Tag: physical therapy


Jul
2015

How to take care of your Kegels daily

categories: Health, Pregnancy

Kegel muscles are functionally and medically important for everyone (men and women!), so if you’re wondering if you should take care of your Kegels, the answer is YES.

Kegel muscles are associated with incontinence, back pain, pelvic organ prolapse, hip pain, and even your sexual performance.

When I am treating a patient in the clinic, I make sure to talk about daily positions and movements that affect their condition before educating them on exercises. The reason is that the positions and movements we perform repetitively each day will affect our bodies more than spending 15-30 minutes a day exercising. It’s incredibly important to treat our bodies well by first integrating good posture and movements into our daily habits.

kegels, kegel muscles, pelvic floor muscles, physical therapy, postpartum, pregnancy, women's health

First, I will address sleeping position because it’s one of the most important positions our bodies assumes that determines which muscles are stiff and which ones are too flexible. A sleeping position is like holding a stretch for hours at a time. It might seem like Kegels wouldn’t be impacted by our sleeping position, but if our hips are internally rotated and/or adducted (knee rolled inward and past midline), the pelvic floor muscles are stretched out because they actually attach to the hip bone itself (by way of the fascia of the obturator internus). So when the hip moves “inward” it pulls on the pelvic floor muscles. This happens when we lay on our side without the top leg supported. If you are a side sleeper, I recommend putting one to two pillows between your knees and feet to support your top leg in neutral.

kegels, kegel exercises, sleeping position, women's health, pelvic floor, pregnancy, postpartum

(I promise I don’t sleep on tile floors)

Second, I will address our sitting position. I don’t care who you are–you sit a lot. If you sit in bad positions like this

kegels, kegel exercises, pelvic floor, women's health, pregnancy, postpartum

or this

kegels, kegel exercises, pelvic floor, women's health, pregnancy, postpartum

or this

kegels, kegel exercises, pelvic floor, women's health, pregnancy, postpartum

..let me just go ahead and buy you some of these.

Okay, bad joke.

Again, if our legs assume an “inward” position, our Kegel muscles are pulled taut, therefore stretched. You know how little kids look when they have to pee? They pull their knees in. That’s because that pulls the muscles taut. Over time, that position stretches the muscles, making them harder to contract. It is best to sit in a neutral position. I encourage you to modify your desk set up to make sure you are treating your Kegels well when at work!

kegels, kegel muscles, pelvic floor muscles, physical therapy, postpartum, pregnancy

Lastly, our standing position can impact our Kegel muscles. Standing with your hip hiked and legs crossed puts your muscles in an asymmetrical position (ahem MOMS who let a kid sit on one hip all the time). Not only will it lead to back pain, hip and back muscle asymmetries, but can weaken the pelvic floor over time.

Another bad position for your pelvic floor muscles in standing your “tail” curled under too much. Yoga and pilates classes stress tucking your tail bone (which can be a good cue to get those abs and gluts to contract) BUT this places the pelvic floor directly under the torso nice and flat so that ALL the pressure from your internal organs rests on it, weakening it over time when it’s a habit. (yes, I know you don’t FEEL heavy pressure just standing there…but there is a such thing as gravity, folks)

So don’t stand like this

kegels, kegel muscles, sway back, postpartum, pregnancy, pelvic floor, physical therapy

or this

kegels, kegel muscles, pelvic floor muscles, physical therapy, postpartum, pregnancy

or this

kegels, kegel muscles, pelvic floor muscles, physical therapy, postpartum, pregnancy

or this

kegels, kegel muscles, pelvic floor muscles, physical therapy, postpartum, pregnancy

Stand in a neutral position like this:

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This may seem like nit-picky advice and may even seem unreasonable to do (especially ALL THE TIME), but try to start incorporating good posture and movements into your daily routine to take care of your body.

(Feel free to leave a comment below (you can leave one anonymously!) or send an email to kayleemayblog at gmail dot com with any questions. If I get enough questions throughout this series, I will post a Q&A post to conclude it)

***The content of http://www.kayleemay.com is for informational purposes only. The information presented is not to be taken as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are having pain, or seeking medical advice, talk to your health care provider. Do not delay in seeking treatment because of information you have read on http://www.kayleemay.com. Taking recommendations presented on http://www.kayleemay.com is solely at your own risk***


Mar
2014

Direct Access to Physical Therapy | Take Ownership of Your Health

categories: Health

The profession of physical therapy has come a long way in recent years. I am so excited about the fact that we can now treat patients without the referral from a physician. Here are some facts about direct access to physical therapy. I encourage you take ownership of your health and click the link on the bottom of this post to learn more about direct access in your state.

What is direct access to physical therapy?

Direct access, or “self referral”, to physical therapy services allows a person to seek physical therapy without having an order from a physician first.

What are the advantages of direct access?

Direct access saves time. For a person with a musculoskeletal injury, they can go directly to a physical therapist without having to first schedule an appointment with a physician, get a script from a physician, and then schedule an appointment with a physical therapist.

Direct access may also save money by eliminating unnecessary tests, diagnostic procedures, or other specialist referrals. There are many conditions that can be treated effectively from physical therapy without requiring expensive diagnostic testing.

Are there risks to direct access?

