Complete OMPT

I hear this a lot from patients and clients, if you are here know you aren't alone 🤍

I've been there too. And Kegels were not the answer.

I'm glad that my care team took the time to assess me when I was bearing down and not just at rest, but as a pelvic floor PT I knew what to ask for. My provider also has pelvic floor PTs in their office and understands the value that both disciples bring to patient care.

I asked to be checked under pressure, I knew what the pop-q was, I knew how to assess my pelvic clock.

Things like a pop-q score can be so helpful when deciding how quickly to move back into more difficult exercise or identify who might need more TLC and guidance.

So what are some ways to advocate for yourself? Do any of these sound like they apply to you?

Did you feel heard in your postpartum appointment? What about with your physical therapist (if you went!)? Let's discuss what made you feel like you were or weren't in good hands👇👇

Want to learn more about your pelvic floor, core, spine , or any orthopedic issues? Come find me inside

*Ig is not medical advice

This topic has come up a few times this week!

Cups, tampons, and discs are all great menstrual products. There's some small differences that may make one a better option over another for your body.

Whatever option you choose, you want it to be reliable. No one wants a leak 🩸

So what causes these products to fall out? The answer is it depends 👇

First, it's important that you are inserting correctly, selecting the right size for your body, and flow.

Pelvic tension may limit the ability to place these products and poor placement may make it easier for muscles to push them out

Muscle tears or weakness can also lead to slipping. Tears mean fewer muscle fibers which often means less muscle bulk. Avulsion tears in particular can make it difficult to rebuild strength.

Prolapse is another big one. If the walls are moving the cup and tampon likely are going to come with it

The good news is there are small changes and more formal treatment options available.

✨ Products like provide instant support for the pelvic floor with medical grade compression in the gusset of their garments. Think of it like a bra for your pelvic floor
✨ Learning better pressure management strategies is a game changer if you feel things slip with activity. Courses like breath lab area a great option for those with limited access to resources
✨ Pelvic floor PT is the best way to address the whole big picture about what is going on in your pelvic floor and the rest of your body

Want to learn more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter! DM "news" and I'll add you in 😊 or follow the link in bio



Ig is not medical advice

Notice your pelvic floor tension increases around your period?

You are not alone!

Periods come with hormonal shifts and painful cramps that can impact the pelvic floor and increase pain.

Let's talk about the pain-tension cycle
🩸you feel pain
🩸your body responds to pain by trying to protect the painful area (clenching, guarding)
🩸Your breathing is more shallow because you are not letting your pelvic floor move and stretch
🩸Your tension increased after days of guarding and limited range or motion
🩸 More tension results in more pain/symptoms and feeds the cycle

The good news, you can break the cycle!

It takes some practice but by tuning into our bodies and working on physically relaxing the pelvic floor we can down regulate tension and break the cycle.

Something as simple as changing the way we breathe, grabbing a hot pack, and gently stretching can help us feel back in control of the pain, improve circulation, and generate gentle range of motion in the pelvic floor.

This is an active process. You will need to tune into your body often and use some of the strategies above to keep the tension and pain in check.

Share what strategies help you the most? 👇

I want a copy of my free stretching guide for some easy places to start? DM "periods suck" and I'll send you the link!

When I was pregnant I heard 2 pieces of advice over and over that just didn't work for me.

1. If you were doing it before, you can keep doing it in pregnancy
2. It's not safe to lift, run, jump, etc

For the first, there are some things that will almost always need to be modified as pregnancy progresses to keep things safe and prevent injury. And, if you were sedentary before, you can get started at any time.

For the second, this is highly dependent on your prior activity level, how well you manage pressure in your core and pelvic floor, your pregnancy health, and what you like to do.

I love to rock climb, in both pregnancies I had to hang up my harness in the second trimester.

I love to run and lift, but both my pregnancies has complications that put me on restrictions. If you're in the high risk pregnancy boat like I was, I get it. Its frustrating.

Postpartum the first time around my recovery was a little slower than I hoped due to C-section and just figuring out how to navigate the life as a mom, especially as a preemie parent.

