Bringing a new life into the world is an incredible journey that transforms us in profound ways. However, the postpartum period often brings its own set of challenges, especially for those eager to return to an active lifestyle or sports. Fortunately, more research is being done and evidence is emerging. The article “Maximizing Recovery in...
What is GSM? Genitourinary syndrome of menopause is a relatively new term that describes various signs and symptoms associated with menopause. These include genital symptoms (vaginal dryness, burning, and irritation), sexual symptoms (dryness, pain, discomfort, and impaired function), and urinary symptoms (urgency, dysuria, and recurrent UTIs). During menopause, the production of estrogen and progesterone decreases....
Women can experience a lot of undesirable symptoms during perimenopause, including reduced energy levels, dramatic mood changes, and incredibly uncomfortable hot flashes. Many also notice changes in their body composition, including the loss of lean muscle mass and increased abdominal fat. Put another way, perimenopause is stressful for everyone; however, it can be especially frustrating...
At Mend, we work with highly active women in Boulder County during pregnancy in our Boulder and Lafayette sports medicine and pelvic health physical therapy practice. This includes elite marathoners, CrossFit enthusiasts, triathletes, group fitness junkies and more. As pelvic health specialists we often hear concerns from these active women about “being too tight” in...
Strength or resistance training targeting the major muscle groups of the body is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for all adults a minimum of 2 days per week. Loss of muscle and bone mass over time can have significant functional and health consequences in the transition to older adulthood. Because of the...
Women who participate in high-impact activities may be at higher risk for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) such as urinary incontinence than women who participate in low-impact activities. Following childbirth, 30% of mothers report urinary incontinence and 10% report anal incontinence. Women are all too often advised to avoid activities such as high intensity interval training...
35% of postpartum women that return to running report musculoskeletal pain. A new research study has looked at biomechanical and musculoskeletal differences that exist in postpartum runners as compared to nulliparous (person who hasn’t given birth) runners. 9 women less than 2 years postpartum that run at least one day per week were compared to...
Are you doing your ‘Kegel’s’ but still leaking when you jump or run? Kegel’s aren’t enough! But you can read that rant here. Having leakage with jumping and running, whether newly postpartum, decades postpartum, or having never had a baby, has multiple factors contributing to it. First, surrounding muscle groups require adequate strength and symmetry...
A frequent question of pregnant patients is, “how do I actually push during labor”? If they ask friends, they will often get the answer, “well in the moment you just know what to do”. If they ask the internet, there are even more vague and varied answers. So let’s discuss the best biomechanics and research...
With any pelvic floor dysfunction, there is so much more to look into aside from simply the pelvic floor. The term “Kegel” was first used in 1948 by a professor of gynecology Dr. Arnold Kegel to describe a pelvic floor contraction. While it has now become a household term, there is so much more to...