What is Women’s Health? Most people think about treatment of the pelvic floor muscles and incontinence, but men have issues with these as well and also benefit from very similar treatments. Women are completely different though when it comes to their reproductive organs, breast tissue, hormones and how their bodies are built in order to sustain pregnancy, give birth, and recover from childbearing. Traditional Women’s Health physical therapy tends to focus on strengthening a weak pelvic floor and core or decreasing tension in a tight pelvic floor. It usually consists of exercises and hands-on treatment both externally and internally (via the vaginal and rectal openings). I often see women after they have tried traditional Women’s Health PT and have not progressed as much as they were hoping for. Once I do my assessment and treatment, they are usually curious as to why my techniques are so different than what they have experienced in the past. The simple answer to this is that I have had some very unique training when it comes to Women’s Health and to the whole body in general. My treatments are not limited to the pelvic floor and core muscles – the entire body functions as a whole and when it is out of balance, the source of the imbalance could be coming from anywhere, not just where the symptoms are showing up. I also don’t just focus on the weakness, tightness or pain; I focus on the entire body, mind and life experiences that have led the woman to where she is at that moment.
What is so unique about my training? Well, if you’ve read many of my other blog posts, you will find that I specialize in the John F. Barnes method of Myofascial Release. This form of Myofascial Release allows the patient’s bodies to lead me to where they need treatment – I evaluate my patients and find areas of dysfunction or imbalance, but once I start the Myofascial Release work, their body takes over and leads my hands towards the source of their discomfort. Within my Myofascial Release training, I have also taken specialized coursework for Women’s Health and the pelvis, which includes the pelvic floor and internal vaginal and rectal work, as well as a deeper knowledge of the pelvis and breast tissue and the ability to meld this into full body treatment. I have also trained with the Institute for Birth Healing and have found that the techniques enhance my other treatments and have taken my Women’s Health training to a whole different level.
The central concept to all of my training is the integration of the entire body, mind and past experiences that have led the patient to where they are now. The Myofascial Release work and techniques from the Institute for Birth Healing allow me to really listen to the body and what it needs, and the techniques also help the patient to feel safe and be able to find and express what they need. This can be especially helpful for women that have traumatic experiences in their past. The experiences don’t even have to be big or memorable – in my personal life, I had some injuries as a child that I would have never remembered but as I started being treated with Myofascial Release work, the memories returned and I was able to process them and it was incredible how much more mobility I had in my body that I didn’t realize was previously absent, as that’s how I had lived most of my life. These experiences during treatment are not just related to Women’s Health, it happens with Myofascial Release techniques in any area of the body, but this is one of the main reasons that women have a very different and usually much more effective treatment when they see me versus a traditional Women’s Health physical therapist.
Women’s Health treatment can help any woman at any stage of their life. Even if a woman’s last pregnancy was 30 years ago, sometimes the pelvis can be stuck in a position that was necessary for birth, but it never settled back into a neutral position. This can cause symptoms throughout the body – low back pain, headaches, knee and ankle pain or instability, neck pain, etc. Once we are able to treat the pelvis and get it back into a better position, other areas of the body are much more receptive to treatment and have much better results. Women’s Health treatment is also extremely beneficial for women that are trying to get pregnant, as I work on the uterus and ovaries and make sure that everything is in the best position possible and balanced with the rest of the body. Treatment throughout pregnancy will improve the entire experience, help with any pain that arises during the changes that come along with pregnancy, improve the position of the baby and organs as they are shifted with the baby’s growth, and enhance the patient’s ability to breathe as the baby grows by releasing the diaphragm. There are many manual techniques and exercises that are very helpful to prepare for labor and delivery as well. Post-partum treatment is an excellent time to bring the pelvis and body back into balance so that the mother can heal properly. I often see patient’s that have pain and issues with their subsequent pregnancies, as they never completely healed from their first pregnancy and delivery. It is imperative to bring the body back into balance in-between each pregnancy for an optimal experience and prevention of future dysfunction throughout the mother’s body.
I see many women who may or may not have never been pregnant or given birth, but may be experiencing symptoms due to gastrointestinal dysfunction, injury to their pelvis, hips, low back and/or tailbone, traumatic experiences such as abuse or rape, or women who have somehow become disconnected from their femininity or female anatomy. All of these things can also lead to pain and dysfunction throughout the rest of the body and might not be an obvious “Women’s Health” issue, but may benefit from treatment of the pelvic floor, pelvis and breast tissue in addition to the other treatments that they are receiving.
I think the other factor that has changed the way that I work with Women’s Health is that I also have a personal story and needed treatment. I have struggled with gastrointestinal issues since I was very young, have experienced many difficulties associated with hormonal imbalance and struggled with infertility. I was finally able to give birth to my miracle baby and despite having an incredible pregnancy, labor and delivery, I had some post-partum issues that required specialized treatment from some amazing Women’s Health physical therapists.
Every woman has a unique story, which requires individualized and unique care. That is what we specialize in at Solstice Physical Therapy – there are no protocols, no insurance restrictions and no one else telling us what we can and cannot do. We also work as a team with other amazing practitioners and make recommendations and referrals as needed. To sum it up, we listen to the patient, we listen to their body and we are led to give them the best individualized treatment that we can possibly give.
For further questions, or to schedule an appointment, please email Dr. Lisa Wilcox at DrLisa@SolsticePhysicalTherapy.com, call (720) 369-7738 or contact through her website at www.SolsticePhysicalTherapy.com.
**This is not to be considered medical advice, please contact a physical therapist or other healthcare professional for more information. All content on lisawilcoxpt.com is created for informational purposes only and is not to be taken as medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.
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