The second time around, I had a VBAC but had a setback with secondary postpartum hemorrhage and was terribly deconditioned from months of activity restrictions.

I have gotten myself back.tomfoing everything that I love again, but I was to stress that it took time. I had to start with the basics and rebuild a good foundation before I could run, jump, lift, and climb.

I'm glad I took my time, my pelvic floor and core have healed and now I can push my body hard again.

Exercise in pregnancy and postpartum has so many benefits! And if you are lucky enough to have the green light from your OB/midwife, I've got some tips for you!

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start, so here's some of the things I keep in mind when working with pregnant and postpartum patients and clients 🤍

If you need help with your programming, I'm a certified pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise specialist and pelvic floor physical therapist. If you want expert level programming built around your goals and where you are now, let's connect.

Share with all your pregnant/postpartum friends and save this post for later 💪

IG is not med advice

I get asked this question a lot! It came up in last night's workshop with and I think it deserves a whole post. So let's dive in...

The list above is not exhaustive and it certainly can't make a diagnosis, but it can help you have a conversation with your providers.

There's some overlap between tightness and weakness signs and symptoms. You can have leaking with both, feel prolapse symptoms with both, have a history of tears with both.

You might even find that one side is weak and the other is tight trying to compensate. Or that the first layer has weakness and the back is tight. There's a lot of muscles that make up the pelvic floor, it's not always all tight or all weak.

So how do you know what's happening in your pelvic floor?? Skilled assessment by a trained pelvic floor physical therapist is a great way to find out!

Here's another point I want to highlight. A tight muscle becomes a weak muscle over time. When there is tension lengthening needs to be the first priority, followed by eccentric training to address strength deficits.

And there are plenty of exercises that work better than Kegels to strengthen the pelvic floor.

If you want to share your story comment below:
🧡 If you had pelvic floor PT
🩷 For tightness
🩵 For weakness
🤍 For both
💛 If you aren't sure
Or share your story!

Complete OMPT and have been working hard to elevate women's health and fitness, I think a great place to start is getting our community more informed about their bodies... specifically their pelvic floors!

In honor of international women's day, I'm giving away my breath lab course on 360 breathing and pelvic floor function!

To enter be sure to like this post, follow and , and tag someone who has helped you prioritize your well-being 🧡🤍🧡

For so many of us the pelvic floor is a mysterious part of our body. Too many of us have been told pelvic problems are "normal".

Did you know the pelvic floor is part of your core?

That it's made up of three different layers of muscles?

That the way that you breathe impacts its function?

That the way you breathe can impract tension and pressure on the pelvic floor?

The way you hold your body and the way you breathe you can help improve a diastasis or feed into it. It can help reduce leaking or make leaking worse. I can help reduce painful tightness or increase it.

In a nutshell how you breathe matters!

I created breath lab after struggling with my own postpartum recoveries. It's a self-paced online course that goes over everything from pelvic floor and core anatomy, pregnancy and postpartum changes, posture, core strength, pressure management, and 360 breathing.

This course is a dense, deep dive to help you master breath work and improve your connection to your pelvic floor.

Pelvic floor issues can pop up at any point in our lives, with or without pregnancy or birth.

Want to learn even more? Come to our live event on the 19th! DM for details 💪

So excited to bring this class to on March 19th!

Pelvic wellness is important for all ages and stages of life.

The pelvic floor is part of our core. It's made up of 3 layers of muscles that give support to our body and our organs.

A healthy pelvic floor should be able to contract AND relax and do so at the right time to prevent leaking, pain, and tissue damage.

I see women who are postpartum and who have never been pregnant struggle with pelvic floor tension, poor coordination, or weakness.

So many of us have been told leaking is normal, pain is normal, or we can't improve diastasis or prolapse symptoms. While these things are common, they are NOT normal. Pelvic floor dysfunction is not something you just have to live with!

The pelvic floor seems to be something many of us are not super aware of. A little education can go a long way!

Come learn about how your body works and how to take care of it!

Share with your bestie and come to BFF on 3/19!

Got a specific question you don't want to ask in class? Feel free to reach out or set up a free consultation 🤍

Mark your calendar for Tuesday March 26th!

and I will be teaching a FREE class at the Root Empowerment Center in Utica, MI

We'll be covering all the things we wish we knew before our little ones were born.

