Dr. Mukta Chauhan PT, DPT, OCS, WCS

Dr. Mukta Chauhan PT, DPT, OCS, WCS ✨Dr of Physiotherapy
✨Board Certified Pelvic + Ortho Specialist
✨Help with Pee, Poo & S€xual issues

7 weeks in… still in Chapter 1 🙂Welcome to the Shire Saahir 💗
08/11/2024

7 weeks in… still in Chapter 1 🙂

Welcome to the Shire Saahir 💗

Was super weirded out about getting pregnancy pictures clicked, but then of course the FOMO hit. And Hrishi needed to sh...
06/19/2024

Was super weirded out about getting pregnancy pictures clicked, but then of course the FOMO hit. And Hrishi needed to show off his new linen summer pants. So I quickly got a dress because nothing else fits and called our super talented niece Sawani, portraitist par excellence, to click some pics for us. Sharing a few here and also tagging her so you can check out her amazing work.

“What exercise can I do for my urinary leakage?” (Replace this with any pelvic condition— pain/prolapse/constipation/uri...
04/19/2024

“What exercise can I do for my urinary leakage?” (Replace this with any pelvic condition— pain/prolapse/constipation/urinary urgency, ED)⁣
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And as a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist, I should know the answer… but this question stumps me every single time. ⁣
I have to ask a series of questions in response to get a little better idea about the state of the person’s pelvic floor.⁣
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So, I decided to make this post so that I could explain why we can’t determine what exercises— whether it is stretches/relaxation or strengthening— would be good for your individual case based on just your symptoms.⁣
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👉 Remember tense muscles are often weak… If they are in contracted position, doesn’t mean that they will be strong. An already tense muscle can not effectively contract to generate power.⁣
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👉 Remember a weak muscle can also be tense… we often find tension around a weak muscle as a subconscious protective guarding. ⁣
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👉 And finally remember that pelvic floor is not just one muscle! It’s a group of muscles and sometimes hypertonic and hypotonic muscles are found simultaneously. ⁣
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🤔 So doesn’t it make sense for you to first get assessed to learn what exactly is going on with your pelvic floor before you decide to do a certain kind of exercise off of the internet?⁣
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🧐If you don’t have access to a Pelvic Physio, get a virtual consult. Most of the times, we can figure out the state of your pelvic floor based on your history, posture and your movement.⁣
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Did doing an exercise or buying an equipment off the Internet backfired for you? ⁣
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𝗣𝗦: This post is not meant to create fear around movement and exercise. Just to create awareness and caution… and to encourage you to at least get an assessment from a professional.

March blogpost is here! And as Endometriosis Awareness Month comes to a close, let’s recognize that the advocacy mustn’t...
03/31/2024

March blogpost is here! And as Endometriosis Awareness Month comes to a close, let’s recognize that the advocacy mustn’t stop all year round 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾.

And let’s not forget - the delay in diagnosing endometriosis is just one example of a broader issue: the systemic neglect and underestimation of women’s health concerns within medical practice and society at large.

Several factors contribute to this lag in women’s health… to read more about it, check the link to the blogpost in my stories🙂

Let’s talk about APD & how it actually affects the visceral perception of bloating. After understanding the mechanics of...
03/29/2024

Let’s talk about APD & how it actually affects the visceral perception of bloating. After understanding the mechanics of how both diaphragm & the ab muscles have a role to play in stimulating the abdominal visceral organs & digestion by affecting the mobility & motility of these organs, let’s further dig deeper & understand what exactly is happening in the body with bloating.⁣
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Bloating & distention are often used interchangeably, however, are not the same things. People who experience bloating clearly have a sense of pressure or a feeling of fullness & sometimes associated abdominal distension with it. However, people can experience distension without feeling uncomfortable sensation post meals. So it’s def not the same thing.⁣
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The abdominal muscles can also contract protectively in response to an increase in visceral sensation. Several of my patients often say that they have to tense the belly because without that bloating feels worse. However, the same tensing of the ab muscles can further make symptoms worse by adding the intrabdominal pressure on top of a system that is already feeling quite pressured.⁣
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In another scenario, diaphragm can stay in a contracted place and fails to return back to the chest cavity, pushing down on these abdominal organs. This could also increase intraabdominal pressure, which if accompanied with weak abs will cause distention. Because pressure needs to go somewhere. This pressure can go all the way down to your pelvic floor and can give you a constant urge to have a BM as well. It’s all about pressure management!⁣
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Very often the food we eat is blamed for our digestive issues, however, there are many mechanisms and systems that are involved in the digestion process and we should not forget that.⁣
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Working with a knowledgable & skilled dietitian is a great place to start, but physical therapists can also help with your bloating & digestion issues.⁣
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Some of my favorite dietitians who keep the musculoskeletal system in mind while working with their clients are .nutrition .ibs.dietitian⁣
Their practice revolves around reducing the fear around food & ditching the diet culture, which I love. Check them out!

