Did you know that if you don’t extend your tail bone, your pelvic floor will never fire with optimal strength?  A tucked under tail bone takes our pelvic floor, which attaches at our tail bone and our pubic bone, and makes it slack.  And, over time, this loose muscle responds poorly and becomes weak because we are never able to fully activate all of the fibers because our two attachments sites are sitting too close together. 

If we extend our tail bone, giving it a slight lift, we put our pelvic floor muscles at the perfect length/tension ratio where it can … Continue Reading

Can you remind me again about the posture I should hold when I am not carrying my little one?”

If yours is a tendency to lock your knees and tuck under, then find reminders throughout your day to essentially stick your butt out.  This is the gymnast posture and is extreme, but when you activate your Transversus Abdominus (TA) in this position, it will rock you back slightly to your neutral spine position.  Remember, stick your buns out – this will give better tension to your pelvic floor – and that is passive tension, not an active muscle squeeze.

My hip flexors are tight.  What is the best way to stretch them?

To stretch your hip flexors, spend atleast 5 minutes per day lying on your stomach playing with your little one.  You can also work your multifidi extensions in this position if you want.  This will passively stretch your hip flexors while you intermittently turn on your multifidi – a very important postural muscle.

I can confidently tell you that while pregnant, you can safely perform the series of Kegel exercises as coached on our Hab-It: Pelvic Floor DVD in any of the three positions demonstrated on the video. These positions include lying on your back, sitting, and standing. Although lying on your back can be contra-indicated during pregnancy due to pressure on your abdominal aorta, the two-minute segment of our Kegel sequence is sufficiently short to alleviate concern.

Today, however, I want to provide a 4th, alternate, position for those who want to avoid lying on their back altogether when doing … Continue Reading

How do you know if you have a prolapse? Some urogynocologists go as far as to say that every woman will experience some degree of prolapse in their lives. A prolapse? What exactly is it, what causes it, what can I do to prevent it or resolve it? I wanted to use this blog to talk about all of these questions surrounding prolapse because so many of us have or will experience the symptoms.

Let’s take it one question at a time. What does a prolapse feel like? For some it may feel like a soft, round … Continue Reading

Directing women how to hold appropriate posture while caring for their new born is very difficult. I don’t like feeling hypocritical, so I must be honest with you – my posture was not great when my babies were spending a good portion of their day in my arms and sleeping on my chest. The tendency for a new mom to thrust her hips forward and to lean back with her upper body, allowing her baby to lie on her chest is hard to deny. We all do it. And as our babies get bigger and gain … Continue Reading

I just finished a morning run and I was thinking about how running has helped to strengthen my pelvic floor.  These were thoughts I needed and wanted to share with those of you who have avoided whatever activities you used to do, including regular fitness like walking, running, hiking and aerobics, because of incontinence or prolapse issues.  The truth is, that just like my legs and arms are stronger and more toned because of my running and stabilization exercises… so is my pelvic floor.

… Continue Reading

I often get the question from young moms – some pregnant, some who have young babies or toddlers: “What is up with this pee thing? Why am I wetting my pants now when I cough, and when I have to run after my little one, there is no way I can hold it. What is going on with my body?”  The “pee thing” can be a bit alarming, but understanding why it’s all happening always helps.

Visualize our pelvic floor as a very thin, muscular tissue that has the responsibility of controlling the passage of solids, liquids, and air from our … Continue Reading

As we begin this blog, let me introduce myself. My name is Tasha Mulligan. I am a physical therapist, athletic trainer, triathlete, and mother of three. The topic of incontinence and prolapse isn’t one that I have always been focused on, but my own journey through pregnancy and delivery pushed me into the women’s health field of physical therapy five years ago.
My quick background – I was an avid triathlete leading up to my first pregnancy. I maintained a controlled exercise program throughout my pregnancy and was looking forward to returning to running following my delivery and my six-week follow … Continue Reading