Low Pressure Fitness (LPF) is a series of breathing and postural exercises that safely strengthen your deepest core muscles. These are the muscles that create the foundation for upright posture and joint stability. They also help you control normal bodily processes and function of our bladder, bowels and sexual health. Oftentimes, these inner muscles can be affected from an injury, surgery, pregnancy, illness or sedentary lifestyle.

Stress incontinence is when urine leaks while performing an action or activity. This can happen for many different reasons and here’s a hint: it’s not always weakness! There are three main factors that can be happening at the pelvic floor to cause stress incontinence: weakness, increased tone, or lack of coordination. Weakness can result after any injury or trauma to the pelvic floor, or just over time from dysfunctional movement patterns. If there is a lack of strength at the pelvic floor, that means there is not enough tension to combat pressures...

Ever since I have been treating constipation and bowel dysfunction as a pelvic health physical therapist, I’ve had many clients ask if the laxative they are taking is safe and if they should continue using it, or if they can start their child on a laxative such as Miralax. Many of my clients are afraid they might become dependent and will always have to be on it for their bowels to function. Or they have been told to stop taking it because it is not safe. To have a better understanding of the risk of dependency on a laxative and its safety, let’s first discuss what it actually is, how it works, its side effects, precautions, why you would use it, and the current research on kids taking it.

I’m sure there are a lot of people who can relate to the feeling of constipation. Tummy distended and full; pain in the stomach; a sensation you cannot completely empty your rectum; back pain –– all are symptoms of constipation. We probably have been told to increase our fiber intake and doing so will help loosen our stools. While this is true, there are several things you should know about what type of fiber and how much you should be consuming if you’re trying to improve constipation. 

In this interview, Dr. Elizabeth Dalrymple, lead physical therapist at Activcore, talks with Gail Turner-Cooper, the founder of Align Health coaching, about taking control of your personal health by making small, sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Do you leak stool with walking, running, or other physical activities? Do you have urgency of your stool and can’t make it to the toilet in time? Do you have to wear disposable underwear because you leak fecal matter?‍ As a pelvic health physical therapist, I see this quite a bit in my practice and everyone always asks the single question: “Why?!!!”

Have you ever heard of the Squatty Potty? Advertised as the Original Bathroom Toilet Stool, the Squatty Potty was invented in 2010 by the Edwards family. After dealing with constipation themselves, they were told to try squatting to pass their bowels. This gave them the idea of the Squatty Potty. Now you are probably wondering: why would squatting help with passing stools? Let’s get an understanding of how digestion and bowel mechanics work.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, I have had more time to practice and critique my I Love You (ILU) massage technique on my 16-month old son, who has been dealing with constipation since he started eating solid foods. I have found there are a few things you really need to do when doing the ILU massage. But before we dive deep into the mechanics, how does the ILU massage technique work?

Many physical therapy clients ask their PT about certain diet types or nutritional supplements. Although physical therapists receive some background education about nutrition during their course of study, it is outside of our scope of practice to recommend specific dietary changes or meal plans. As a profession we do strive to be aware of different types of diets, as well as the molecular biology of how food breaks down in our body, which affects our ability to perform physical activity. We are also aware of how nutrition can affect tissue healing which is why we address the topic as an overview for our clients to understand its importance in their recovery.

Have you ever asked a friend “How do you know you’re doing a Kegel correctly?” and they’ve suggested practicing by stopping the flow of urine while you’re on the toilet? It is true that in order to stop the flow of urine, you have to utilize the contraction of your pelvic floor muscles. However, this is not a good idea to put into practice.