March is here and it’s ‘𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵’, but the advocacy and education mustn’t stop all year round!! He...
03/01/2024

March is here and it’s ‘𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵’, but the advocacy and education mustn’t stop all year round!!

Here’s a post from last year that .happy.pelvis and I created together to start off the awareness month!

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It’s incredible and heartening to see the rising awareness, with so many people sharing their personal stories and with doctors and public figures spreading awareness about this debilitating condition. But despite these concerted efforts and best intentions, the misinformation about endometriosis continues to spread.⁣
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🔹It is NOT enough to just talk about how painful this condition is!⁣
🔹It is NOT enough to just talk about how loooooong it takes to get diagnosed!⁣
🔹 It is NOT enough to just say that ‘period pain shouldn’t be ignored’!⁣
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We need to realize that making a minor error in the definition of the condition could change its meaning and treatment entirely for a person with endometriosis.⁣
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We must realize that incriminating a single disease process for a complex condition like ENDO will most likely limit a person’s treatment options.⁣
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We need to look at endo as a whole-body disease because it has been found on different organ systems, not just the reproductive system.⁣
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We need to recognize that we still do not completely understand this condition and there is a huge and pressing need for extensive research and to make treatment options easily accessible for everyone.⁣
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We also need to realize that educating the medical system gatekeepers— the PCPs, Pediatricians, and Gynecologists, would play a critical role to bridge the diagnosis and treatment gap for this debilitating condition.⁣
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Let’s do better together!⁣
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For this month’s newsletter, I thought - “Why not talk about something that I am personally dealing with?” As you might ...
02/26/2024

For this month’s newsletter, I thought - “Why not talk about something that I am personally dealing with?”

As you might know, I am currently pregnant & dealing with really bad acid reflux (GERD). Honestly, I had no idea how severely it can affect people’s quality of life until I experienced it myself. It’s a lot better now, for the most part, so I thought, why not share the strategies that worked for me with all of you?

Also, you might be wondering why a pelvic physio talking about GERD? Isn’t this something that GI doctors or dietitians should be concerned with? You would be surprised to know that acid reflux is one of the conditions I see in my practice. Many of my pregnant clients, people with hypermobility or EDS, people with constipation/IBS, etc., often have acid reflux as one of their symptoms, along with other gut-related or pelvic floor issues.

As most of you must be familiar with, acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) happens when the gastric contents regurgitate back into the food pipe. The gastroesophageal (GE) junction (where the food pipe enters the stomach) has a sphincter that usually checks any backflow of stomach contents. As we know, the stomach contents are highly acidic. This backflow, if continues for a long time, can erode the mucus membrane of the food pipe, creating inflammation in the area called esophagitis, and can be extremely painful.

The GE junction is controlled by:

The smooth muscular contraction of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES/internal sphincter)
And the crural portion of the diaphragm (external sphincter)
Of course, the diaphragm has a role here too!! It’s not one of the most special muscles in our bodies for no reason. ;)

In pregnancy, increased levels of the hormones estrogen & progesterone relax the smooth muscles of the LES, lowering the pressure. On the other hand, as the pregnancy progresses, the intrabdominal pressure also increases, which can further make reflux worse.

So if you are further interested in how GERD develops & what are some tips to prevent it, check out my latest blogpost.
For more reading and the full post, head on over to my blog. Link in bio & IG story.

xx,
Mukta

Incomplete defecation or a feeling of fullness is not always because of outlet obstruction caused by the pelvic floor dy...
02/07/2024

Incomplete defecation or a feeling of fullness is not always because of outlet obstruction caused by the pelvic floor dysfunction! We need to be more nuanced in our approach to helping our clients and do not let our biases get in the way. A comprehensive evaluation is always the first thing a client should undergo.

Thoughts on this?

Sexuality counseling certification ✅ I am beyond excited to finally announce that I completed one of the best courses I...
02/02/2024

Sexuality counseling certification ✅

I am beyond excited to finally announce that I completed one of the best courses I have ever taken. And can not wait to see how it changes my practice.

I have been a Pelvic PT for a while now and had been thinking about adding the sexuality counseling to my knowledge base... Isn’t PT all about ‘function’, anyway?

The goal is NEVER just ‘pain reduction’, but returning to function! So what is Pelvic Health PT without helping clients to reclaim their sexuality!!

