Pelvic floor & running- what all women should know.

Pelvic floor & running- what all women should know.

by | Jul 19, 2022 | Active Health Blogs

More people than ever run today, whether training for leisure or competition. It is well known that running has many benefits both for your mind and body. This includes improved cardiovascular health and making you happier. Running is great for loosing or maintaining weight, strengthening your knees, making your mind sharper, adding years to your life. It is also known that running can reduce the risk of various diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers; pelvic floor physiotherapy. After having a baby there are a few things to consider with regards to your pelvic floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your pelvic floor post child birth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is understandable that after having a baby many women want to run as soon as possible. Its important for some woman to help them recover physically and mentally. It’s also easy, cheap and quick to do right from your back door. HOWEVER what many women are not aware of are the potential risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction if a mother does not rehabilitate adequately before she returns to high impact exercise. It’s a topic that is still underestimated and misunderstood in today’s health and fitness world. This article will review the implications that pregnancy and childbirth have on the pelvic floor. It will also offer some guidelines to consider when planning a return to running after you have had a baby; ​pelvic floor pain after running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pelvic health refers to the function and wellbeing of all of the structures and tissues in the pelvic area. This includes the organs and the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic health following childbirth is significantly affected, as demonstrated by the following statistics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between 15-30% of first-time mums will experience urinary incontinence (leakage of bladder). A startling 1 in 5 first time mums will complain of fecal incontinence (leakage of bowels) at 1 year following childbirth. At 3-6 months after delivery up to 56% of new mothers demonstrate Grade 2 pelvic organ prolapse. This means that one or more of the bladder, bowel or uterus have fallen downwards into the vagina, at least to the vaginal opening; P​elvic floor running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pelvic floor physio

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vaginal vs Caesarean births

 

 

 

 

 

 

Physical changes that occur during pregnancy and delivery in the pelvic area are a large cause of the above conditions. Research tells us that vaginal deliveries widen and stretch the opening in the pelvic floor for baby to pass through. Recovery time for this is understood to be between 4-6 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During a caesarean section, the thick supporting tissue in the abdomen (belly) takes 6-7 months to regain 73-93% of its strength. Knowing that the healing process following pregnancy and delivery is extensive. It lasts longer than the common perception of 6 weeks. It is important for women to understand and protect their pelvic health. This includes reducing the risk of leakage and prolapse. By allowing adequate time for pelvic health recovery, prior to loading and stressing the pelvic floor with high impact activities like running. This will improve mothers ability to return to running. It will also limit the chance of experiencing these common but not normal symptoms both short and long term.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations for post partum help;

 

 

 

 

 

 

pelvic floor physiotherapy near me

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking these factors into account, evidence-based guidelines from the UK (March 2019) recommend that women wait until at least 12 weeks after delivery prior to planning a return to running. At this stage pelvic health, strength, and impact loading should be checked for each woman to see if she is indeed ready to return to running yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guidelines recommend that all women, regardless of how they deliver, seek out a pelvic health assessment with a pelvic health physio. The physio will check strength, function and co-ordination of the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. They will also consider other factors that play an important role in healing and recovery after childbirth and may influence readiness for return to running. These may include sleep, nutrition, breastfeeding, weight and a condition that may develop in the period following childbirth called Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (formerly known as the Female Athlete Triad).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When to see a pelvic health physio;

 

 

 

 

 

 

The importance of seeing a pelvic health physio is further highlighted if any of the following signs and symptoms are experienced prior to, or after attempting, return to running:*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • Heaviness/dragging in the pelvic and/or vaginal area (can be associated with prolapse)

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • Leaking urine or inability to control bowel movements

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • Pendular abdomen or noticeable gap along the midline of your abdominal wall (this may indicate Diastasis Rectus Abdominis)

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • Pelvic or lower back pain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*these symptoms are an indication for any woman to seek pelvic health physiotherapy, not just those that have recently had a baby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any of these signs or symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction need to be further tested and treated prior to continuing and progressing training. This is to ensure the pelvic floor and abdominal wall can cope with the loads and impact from running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is strong evidence in the literature supporting individualized pelvic floor rehabilitation. For management of pelvic health conditions such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction and the prevention of prolapse. Physiotherapy management at this stage will address problems found with the pelvic floor. They will also develop a strengthening and low impact exercise program to prepare your body to start back running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions related to your own situation please don’t hesitate to contact our Pelvic Health Physiotherapy team in Christchurch or Rangiora at 03-383-6290.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for more information

 

 

 

 

Injury Management & Healing

Injury Management & Healing

by | Jun 28, 2022 | Active Health Blogs

Every now and then we find ourselves with an acute injury and usually in pain because of this. An acute injury is something that occurs suddenly. It is usually a result of a fall, trip, a twist, or impact.  The way we manage these injuries after they occur is key to pain management and recovery time.

The protocol that is commonly used is R.I.C.E. This consists of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

A change based on evidence has created a newer mnemonic that physiotherapists recommend for better immediate and sub-acute care.

This new injury protocol is P.E.A.C.E & L.O.V.E.

Some of these are the same as R.I.C.E, but there are a few extras to help you get back to your chosen activities, or until you can discuss with an appropriate health provider, such as a physiotherapist or a doctor.

P.E.A.C.E

The PEACE portion of the protocol is broken down into Protection, Elevation, Avoid Anti-Inflammatory, Compression and Education. This provides immediate care.

  • Protection: In the initial hours and days after the injury it is important to avoid any activity that increases pain to the injured area.
  • Elevation: Elevate the injured limb higher than the heart as often as possible.
  • Avoid Anti-Inflammatories: Following injury try not to take any anti-inflammatories or icing the injury. This slows down the tissue healing as it reduces the rush of nutrients to the injury site.
  • Compression: Use an elastic compression bandage or taping to reduce swelling, to keep the area comfortable.
  • Education: Your body knows best. Try to avoid unnecessary passive treatments or any medical investigations to allow your body to naturally heal.

