeling and moving better.
Nutrition Corner
Crispy, Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries
For sweet potato fries that actually stay crisp, all you need is your oven and a clever cornstarch trick.
For the Fries:
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons white rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 (12 ounces each) sweet potatoes, trimmed, cut in half crosswise, and cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks
Seasoned Salt:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning; for table salt, use half as much by volume
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Fry Sauce (optional):
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Add oil to prepared sheet and tilt sheet until surface is evenly coated with oil. In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk water and cornstarch, making sure no lumps of cornstarch remain on bottom of bowl. Microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, until mixture begins to thicken, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and continue stirring until mixture thickens to a thin yogurt-like consistency. (If necessary, after microwaving, add up to 3 tablespoons additional water to achieve correct consistency.)
- Add rice flour and baking soda to cornstarch mixture and whisk to combine. Add cut sweet potato sticks and toss until each is evenly coated. Transfer fries to prepared baking sheet, arranging them in a single layer with one flat cut side down, and space between each piece. (Some cornstarch mixture will remain in bowl.)
- Bake until bottoms are beginning to brown and fries easily release from pan, about 20 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and, using a thin spatula, loosen the fries and carefully flip taking care not to tear. Rotate pan and return to oven to continue to bake until second sides are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- For the Fry Sauce: While fries bake, in a small bowl, whisk together mayo, ketchup, sriracha, vinegar, and garlic powder.
- Sprinkle fries with prepared salt mixture and toss fries to distribute seasoning evenly. Transfer fries to paper towel–lined platter and let cool about 5 minutes. Serve fries with prepared sauce, if desired.
Exercise of the Month
Dead Bug
Focus area: core and lower back. Lie down on your back with your arms by your sides, your knees bent to 90-degrees, and your feet on the floor. Raise one arm up straight and one knee up towards the ceiling at the same time. Your arm should stay straight and be pointing straight up at the top and your knee should be at 90-degrees and be pointing straight up at the top. Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side. 3 Sets, 10 Reps.
3
SETS
10
REPS
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Exercise of the Month
Exercise
Focus area: core and lower back. Lie down on your back with your arms by your sides, your knees bent to 90-degrees, and your feet on the floor.…
Pelvic Health Checklist
Check off the steps you’re taking to look after your pelvic floor and support your bladder, core, and back in everyday life!
I know my pelvic floor supports my bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs, and that it works together with my core, diaphragm, hips, and back.
I pay attention to bladder leaks, sudden urges, or frequent trips to the bathroom instead of accepting them as normal.
I use breathing strategies and pressure management when I lift, exercise, or stay active.
I ask about pelvic floor support during pregnancy and as I recover after delivery.
I mention heaviness, pressure, or a bulging sensation, especially after long periods of standing or activity, to a physiotherapist.
I consider whether my lower back pain shows up alongside pelvic symptoms like leaks or pelvic pain.
I book a pelvic floor assessment early rather than waiting for my symptoms to become severe.
Game Zone
Take a quick break and play. Unscramble the word or decide: myth or fact?
Feel and Function Better With Pelvic Floor Therapy
Bladder leaks, pelvic pressure, pregnancy and postpartum changes, diastasis recti, prolapse symptoms or lower back pain linked to your pelvic floor: you don’t have to live with them. At Ability Physiotherapy, our pelvic floor physiotherapists build an individualized plan around your symptoms and goals. Call us today to schedule your assessment!
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