Foundation Physiotherapy - Pelvic Health

01/21/2022

Here are our top 5 strategies for reducing the effects of overtraining on your body, health and overall well being. ⁠

1. Deep Breathing Exercises - let that stomach expand as you inhale!⁠
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2. Cross Training - get some variety into those workouts!⁠
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3. Find (or create) a positive training environment⁠
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4. Look for a supportive coach / practitioner - like a Physio!⁠
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5. Prioritize adequate sleep and nutrition!⁠
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Any other ideas out there? Let us know in the comments!⁠
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⁠driedger⁠physiotherapy⁠
⁠physio

11/17/2021

Hi, I'm Karlyn! ⁠
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I am the senior pelvic health physiotherapist at Foundation Physiotherapy and typically see clients at the Downtown location, where I also work as the Clinic Director. ⁠
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Although I am currently on maternity leave (swipe to see why), I am still doing some work behind the scenes on our page, as well as coaching and mentoring. ⁠
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I am excited about how our pelvic health team has grown in the last year. If you have questions or topics you'd like to hear more about (in post or webinar format), send us a message! ⁠
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for .ca

11/02/2021

Meet Kailah! ⁠
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Kailah is a Resident Physiotherapist at our Downtown Core location. She is now accepting new pelvic health clients in the clinic on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays! Click on the link in our bio to book!⁠
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Kailah believes in approaching each client interaction from a holistic lens and providing individualized treatment plans to help her clients achieve their goals!⁠
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In her spare time, Kailah enjoys lifting weights, playing and watching sports and exploring restaurants around the city (recommendations welcome!).⁠
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Welcome to the pelvic health team Kailah!

10/25/2021

FREE Webinar Alert!! Link to register in our bio!! ⁠
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Join us THIS Thursday as two of our resident pelvic health physiotherapists go over tips for returning to exercise after pregnancy. Focus will be on how to regain core strength and how to self-assess for re**us diastasis. ⁠
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If you recently had a baby, this one is for you! If you are currently pregnant, you will get some great info that you can refer to later on. We will also include some Q&A at the end. ⁠
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Register now (link in bio)! ⁠
⁠physiotherapy⁠physio

09/27/2021

You may notice us talking about pressure quite a bit - more specifically - intra-abdominal pressure (IAP).⁠
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IAP can have a huge impact on the pelvic floor. Breath holding and excessive gripping of abdominal muscles are some of the biggest contributing factors. Increasing intra-abdominal pressure can be a really useful strategy during some exercises and is not always a bad thing. But how do you know if this strategy or habit is not helpful for you, or if you are creating more pressure than your body is able to manage?⁠
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Here are some examples of things that may indicate that you may benefit from some coaching or training around managing intra-abdominal pressure when exercising: ⁠⁠
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1. Dizziness during workouts⁠⁠
2. History of hemorrhoids ⁠⁠
3. History of hernias (men, we’re talking to you too!)⁠⁠
4. Feeling of heaviness or pressure in your lower abdomen or pelvis⁠⁠
5. Leaking (bladder or bowels)⁠⁠
6. Abdominal doming / persistent re**us diastasis ⁠⁠
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If you are experiencing these symptoms, talk to your pelvic health physiotherapist or book a consultation with us at Foundation Physiotherapy. We can help target some of these issues by teaching you effective intra-abdominal pressure management techniques. We have pelvic health physiotherapists at all 3 locations! Booking link is in our bio ☝🏼⁠⁠
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⁠⁠physio⁠⁠physiotherapy⁠⁠driedger⁠⁠
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📸

09/09/2021

Crossfit is a popular high-intensity interval workout that consists of movements such as pushing, pulling, squatting, lunging and jumping. Because of its high intensity nature, crossfit moves often increase intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and overtime can predispose athletes to pelvic floor dysfunctions, such as stress urinary incontinence (i.e. leaking during exercise, coughing or sneezing). ⁠⁠
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Here are some factors that influence why crossfit athletes may be more likely to experience stress urinary incontinence (SUI):⁠⁠
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1. HIGH TRAINING INTENSITY: intensity of leaking symptoms are proportional to the intensity and frequency of training. Crossfit athletes have a higher prevalence of SUI due to high training intensities and frequencies (4-5 times per week on average).⁠⁠
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2. GROUND IMPACT: the highest prevalence for SUI occurs during training activities that involve running and jumping, such as double-unders, box jumps, and single unders. The pelvic floor needs to be strong enough to handle both the demands of the impact and the IAP it generates, otherwise urine leakage can occur. ⁠⁠
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3. ABDOMINAL BRACING: bracing the abdominals when training can be very helpful to provide increased stability for the spine, especially when lifting heavy loads. However, ab gripping or the inability to let go of these muscles (particularly when combined with breath holding) also increases pressure/demand onto the pelvic floor by dramatically increasing IAP. ⁠⁠
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Want to know more about how to address or prevent stress incontinence during certain crossfit moves? Stay tuned for our next few posts!⁠⁠
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✍🏼 .physio⁠⁠
💪🏽 .tina ⁠⁠
📸

06/02/2021

A caesarean section (or C-section) is a surgical method of delivering a baby and is typically performed when a vaginal delivery may put the mom or baby at risk. Whether your C-section is planned or unplanned, it can be helpful to understand the surgical process & strategies for recovery. ⁠⁠
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Some reasons for performing C-sections include:⁠⁠
> High-risk pregnancy ⁠⁠
> Breech position ⁠⁠
> Certain medical conditions (maternal or fetal) ⁠⁠
> Larger baby, multiples⁠⁠
> Placenta previa⁠⁠
> Fetal distress⁠⁠
> Labour is not progressing⁠⁠
> Previous C-section, particularly if less than 18 months prior⁠⁠
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The steps of the procedure normally involve:⁠⁠
> First incision: skin, fat, fascia, peritoneum (membrane that forms lining of abdominal cavity)⁠⁠
> Spreading of the abdominal muscles in order to access the uterus (the muscle itself is not cut)⁠⁠
> Second incision: uterus⁠⁠
> Delivery of the baby⁠⁠
> Clamping & cutting of the umbilical cord⁠⁠
> Removal of placenta⁠⁠
> Closing of the incisions⁠⁠
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This entire surgery can take about 45 minutes, and you may spend about 3 days (2 nights) in the hospital afterwards.⁠⁠
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In terms of recovery time at home, it generally takes 6 weeks for healing, and around 8-12 weeks to start feeling comfortable returning to more activities. ⁠⁠
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Stay tuned for a future post that will review helpful tips for recovery after a C-section!⁠⁠
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✍🏽 .physiotherapy

05/05/2021

Late stage pregnancy (37-40 weeks) can be thought of as a gradual transition into labour. Although there are many factors about labour that are outside of your control, there are also many things that you can do to help your body through this transition. ⁠⁠
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Eager to get your labour started? Interested in ways to help prepare your body?
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Here are our top 5 recommendations to help transition from late pregnancy to labour: ⁠⁠
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1. Keep moving!⁠⁠
2. Deep squats / hip openers⁠⁠
3. Perineal massage / stretching⁠⁠
4. Deep breathing / reverse kegels ⁠⁠
5. S*x ⁠⁠
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Follow us over the next couple of weeks as we discuss each of these! ⁠⁠
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If there’s something missing from this list that you are curious about, let us know in the comments! ⁠⁠
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⁠⁠driedger ⁠⁠physio ⁠⁠physiotherapy⁠⁠
📸 for ⁠⁠⁠ca

03/17/2021