POSTPARTUM

Every woman deserves a postpartum check up after having a baby, whether you had a vaginal birth or c-section. Pelvic floor physical therapy is the best treatment option for getting you back to feeling your best so you can take care of kids and do the workouts you love.

One problem I hear from a lot of women is that they had their babies 5, 10, even 20 years ago and they think it’s too late to work on the problems they have had since giving birth. It is not too late! The following is a list of the many conditions women experience after giving birth:

  • Pelvic Pain

  • Incontinence: Bladder or Bowel Leakage

  • Pelvic Organ Prolapse

  • Diastasis Recti or “Mom Pooch”

  • C-Section Scar Pain

  • Painful Intercourse

  • SI joint pain

  • Tailbone pain

  • Groin pain

  • Constipation

These problems are really common, but they are not normal! And yes, it is never too late to start working on yourself! The human body is amazing and can do remarkable things.

Benefits of Pelvic Floor Therapy for Postpartum

  • Strengthening of Core and Diastasis Recti: Your core involves not only your abs but also your pelvic floor! We also do checks for diastasis recti or the separation of the abdominal muscles

  • Eliminate Bladder Leakage and Bowel Issues: We understand how important it is to stay dry with movement and not having to worry about always finding a restroom.

  • Relief of Pelvic Girdle Pain: We provide treatment to reduce joint pain with lifting and exercise.

  • Return to Pain-Free Intimacy: We make sure your pelvic floor muscles are healed, flexible, and strong for when you are ready for that connection with your partner.

  • C-Section Scar Therapy: We have several tools for helping to heal and lengthen the c-section scars like cupping, massage, Dolphin Neurostim and Dry Needling.

  • Get Back to Activities You Love: We want to see you at your best, whether that is returning to running, biking, hiking, skiing, or lifting and our therapists can guide you as you return to your favorite activities postpartum.

Common Postpartum Conditions Treated

  • Diastasis Recti Healing

  • C-Section Scar Treatment

  • Bladder Leakage or Incontinence

  • Bowel Issues like Constipation or Incontinence

  • Pelvic Pain in Pelvic Floor Muscles

  • Pelvic Girdle Pain

  • SI Joint Pain

  • Tailbone Pain or Coccyx Pain

  • Back Pain or Neck Pain

  • Clogged Duct or Mastitis Pain Relief

We have a proven Movement Physio and Wellness 3-Step Method to help get rid of your postpartum issues and give you the confidence to return back to your workouts. The 3-Step Method works in three phases: Elongate, Elevate, and Empower.

ELONGATE.

We need to calm down the nervous system in order to reduce your pain and length tissues that are tight. We do this by incorporating breathwork and hands-on manual therapy techniques to get your muscles to relax. (Visits 1-4)


ELEVATE.

Once the tissues are calmed down and your pain is reduced, we will work on the brain to muscle connection and re-educate the muscles to fire the correct way. (Visits 5-8)


EMPOWER.

We work on functional strengthening of the muscles to help keep you strong and prevent this problem from returning again. We make sure you have all the “tools” in your “toolbox” so you feel empowered to take care of your body so you never experience this problem again! (Visits 9-12)


What our Patients have to say…

“I’ve been working with Alexis for a few weeks now and she has been fantastic. She was so informative and collaborative during our initial consultation and evaluation. I felt that she truly understood my goals for recovery after pregnancy and a C-section. Her exercises are custom to me and her humor has made each session fun!”

— Johanna

“I am so happy I found Movement Physio and Wellness! A friend recommended I come here after her own positive experience, and I cannot say enough good things about them. I’ve been working with Alexis, and she is absolutely incredible - so knowledgeable, helpful, and truly dedicated to digging into the core of my issues to help me solve them. Even in just the few sessions we’ve had so far, I’ve already seen real progress.

The entire staff is so friendly and welcoming. It’s truly amazing to have a local place that so genuinely supports women, motherhood and our healing journey. It’s such a joy to go there every time. They even offer Pilates sessions where you can bring your baby along, which I found to be such a wonderful, refreshing experience. I highly recommend them to any woman looking for Pelvic Floor PT!”

