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

We should have a bowel movement anywhere in between 3 times a week to 3 times a day. The feces should resemble a log formation. If you find yourself straining frequently, experience infrequent movements (less than 3 times weekly), and/or have small hard stools you may be suffering from constipation. Below are suggestions to help manage constipation. 1. Never ignore the urge to defecate. When you feel the urge to go...you should go. Delaying going to the bathroom will only pro

We have all been there, done that when it comes to exercise. You start a routine with very specific goals and then it fizzles. Why does it fizzle? Life got in the way, grew bored, wasn't hitting my goals? While establishing goals and reaching them is important, sometimes looking at a bigger picture can help push us along. Below you'll find a list of 8 facts of exercise that many overlook. The next time you are feeling a bit stagnant or even worse considering stopping your rou

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

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