Bowel movements are a part of our normal routine, but painful bowel movements don’t have to be. A common cause of painful bowel elimination is anal fissures. These tiny tears in the anal canal are quite common and have a significant impact on quality of life. Among patients studied in a 2014 cohort, prevelance of...
As pelvic physical therapists in Boulder County, functional constipation has been something treated in our clinics via various techniques. A new randomized controlled trial has shown one commonly performed intervention to be an effective first-line treatment for functional constipation. Functional constipation is defined by the Rome IV criteria. Rome IV criteria: Must include two or...
Yes men, you do have a pelvic floor. In fact, aside from different genitalia, all genders have the same pelvic floor muscle and nerve make up. Even in the absence of delivering babies, the male pelvic floor and surrounding area can be susceptible to dysfunction. The following diagnoses/presentations/symptoms can all be indicative of a pelvic...
After waiting the seemingly longest 2 minutes of your life, the stick reads “pregnant.” It’s overwhelming joyful, shocking, and admittedly a little scary. Millions of questions begin piling up in your mind, one of them about exercise – can I continue my normal routine or do I need to see my provider first? Waiting for...
Receive a diagnosis of prostatitis for your pelvic pain or urinary dysfunction? Only 8-10% of cases of prostatitis are due to a bacterial infection. If antibiotics didn’t work in relieving symptoms, you may be in the category of ‘chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome’ (CPPS). What are the symptoms of chronic prostatitis? Bladder symptoms: urgency, frequency,...
What is the pelvic floor doing while I climb? Should I do kegels? Can I climb while pregnant? “In the end, climbing was one of the only things my body felt good doing for the entirety of my pregnancy, and I climbed throughout, enjoying my final pregnant climbing session just 12 hours before going into...
At our Boulder pelvic physical therapy clinic, we often see the cause of a pelvic floor dysfunction being tension, not weakness, of pelvic floor muscles. This applies not just to those that identify as female, but those identifying as males as well. Muscles that are holding more tension than they should, cannot properly function. So...
Ready to run after having a baby but need a better plan on how much and how to progress your running? Read on to find a template at the end. The 6-week postpartum doctor’s visit is when women are often “cleared” for activity and are often advised to start slowly and gradually building exercise volume...
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is the descent or tissue laxity of the front (bladder), back (rectum), or top (cervical) aspect of the vaginal wall. With less support from connective tissue and muscles of the pelvis, the bladder, uterus, or rectum can press on the vaginal wall contributing to increased pelvic pressure or bulge sensation. The...
If you deal with pelvic floor tension, you or a physical therapist has likely discovered tight adductors as well. Due to shared fascial connections and synergies between the muscle groups, the pelvic floor and adductors are closely related in regards to tension held within them. Pelvic floor tension can affect adductor tension and vice versa,...