Piriformis plays a very important role for protecting the hip, sacroiliac joint, and the pelvic floor. The muscle is often seen as the "guilty party" when it comes to blaming that "pain in the rear." Sometimes this is reality and sometimes piriformis is falsely accused, but either way it is indeed a very active muscle in your toosh. Dysfunction of Piriformis Encourages Poor rotational stability of the hip joint Sacroiliac joint instability Pelvic floor instability (through co

At some point we have all had a little (or a lot ) urine leakage. Usually this occurs when we laugh, cough or sneeze. Most women chalk this up to a normal process of aging and put up with it. Although this is considered a common occurrence it is not something that we should have to “live with”. Leakage of urine either small or large with increased abdominal pressure is considered Stress Urinary Incontinence. What this means is anytime we experience increased pressure in our

Constipation is defined as the difficult passage and infrequent (fewer than three) bowel movements per week. Constipation is another possible cause of bladder control problems. When the rectum is full of stool, it may disturb the bladder and cause incontinence or the sensation of the urgency and frequency. Because constipation may be caused by medications you are taking for other conditions, changes in bowel habits should always be reported to your physician. If you have a hi

In resting conditions the pelvic floor musculature maintains a constant baseline contraction which helps maintain urinary and fecal continence and support the pelvic organs. The pelvic floor also has the ability to produce stronger contractions anytime there is an increase in abdominal pressure. For example, when we cough or sneeze our pelvic floor has the ability to contract more to help maintain closure of the urethra against that increase in abdominal pressure. Once the pr

How to Get the Knack The Knack is a motor skill you can learn. It requires you to anticipate stress-related or effort-related to urine leakage. Any activity that increases pressure in your abdomen may cause you to lose urine. Examples of such activities are coughing, sneezing, laughing, bending/lifting, carrying objects, sitting down, standing up, and going up/down stairs, During these activities, pressure is placed on the bladder, forcing it to empty. Timing Your Pelvic Floo

Hydration Drinking enough liquids, especially water, keeps urine from getting too strong. Concentrated urine causes bladder urgency, has a foul odor, and can cause urinary tract infections and skin infections. Caffeine Intake Caffeine is considered bladder irritant and stimulant. This can lead to urgency, frequency and increased production of urine. Caffeine can hide in coffee, teak, carbonated beverage, chocolate, and some over the counter allergy and cold medication. Bowel

If you are suffering from urgency or urge urinary incontinence. Some will even coin this as an Overactive Bladder. When people suffer from an “overactive bladder” the bladder muscle (detrusor) will contract even when the bladder is not full. This gives a person a sudden urge to urinate. This symptom is considered Urinary Urgency. Urge Urinary Incontinence is described as when the urge is so strong the person experiences leakage before they can get to the bathroom. 5 Tips t

Living with pelvic pain affects aspects of your life that are "private." Pelvic pain affects bowel, bladder, and sexual functions. Because these issues are viewed as "private" by many women, pelvic pain will often go undiagnosed, underappreciated, and most fearful UNDERREPORTED! Usually this trend continues until the condition has become debilitating. Chronic pelvic pain in many cases is treatable through coaching and training from a women's health physical therapy expert of

Healthy Bladder Habits to improve pelvic health.

Overactive bladder, irritable bladder, detrusor over-activity what do these terms really mean to you. What is an overactive bladder? First let's start with a review of the bladder. The bladder is a hollow organ with strong smooth muscle walls that acts as a receptacle for the storage of urine. Yes, there is a muscle that forms the walls of the bladder. This muscle is called the detrusor muscle. This muscle remains in a relaxed stated when the bladder is filling with urine. Wh

The pelvic floor refers to a complex structure that closes the pelvic outlet. This consists of pelvic bones, ligaments, connective tissue, pelvic organs and pelvic floor muscles. So the pelvic floor itself is not just a group of muscles. It is a collective group of structures that create support to the pelvic outlet. The term pelvic floor is used day to day to described a group of muscles named levator ani. The levator ani or "pelvic floor" is a group of muscles in your pelv

Welcome to all women that have taken steps to conquering your health, commit to a life of being active, and are proactive in understanding your body. Also welcome to women that are curious and that need guidance to initiate those steps. We hope you find comfort in us and welcome our knowledge when it comes to working with women. For nearly 20 years Total Physical Therapy has been your trusted source of information for living well and over the past couple years we have started

Whether you are in search of a new running shoe or are unsure if your current shoes have reached their limit, you can perform this quick screen to make your determination. First you'll need a flat, hard surface to perform your screen. If you're shopping then just drop the shoes onto the floor or onto the shoebox to perform the following tests. A little knowledge of the anatomy of a tennis shoe will help your understanding. We recommend you perform the following tests on any t