Krystal will be discussing milk production, nursing, latching, milk supply regulation, and pumping basics

I'll be covering pelvic floor wellness in pregnancy and postpartum recovery, common pelvic floor complaint, body mechanics, breath work, and returning to activity

We've packed so much information into this class for you 🩷

Please note, registration is required as seating is limited!

Comment: 4th trimester below for the link to register 😊

Share will all the pregnant and newly postpartum people who could use this free class!

Can't make it to this date? Follow our pages for more upcoming events with other disciplines as well 🤩

😍😍😍

Love seeing my patients getting stronger 💪

Thank you for the review ❤️

Happy Valentine's Day 💘

I hope you take the time to refill your cup with meaningful self -care today. Maybe you will make time to meditate, exercise, spend time the people you love, or do some breath work 🌬️

This week I'm giving 2 lucky people my course on 360 Breathing--Beath Lab! (See my page for the 14k giveaway with )

Breath Lab is a deep dive on 360 breathing that guides you through:
✨ understanding pelvic floor and core anatomy
✨ Examining your posture and how it impacts the pelvic floor and breathing
✨ The connection between the pelvic floor and breathing patterns
✨ Learning proper 360 breathing
✨ Alternative breathing patterns to help relax the body
✨ Stretch positions to restore movement in tight spaces
✨ Tips and tricks to reconnect to the core for better pressure management
✨ Breath work to help decrease prolapse symptoms
✨ And special bonus content!

Enter the giveaway for your chance to win! Closes Feb 17th!

I'm also offering 20% off all the courses available on my website! Follow the 🔗 in bio and use code VDAY now through Feb 20th!

For the month of Feb I'm also donating $10 for every purchase to the congenital heart defect coalition ❤️

Questions about the course? Drop them below 👇

I hope you wore red today for CHD awareness day!

This month I want to give back ❤️ and CHD is an issue near and dear to my heart. For the little ones in our world with CHD I'll be donating $10 to CHD Coalition for every purchase this month.

I'm so inspired by the little fighters in our world 🫀

As a PT I am happy that cardia screening in children is becoming more common place and that treatment options (even in utero) are advancing

I was born with WPW, as a teen I started to experience chest pain and shortness of breath with althetics. I had my ablation at 23 when it was finally diagnosed after years of being misdiagnosed with asthma. I'm thankful for the surgical options that were available to me.

I know so many littles have bigger surgeries and longer term diagnoses that they live with, organizations that help support families and advance research for treatment are so important to improve quality of life for people with CHD ❤️

It's been such a pleasure working with clients who are so motivated to put in the hard work 😊 So appreciate the review!

You don't have to settle for where you are now 🤍

It's national c-section day.

For a long time I had a lot of complicated feelings about my C-section.

3 years later I finally feel like I have healed and made peace with my birth story.

I PPROM'd at 34+0. He was transverse and high. My placenta and cord were low.

I didn't get to labor much.

I got to the hospital knowing it was pre-term and my baby was coming too soon.

I knew too much. I was scared. But I climbed up on the table thinking "please just let him come out screaming".

And he did.

Next thing I knew he was whisked off to the NICU.

I had to wait to hold him. There were rules about seeing him, holding him, feeding him.

I was sore and healing but up out of bed every few hrs to see him, to pump, to hope for news on when we would go home.

I left the hospital with empty arms.

I drove an hour there and back each day.

I didn't think about my scar.

I didn't think about healing.

I thought about my baby.

When he was finally home safe it all hit.

The disappointment. The feelings of failure for not having the birth I dreamed of. But mostly for not being able to carry my baby to term.

I worked on my scars.

The ones I could see and the ones I couldn't.

I made a post-op protocol for my recovery.

I worked with a somatic therapist.

I became a doula and a pelvic floor PT.

I had another high risk pregnancy.

I had an unmedicated VBAC. It was healing. But I knew if I needed a C-section again, I would be ok.