Opponents argue that persons who directly seek help from a physical therapist before a physician may be put at risk due to lack of diagnostic tests prior to treatment. However, there is currently no data to verify that people who use direct access spend more money or are put at increased risk.

To become a physical therapist, one must graduate with a doctorate of physical therapy degree. Doctors of physical therapy are educated to recognize signs and symptoms that require referral to a physician and/or specialist.

Click here to find out more about Direct Access and inform yourself on your state’s legislation regarding your access to physical therapy without referral from a physician.


Jan
2014

Save heels for the weekend

categories: foot pain, Health, hip pain, knee pain, Low back pain

Here’s a riddle for you.

Who owns 200+ pairs of high heels and suffers from low back pain?

This girl:

carrie_bradshaw_tutu
“Who, me?”

I LOVE high heels. I NEED high heels. (side note: my husband tells me I use the phrase “I need it” too much. Don’t know what he’s talking about). I feel like high heels were MADE for girls like me. God blessed me with short, stubby legs and a torso long enough to make me think I have extra vertebrae. I NEED the length that high heels offer my short legs.

But let’s talk about what high heels do to our bodies from a mechanics stand point, and how that can result in pain in strange places (not just our toes).

First, we need to think of our bodies in terms of lever arms, joints, forces, and vectors. Remember physics? Remember Newton? His third law stated, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Let’s keep this in mind.

There’s a million and one ways high heels change the orientation of our posture and movement, but I am going to focus on 3 for today.

1. Due to the upward force of the actual heel (aka the stiletto), the posterior part of our pelvis is raised. This is awesome for the booty. This exact effect is what I believe inspired Sir Mix-a-lot’s song, “Baby Got Back.” If Newton’s third law is correct (which it is), then there must be an opposite reaction from our upper body so we don’t get thrown forward. We have to lean back to keep our shoulders over our hips. This causes an extension force on our low back, and subsequently pain if this position is maintained for long periods of time. You can see this happening to Kim Kardashian when she tries to figure out how to pump gas.

kim_kardashian_mintgreen_jack

2. Keeping in mind that the posterior part of our pelvis moves UP due to the force of the heel, the front part of the pelvis must move DOWN. The muscles on the front part of the pelvis that connect the pelvis to the femur (thigh bone) are subsequently placed in a shortened position. No big deal if this is for one night, but over time, shortening of these muscles feeds into pulling the pelvis forward even when we are just in our slippers at home! Pulling the pelvis forward causes that extension force in the low back we talked about in #1. Ouch.

kim_kardashian_mintgreen_jack-ant tilt

3. The third and most obvious consequence of high heels is that they shorten our calf muscles. Again, this is pretty awesome when we feel inclined to wear heels after that killer calf workout so we can show off the definition we worked so hard for. Thank you, heels, for making my stubby legs look fake-muscular. But once we take those heels off, the shortened calf muscles pull our knees backward, likely causing hyperextension. Do you know a female over the age of 50 who has had a knee replacement? You can tell her to thank her knees for all that hyperextension in her youth. At least now her new metal knees give her an excuse to avoid the metal detectors in the airport. Oh, but unfortunately that results in an awkward pat-down. It’s a lose-lose.

Airport-pat-down-Protest-2-420x0
Photo from lotusimprints.com

So there you have it. High heels cause our backs to extend, our hip flexors to shorten, and our calves to pull our knees beyond where they should be.

But, if you’re like me, you can’t give up heels completely. We NEED them, right? So wear heels in moderation and live by my mantra: Save heels for the weekends.

Cheers to being female.


Jan
2014

Making cookies and what’s to come!

categories: Life, Marriage

Since Davey and I aren’t exactly elite members of Minneapolis’ social scene (aka we don’t have friends yet), we find creative ways to entertain ourselves. Last night, we made cookies!

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Baby Hiatt and I had a difficult time restraining ourselves from eating the cookie dough.

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Davey was shocked to find out that my “secret chocolate chip cookie recipe” was listed on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag.

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“Davey, I have to sit down and take a cookie-eating-break. I’m pregnant.”

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I had to put this picture in so you know we also eat fruit….sometimes.

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I’ve had a lot of extra time on my hands lately since I have yet to secure employment (coming close, though!). Being unemployed is one of the strangest feelings, and I have a new appreciation for anyone who has spent more than 2 weeks looking for a job. It’s exhausting! I can only talk about my ‘strengths and weaknesses’ so much. But this extra time has allowed me to plan and brainstorm what exactly I want this bloggy blog to be. I have come up with 2 very different, but very exciting goals for this blog:

Document the story of #daveyandkaylee (and baby Hiatt!) that we can look back on for years to come.

and

Provide a resource for my peers that includes basic biomechanical, postural, and ergonomic lifestyle changes that can be made to avoid mechanical pain, injury, or early degenerative changes.

As a physical therapist, I am excited to use my knowledge to present fun and easy ways we can protect our bodies from harm and injury–ways you may not have considered! Sure, we’re young—but we won’t always be! Let’s keep our muscles and bones in the best condition possible to preserve our youth. Stay tuned to kayleemay.com to find out why certain shoes give you back pain, what’s the best position to sleep in, or why your IT band keeps getting tight even though you stretch it all. the. time.

I am so excited to develop an online community who enjoys love, learning, and lifestyle as much as I do!