L.O.V.E

The LOVE portion of the protocol is broken down into Load, Optimism, Vascularization and Exercise.

  • Load:  allow the pain of the injury site to guide your gradual return to normal activities, as the pain decreases you can increase the intensity of your activities.
  • Optimism: condition you brain for optimal recovery by remaining positive and confident in your recovery.
  • Vascularization: it is good for your recovery to get blood flowing to the repairing tissues, choose some pain free cardiovascular activities to do.
  • Exercise: Restore mobility, adopt an active approach to your recovery. Get a physio to help you with proprioception to help reduce the risk of re injury.

What next?

When your body has gone through its processes to heal an injury, it does its best job to clean up after itself. Sometimes this is not the case, sometimes residual swelling, tightness, and stiffness may affect your ability to get back to normal.

Physiotherapy can facilitate healthy healing at all stages of your recovery. For example, a physio can provide appropriate exercises to help alleviate swelling, reduce stiffness, and free up tight muscles in the early days of injury.

Once your ready to start strengthening the injury site and getting into rehabilitation, your physiotherapist will be there every step of the way.

Find a physio near you, Click for HAMILTON, RANGIORA or CHRISTCHURCH.

You can read more on the research behind the PEACE & LOVE protocol here.

Three reasons why a mixed training program will benefit you long term.

Three reasons why a mixed training program will benefit you long term.

by | Jun 10, 2022 | Active Health Blogs, Christchurch, Physiotherapy

We all know that exercise is good for us, it helps to keep us healthy and lowers the risk of many diseases. As creatures of habit, we tend to repeat the same type of training. Whether it be cardio or resistance training, we can get stuck in a rut and after a while and not see any progress. Incorporating a mixture of resistance and cardio is a great way to maintain longevity with your training. We can help out getting you more active, we have a great gym at our St Albans clinic, with all the right equipment to suit your mixed training needs.

Here are 3 reasons why a mixed training program will benefit you long term.

It keeps the body guessing.

We tend to gravitate towards one type of training. This could be either cardio or resistance. Initially, our body will adjust to the type of training we choose, and we will see progress. But over time our body becomes used to that same type of training. You can switch this up by adding in new types of resistance training (or vice versa). This will stimulate new responses, gives you a new challenge, and will maintain progress in your training.

It can keep you motivated.

By changing the way you are training frequently, you will stay excited about exercising. You will also be less likely to reach a plateau in your workout performance and results. Adding new exercises into your training routine can make the workouts exciting and different.

Mixed training will help you achieve your goals.

You can achieve great benefits from both cardiovascular and resistance training. Cardio training will increase cardiovascular endurance and efficiency, while resistance training will increase muscle strength. Over time this combination will reduce your risk of injury, keeping you healthier for longer. A mixture of both will propel you to achieving success.

Now that we have you excited about incorporating new challenges to your training regime, give us a call on 03 383 6290 to book a session with one of our trainers at our St Albans, Christchurch Clinic.

Tweaked your lower back?

Tweaked your lower back?

by | Jun 10, 2022 | Active Health Blogs, Christchurch, Hamilton, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Rangiora

Back pain is something most of us have experienced. It can occur during exercise, from repetitive lifting, or sudden awkward movements. The most common cause of lower back pain is a strain or sprain of the ligaments in the spine. The lower back is especially vulnerable to injury as it carries the weight of the upper body and is involved in twisting, bending movements.

There are two common types of lower back injury.


One of them is a lumbar sprain. The lumbar spine is the name of the 5 vertebrae of the lower back leading down into the top of the pelvis. A lumbar sprain occurs when the tough tissues know as ligaments surrounding and joining the bones get overstretched or even torn.

The other common injury is a muscle strain. This is usually known as a pulled muscle and refers to when the muscles are overstretched or overused and start to tear.

Both types of injury have very similar symptoms and require very similar treatment. When the ligaments of muscles are stretched or torn in any injury, it can cause inflammation. The inflammation is a natural response to injury. It is when blood rushes to the injured area to help repair and restore the injured tissue. Other symptoms can include stiffness, pain that worsens with movements, soreness to touch the area, or difficulty standing or moving.

If you find yourself with a lower back injury…

  • Get yourself an ice pack. Put ice on the lower back for up to 20 minutes every 6-8 hours.
    It may feel good to lay flat on the floor to help the muscles in your back surrounding the injury to relax.
  • Book into see a physiotherapist to help you release any tight back muscles and get you moving again. Click for Christchurch, Rangiora or Hamilton.
  • Sleeping with pillows under your knees a good way to release the muscles while you rest overnight.
  • Once you can move, it is good to stay mobile. This will help improve your injury, making sure you keep your spine in a neutral position while doing any bending movements.

Once you are feeling more mobile and your pain is improving it is a good idea to start stretching.

Two stretches to try;

  • Knees to chest. Lying on your back, bring your knees up towards your chest and give them a hug with your arms. Gently pull your knees close to your body, ensuring that when you stretch you aren’t increasing your pain. This can be done with one leg at a time of you are particularly stiff.
  • Cat Stretch. On all fours, bring your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Tuck your belly button up towards your spine. Tuck your chin and arch your spine. Imagine you are trying to create space in between each vertebra and lengthen the muscles in your back.

When your back pain is manageable you should work on strengthening your core and back muscles. Any movement is great for blood flow which will help reduce any muscle stiffness. Talk to your physio to help create a core strengthening program to reduce the risk of re-injury and keep you active for life!