So c-section mama, I see you. I know how strong you are. Where ever you are in your healing journey, I hope you know you are a great mom 🤍

So appreciative of the patients & clients who trust me with their care 🤍

I love to see you grow and move to the next step feeling more informed and empowered 💪

NEW COURSE ALERT!!!

This course is the result of my 2023 passion project and journey to improve my pelvic floor flexibility and I am so excited to bring it to you 😊

After my VBAC and D&C from postpartum hemorrhaging I had an increase in pelvic pain and pelvic floor tightness.

I was having a hard time getting back to my normal exercise routine and getting frustrated with my lack of progress.

I dug deeper into continued education and research and changed up my focus in recovery. That step back was what I needed to get over the hump and reset my training programs.

I've condensed the helpful tips and tricks I found along the way into one convenient course!

Ready to learn how to relax your pelvic floor? Follow the link in bio for access to the course!

Now through 1/7/24 get half off the course with code VRELAXED25 🎉

I want to kick off the new year by giving back to all the women in this community struggling with leaks.

The free 5 day bladder habits course is now live!

Ready for 5 days of tips and tricks to improve your pelvic floor and bladder wellness?

Includes a free PDF download of a bladder diary to help you track what's causing your leaks

Follow the link to snag your copy 🎉

https://secure.gethealthie.com/appointments/embed_appt?dietitian_id=3194395&require_offering=true&offering_id=155613&hide_package_images=false&primary_color=00000b

Link is live! See my story to claim your spot, mats are limited!

Coming to the class grants your free access to the play back so you can stream it over and over at home 🎉

Tired of being told to just do your Kegels? Me too.

Theres more to pelvic floor health than simply doing Kegels.

I hear from women all the time who have tried 100 Kegels a day or have used the pelvic wave chairs and feel like they are getting nowhere-or feel worse!

Here's a few things to consider:

1. If Kegels are making the problem worse, chances are you are dealing with tightness or doing them incorrectly.

If you are dealing with tightness, you can have tightness and weakness. If that's the case, your pelvic floor needs lengthening and eccentric training before you start trying to shorten it with concentric contractions.

2. A proper Kegel includes a closure, a lift, and then a full relaxation. Sometimes I see clients who think they are doing a good Kegel but they are actually bearing down (think about pushing to poo or holding your breath to push in labor). Bearing down can feed into leaking, weakness, and prolapse.

3. You may have good strength, but poor coordination. Maybe your core and pelvic floor muscles aren't working together well. Or maybe things are firing at the wrong time when you sneeze, cough, or jump.

4. Some exercises, like double leg lifts, adductor training, etc can more optimally fire the pelvic floor than a Kegel. Mixing up your training programs in the gym could be more helpful than Kegels alone.

Want to learn more?
✨ Follow this page!
✨ Save this post for later
✨ Comment "Kegels" for more information on a great class coming Jan 12th!
✨ Share with your friends struggling with pelvic floor issues
✨ Get on my schedule for a free physical therapy consultation (link in bio 🔗)

As a fellow C-section mama, I want to say I've been where you are. I've been trying to figure out how to be a mom while also navigating my own recovery. Trying to process a complicated birth story while balancing a new mental load.

It's a lot. I'm a doctor of physical therapy and even I felt like I was not prepared for the recovery process. The "all clear" at 6 weeks is less instruction that someone who has a meniscectomy gets. Why is it that after a major surgery we tell women to go back to life like normal without rehabilitation?

I spent hours, weeks, months creating a post-op protocol for myself. getting my scar moving again, addressing muscle imbalances, slowly rebuilding strength. I had to research, pull from my existing knowledge as a PT, and dive into pelvic floor PT specialisations to fully understand why I was struggling.

No new mom has time for that. Get better care, better rehab, and a better recovery.

DM c-section to learn more about postpartum physical therapy

Today I realized it's almost 2024, and since 2019 my body has not just been mine.

That's 5 years of pregnancies, postpartum, nursing, and hormone shifts over and over again. Overlapping needs of little humans. Conflicting needs between my children, myself, my marriage, my career.

So many changes, so many times I've asked my body to do more. So many times I've rebuilt it. So many times I've had to change.