I enrolled for this course a little nervously as it required 3 months commitment and I was just embarking on my pregnancy journey. The timing may not have been the most perfect, but I am so glad I stuck with it. It took me a bit longer to complete, but I absolutely loved every aspect of the course. I learned so much in these last few months and can not wait to use this knowledge to help my clients.

Special thanks to UC and Heather ... you guys poured your heart into it and it shows! Thank you for creating this very thought provoking course!

̇on

Hello friends,The first newsletter of the year went out yesterday! Woohoo!I am slowly getting back on track :) January b...
01/30/2024

Hello friends,

The first newsletter of the year went out yesterday! Woohoo!
I am slowly getting back on track :)

January being the 🎗 month, I took the opportunity and wrote about and the importance of its timely screening.

Also, shared some tips to make the pelvic exam more tolerable, so at least one barrier to timely screening and care is taken care of.

Sharing the link in my bio as well as stories so you can sign up for it and read it.
When did you get your last 🤨
I went for it last year ✅

Do sign up for the newsletter if you don’t want to miss it in the future 🙂

When was your last ? Mine was 2 years ago :)

That was one long, unplanned break.. but so necessary!😇Those of you who reached out asking if I was doing okay, thanks s...
01/20/2024

That was one long, unplanned break.. but so necessary!😇

Those of you who reached out asking if I was doing okay, thanks so much for noticing my absence 🙏! And those of you who may not have noticed, but stuck around nonetheless despite zero content, thanks to you as well 🤗! I feel really grateful to have this community, but at the same time find it really awkward to “announce my return” here. So I’ll just THANK YOU for patiently waiting for me while I took care of a few life-things.💗

Starting end of September, I decided to go into a little hibernation to prepare my body for a successful embryo transfer. Our one and only embryo … so the stakes were really high (I want to share more on this later).

Thankfully, the excruciating wait resulted in a positive pregnancy test! However, the cycle of fear and anxiety was just starting (or perhaps taking a newer shape). It took me a long time to feel the joy of what is about to come, and I still find myself stuck in fear mode every now and then (I’m sure many people can relate).

But.. the first trimester fun symptoms of nausea, exhaustion, splitting headaches and acid reflux helped in believing my pregnancy, a little more, every day✅!! I also learnt that first-trimester exhaustion is no joke. It completely derailed my grand plans to stay active and strong throughout my pregnancy. I am in my second trimester now, but things haven’t changed a whole lot, yet. Some energy is slowly returning though, so I intend to make the most out of it… including a gentle IG re-entry.

This pretty much sums up last 4 months for me.

Keep reading below 👇

I have a confession— I am a hoverer!! 🫣🫣Yes, I know I am always preaching here, and in my office, to my patients to NEVE...
09/22/2023

I have a confession— I am a hoverer!! 🫣🫣Yes, I know I am always preaching here, and in my office, to my patients to NEVER hover over toilets. But let’s be real, who wants to sit on urine-splashed toilets even after wiping??😰⁣
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It’s just so gross! And let me be clear, my fear is not about catching some infection. Unless our immunity is down the toilet (pun.. well, intended), I don’t think we are so fragile as to catch an infection just like that. 🤔 There is no hard evidence behind people catching infection from toilet seats. 🧐⁣
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But… it… is… just… sooooo… gross!!⁣
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Now, I have mastered a technique of hovering, so that it doesn’t affect my pelvic floor (most of the time), but this post is not about that. 😏And of course, I hover maybe twice in a week.⁣
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Yes I know, I could start carrying disinfecting wipes with me, but it just doesn’t do the trick for me. Once my brain registers a toilet seat as gross, I can’t sit on it.🤢⁣
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My recent travel to the Nordic countries made me realize that the best solution to not hover over the toilet is if we all 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 decide to NEVER hover.⁣
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I don’t think during my 2.5 weeks of travel to Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, I encountered a sprayed toilet even once. I didn’t have to think twice to sit down.😌⁣
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So I think this madness of hovering can only be stopped if we all collectively decide to 𝘚𝘐𝘛 𝘋𝘖𝘞𝘕. (including men, yes, guys you CAN sit down to p*e, especially if it’s a shared bathroom).⁣
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PS: I am back in NY, and have been really trying to practise this.⁣
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⚠️ Please keep in mind that the pelvic floor needs to relax in order to allow the urinary sphincter to fully open in order to empty the bladder completely. When we are hovering (neither sitting nor standing) over the toilet, it tenses the pelvic floor and the bladder is unable to empty out fully. You may also feel that you have to strain in order to empty out bladder. If you make this a habit, it can cause your pelvic floor to become overactive, and, over time, you can develop pelvic floor dysfunction. If you already are dealing with some form of pelvic floor dysfunction, hovering can exacerbate your symptoms. ⁣

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