Heal and Grow Women's Physio

27/03/2022

C-Section Scar Massage
Before commencing scar massage wait until your scar has fully healed, this can vary between women so if you’re unsure wait until after your 6 week post-partum GP or Women’s Physio check.

How to Self Massage …
Use some body cream or oil to help with the massage and begin by lying on your back and using your index finger or thumb. Try the following massage techniques:
-Up and down along the scar for 2 minutes
-Circles along the scar for 2 minutes
-Forwards and backwards along the scar for 2 minutes

The pressure should be firm but never be painful. Start with small amounts and then slowly build up as it becomes more comfortable. You can perform the massage after a shower as the heat from the shower helps to soften the tissues and makes massaging a little easier.

Sometimes adding some additional gentle lower back stretches like rocking your knees from side/side can be a great way to help facilitate the release of muscular tension and reduce scar hypersensitivity!

If you want to chat further about ways to help manage your C-section scar and maximise your recovery please get in touch  (Pun intended)

24/03/2022

Regular exercise has many well-established benefits for women with uncomplicated pregnancy.
Make sure you:
-Consult with your Obstetric care provider to identify if you have any contraindications and/or precautions to exercise in pregnancy.⁠⁠
- See a Pelvic Floor Physio to have an assessment to see if you have any risk factors for pain that may be exacerbated by pregnancy.⁠⁠

⁠Pregnant women should aim to be physically active on most, preferably all days of the week. You should aim to accumulate 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.

What is moderate intensity?
An easy way to ensure that you are exercising at a moderate intensity is if you are able to perform the ‘talk test’. This is simply the test of being able to hold a conversation throughout the activity or exercise that you’re performing.

What type of exercise is recommended?
A mixture of aerobic and strength exercises is recommended. For example, brisk walking, swimming, stationary cycling. Strength exercises should be performed 2 x week on non-consecutive days. ⠀

Avoid:
- Extreme sports such as sky diving, bungee jumping, scuba diving etc.⁠
- exercising on your back after the first trimester.⁠
- exercising in hot climates in all trimesters and avoid hot spas, saunas etc

If you would like guidance to safely exercising during pregnancy please get in touch...

17/03/2022

The 6 R’s can be applied to female athletes and to all women who enjoy or want to enjoy an active lifestyle

1.Ready the athlete for anticipated whole-systems, biopsychosocial changes.
We will educate you about perinatal health considerations during the transition into pregnancy and motherhood (e.g., weight-gain, pelvic floor function, perinatal mental health). Guide you with exercise throughout pregnancy (where it is safe to do so for the mother and baby), limit deconditioning and optimise postpartum recovery with forward planning.

2.Review and evaluate the postpartum athlete and address acute musculoskeletal and pelvic health rehabilitation needs. Your Physiotherapist will screen for whole-systems, biopsychosocial considerations.

3.Recondition the perinatal athlete for their required physical and psychological sporting demands. Physiotherapist will commence graded exposure towards individual-specific training load requirements.

4.Revisit whole-systems, biopsychosocial considerations and monitor symptoms as training increases.

5.Return-to-sport through an individualised, evidence-informed and guided exposure to the competitive environment and re-evaluate regularly. Refine whole-systems, biopsychosocial strategies (e.g., optimise sleep quality, monitor for signs of relative energy deficiency syndrome) to enhance athlete training and competition availability, retaining the athlete in their sport and optimising performance.

6.Restore physical and psychological wellbeing depending on individual needs and prepare the perinatal athlete for returning to structured training environments. Include pelvic floor rehabilitation and other relevant whole-systems considerations.

Who runs the world? 🏃‍♀️🏋️‍♀️⛹️‍♀️🤸‍♀️

14/03/2022

Often women assume that the 6 week check performed by their GP/ OBGYN is the same as what is done by their Physiotherapist. However this is not the case.
So what exactly is the difference?
Your Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist is specifically trained to assess:
- Pelvic Floor (we assess for injury, muscular tone, tissue quality, technique, strength, endurance, coordination. This is essential to rehabilitate your Pelvic Floor and maximise its function postnatally. A vaginal assessment is the gold standard way to do this. Your Pelvic Floor often will impact decisions in regards to exercise)
- Prolapse (we screen for prolapse, determine stage of Prolapse and can fit you with a Pessary to manage your Prolapse if required)
- Bowel and bladder function (Bladder leakage, Urgency, Frequency, Incontinence).
- Sexual Function (we will ask if you have any pain and discomfort, if so we can help treat and manage)
- Abdominal Separation (we assess the extent of your separation and guide you through tailored rehabilitation)
- Exercise (we ensure you are following guidelines for safe return to exercise to decrease your risk of developing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and Prolapse)

Your GP/OBGYN may do the following:
- Check your BP, weight, breast and belly
- Determine if you are physically and emotionally well
- Assess scarring and healing
- Check if you are having any problems with feeding
- Check the uterus and cervix
- Check if your vaccines are up to date
- Perform a physical and developmental assessment of your baby.

So both appointments are very important but also very different. REMEMBER it’s never too early or too late to start looking after your Pelvic Floor!

07/03/2022

Happy International Women's Day 🌼
Cheers to all the incredible women in our lives and around the world.

Unfortunately, whether it be unconscious or deliberate, stereotypes, bias and discrimination still make it difficult for women to access opportunities and be seen as equal.
Let's keep pushing forward to that prevent gender equality.

We are all about helping Women to achieve the health and wellbeing they deserve.

03/03/2022

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month

Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus.

Common symptoms of include:
- Painful periods
- Pelvic pain outside of your menstrual cycle
- Pain during or after s*x
- Infertility
- Fatigue
- Changes to bowel and bladder function around your period (pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, re**al bleeding, pain with urination, blood in your urine)

Endometriosis often goes undiagnosed for years.
It's an inflammatory condition that affects 10-15% of all women of reproductive age and 70% of women with chronic pelvic pain. If you suffer from any of the above symptoms and want to know more information, please visit your local GP.

If you have been diagnosed with Endometriosis and want to know what a Women's Physio can do to help with symptom management please reach out

02/03/2022

The Pelvic Floor is a group of muscles and ligaments that support the Bladder, Uterus and Bowel.

Retraining your Pelvic floor muscles can help with:
- Improving Bladder and Bowel control
-Reducing the risk of Prolapse
-Better recovery from childbirth and surgery
- Increased s*xual sensation
- Increased social confidence and quality of life.

It's important to correctly identify your Pelvic floor muscles and to have and individualised Pelvic floor program. (Because not everyone requires strength and endurance exercises, some women require active relaxation exercises)

With proper guidance most women are able to gain control over their pelvic floor muscles and to train them to do their job well.
If your not sure about your Pelvic Floor- get in touch for an appointment!

02/03/2022

01/03/2022

01/03/2022