Mothers are the most resilient humans I know. They are the ultimate endurance athletes. They show up because they have to, even on the days they feel they can't.

Their body's grow lives, they open to birth them, they heal, they nourish. Often meeting the needs of their children before their own. It's easy to get touched out, it's easy to feel like your body doesn't belong to you anymore.

Your body deserves to be nourished too. Speak kindly to it, it's doing amazing things-you are doing amazing things.

I'm getting excited-and a bit sad- to know that this phase won't last forever. Soon my body will not be growing and feeding littles. Soon they won't need me to carry them. They will sleep on their own.

I'll sleep more too. I'll have more time to myself. My joints won't be so wobbly. My core strength will return. I'll have more time with my spouse. I'll feel like more than "mama" all the time.

But I'll soak up these moments as I slowly rebuild and we slowly shift into independent people again. Postpartum is not 6 weeks or 6 months. It's ok to take it slow, it's ok to not bounce back. But it's not ok to ignore your health and your needs.

If you're struggling to get back to what you love postpartum, you deserve support mama. You deserve the check ins and added layers of care just as much as the people you love.

Need help finding your way back?

I help female athletes solve muscle, joint, & pelvic floor problems so they can train the way they love again.

Becoming a mother can be a jarring transition. There's so many changes all at once.

You go from pregnant and celebrated to postpartum and in the background.

You go from meeting your needs to being responsible for the needs of a whole other human.

You grow and stretch in so many ways.

And we often often told:
-"I don't know how you do it."
-"It's so hard"
-"You're doing so much"

But there's a lack of practical support

We struggle to find time for ourselves. We struggle to appreciate the new strength we have when we feel worn down.

When you add pelvic floor or muscle and joint problems to the mix, it can feel hopeless.

Maybe we should be asking better questions on what kind of support mothers need.

I've been there. I know how frustrating it is to have people assume you'll be less productive, you're not as strong, you aren't you.

That's why I've created something different. Because moms deserve more.

It's not in your head. You don't just need more l**e. You don't need to just have a glass of wine. You don't have to just relax. You don't have to pretend it's fine.

With vaginismus, there's often a lot of layers to address. It can feel overwhelming.

Female athletes are inspiring.

You navigate hormone fluctuations, pelvic pain, pregnancy and postpartum changes, and menopause.

You wear so many hats.

You navigate the extra hurdles society throws in front of you.

You preserve, you show up, you rebuild and redefine yourself over and over through each phase, each injury, each new challenge.

You deserve care that looks at your whole story 🤍

You've got this.

You don't have to live with your muscle, joint, or pelvic pain.

You don't have to live with pelvic pain, you don't have to live with leaking, you don't have to give up lifting, you don't have to settle for painful pe*******on.

The fourth trimester is often a jarring transition.

You may be marveling at the amazing things your body has done

You are also mourning some of the way life used to be

Some changes are expected

Some are things you've never heard of

Some feel isolating

Some make us feel like we are failing

Some make us feel like we are broken

I want you to know you aren't alone

You aren't broken

You don't just have to live with it

Our healthcare system doesn't do enough to support mothers postpartum

Maternal mortality rates in the US are too high

Too many mothers are being told to just do Kegels instead of being sent to a skilled clinician with the tools to help

Too many don't have support to implement the solutions that are offered in physical therapy

I think there's a better way

Both my pregnancies were complicated

My postpartum journeys were very different

I spent months researching, implementing, and refining my programming to get back to everything I love to do

I've put together all the resources I wish I had postpartum in one supportive platform

Hybrid physical therapy care centered around one-on-one sessions + all the support you need between sessions

Same person, same day, same movement, different movement intention.

Can you spot the difference?

This is what I mean when I say it's about how you do the exercise more so than the exercise itself.

In the first picture, the upper abs are taking over, the low abs aren't showing up and the pelvic floor has a lot of pressure coming down on it.

The second we see well managed pressure in the core, with even work throughout the core muscles.

Try it out, take a video and watch your core as you lift your head and shoulders a bit off the floor. Which one looks like you? Comment below 1 or 2.

#

We'll be covering this in breath lab!
Get your spot: https://momence.com/s/97035161