This post was written by Jill Jennings – Orthopedic and Pelvic Health Physical Therapist at Limitless Therapy and Wellness. You can reach her directly at jill@limitlesstherapyandwellness.com!
So many times we chat about things with our girlfriends and just assume they are a normal part of life…
…because of our age
…because we had kids
…because we run and jump or train hard
…because pain is to be expected at this point in our lives
Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you?
- Chronic hip and knee pain
- Chronic low back pain
- Your back periodically “goes out”
- Painful sex or pain with GYN exams
- Leaking urine when you cough or sneeze
- Unable to run or jump without leaking
- Deep butt or pubic bone pain
- Pelvis is “out of alignment”
- Your core looks/feels weak despite training
- Lower ab “pooch” despite all the workouts
- Chronic constipation
- Tight hip and glutes despite stretching
- Waking up to urinate multiple times a night or feeling like you have a UTI without an actual infection
- Your abdomen bulges when you do a crunch
- Your stomach doesn’t look like it used to
- Unable to go to boot-camp workouts or CrossFit because of fear of leaking or pain
All of these are symptoms that point to possible pelvic floor dysfunction!
They are COMMON, BUT NOT NORMAL…You shouldn’t accept or ignore these symptoms!
I want women to understand that the pelvic floor is NOT an isolated system…
The CORE is not simply our “ab muscles” that get stronger with planks and sit ups! It is a complex, integrated group of muscles that includes the diaphragm, deep abdominals, AND the pelvic floor.
Who knew, right?!
You certainly don’t see this advertised in your gym or on Facebook, and it doesn’t come up in your “Awesome Abs” or “6 Days to 6-Pack” class. Unfortunately, it’s often missing from the “Back from Baby” classes as well.
I hope that our conversations can begin to change the way we approach strengthening. My goal is to educate and empower women to feel more equipped and better able to take ownership of their health…including their pelvic floor!
If you are experiencing ANY of the symptoms listed above and would like more information on how to overcome them, please leave a comment or fill out the contact form here on our website – I would love to have a conversation with you!
Your body is unique and everyone presents differently, which explains why the “fix ” for one person is not necessarily good for someone else. (READ: stop WEB MD’ing yourself and using Dr Google).
Like so many important things in our life, your recovery from these common, but not normal symptoms starts with a conversation. I would love to hear your story!
You deserve to be HEALTHY and STRONG.