— Shira

“I’d love to share my experience with Movement Physio & Wellness, especially with Alexis! They specialize in pelvic floor therapy for postpartum moms and overall women’s health, and I’ve truly enjoyed my sessions. Alexis is so understanding, listens closely, and really gets my goals. She built a thoughtful program that not only helps me recover postpartum but sets me up with a strong foundation for strength training and movement long-term. I’m feeling stronger and supported in all the right ways. Highly recommend!”

— Caroline

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Pelvic floor physical therapy is a speciality physical therapy that is perfect for people who are struggling with conditions related to the pelvis or pelvic floor. Some of these common issues have to do with bladder leakage, bowel issues, or sexual dysfunction related to the muscles of the pelvic floor. We work on eliminating pain, stopping these embarrassing symptoms, and getting you back to activities and goals specific to you.

  • At Movement Physio and Wellness, we help adults struggling with bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction. We most typically see women during pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause. We also treat men struggling with pelvic floor problems like pelvic pain, urinary urgency, and constipation. We do not treat pediatrics but will see teenagers on a case by case basis.

  • The people that come to see us for pelvic floor therapy are often dealing with an issue related to the muscles of the pelvic floor. Most often, people struggle with bladder leakage, pelvic pain, bowel issues, and pregnancy/postpartum recovery. You can take this short 10 question quiz HERE to see if you’d be a good candidate to come in for therapy!

  • Prior to your first visit, please fill out your intake form that is emailed to you via our Jane booking system. At your first visit, you can expect to be evaluated and treated in a private room by one of our female pelvic health therapists. We look at how the body moves, especially your hips, back, core, and anything that has to do with your specific pelvic condition. With your consent, the therapists may ask to perform an internal exam to check if the pelvic floor muscles are tight, weak, or painful. Then, we come up with an expert treatment plan in order to meet your specific goals.

  • We are an out-of-network provider, which allows us to provide the highest level of one-on-one care without insurance restrictions. This means longer treatment sessions, a personalized plan designed just for you, and faster results. Many of our patients use HSA/FSA funds or submit for reimbursement through their insurance. We'd be happy to guide you through that process.

  • As pelvic floor therapists, we believe that an important part of our exam process is a pelvic floor muscle exam done via the vaginal canal or rectum. This is one way we can truly feel if the muscles are tight, weak, or painful. Deciding to perform the internal exam is a decision made by YOU and your therapist! Obviously, if you are not ready to have this exam done yet, no worries! Your therapist will explain all the options to you. We always ask for ongoing, informed consent to evaluate your body!

  • In many cases, we are a patient’s second or third pelvic floor therapist they have seen. When someone hasn’t had luck with pelvic therapy in the past, first we want to understand their experience and how they responded to treatment. We also want to understand how invested they were in their own care. We use this information and take a different approach to make sure you are given a new and improved plan to tackle these annoying bladder and bowel issues. We love collaborating with past therapists and other medical providers to make sure YOU are at the center of your care.

  • If you find yourself having very frequent urges to urinate, most often what is going on is the nerves that control the bladder are “sensitive” to filling, especially if we are always using the restroom “just in case!” This issue is treated by changing your bladder habits and treating the pelvic floor muscles to make sure they can LENGTHEN and strengthen! Usually, the pelvic floor muscles are tight and put pressure on the bladder, since the bladder sits right above the pelvic floor! This is something we treat all the time in the clinic!

  • Absolutely! Our bodies are incredible and it is so rewarding to see our patients who have struggled with bladder leakage for so many years, finally see improvements with less volume and fewer instances of leaks. We like to say that it is never too late!

  • When someone has dealt with chronic constipation for years, often we see a pelvic floor that is overly tight, or has difficulty with coordinating muscle relaxation to allow a bowel movement to happen. We also love to assess the abdominal wall when someone has constipation. Often it is tight and grippy! And abdominal massage is a great way to encourage a bowel movement to happen. We also teach you how to massage your abdomen yourself.