What is Biofeedback?
Have you ever heard of biofeedback? It is an amazing tool we use in pelvic floor physical therapy. Biofeedback is a technique that allows us to gain insight into our body's physiological processes, like muscle activity including how well our muscles can contract AND relax, through real-time data visualization. It's like a secret window into understanding how our bodies work! Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy & Biofeedback: In pelvic floor physical therapy, biofeedback is a game-changer. It helps individuals, especially those struggling with pelvic floor issues, learn how to better control and strengthen or better relax their pelvic floor muscles. [...]
No more poop smears!
If you child consistently has skid marks in their underwear, we understand how frustrating and overwhelming it can be. Here’s some good news: pelvic floor physical therapy can help! Encopresis, or fecal incontinence, can often be caused by weak or dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles. By working with a pelvic floor physical therapist, your child can learn exercises and techniques to improve pelvic floor muscle function and reduce symptoms of encopresis. Don’t let encopresis hold your child back any longer! Contact a pelvic floor physical therapist today to learn more about how we can help! Get this problem taken care of [...]
How Specialized Physical Therapy Can Prevent ‘Leaking’ During Menopause
How Specialized Physical Therapy Can Prevent 'Leaking' During Menopause Have you heard of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy? What can a physical therapist do to help with incontinence? We’re glad you asked! The reason for urinary leakage is usually from weak pelvic floor muscles. Learning techniques for relaxing and contracting the pelvic floor muscles can help eliminate this issue. Check out the article below for details on how we can help! Beyond the Kegal
World Continence Week — You’re Not Alone!
World Continence Week -- You're Not Alone! Incontinence sounds like a complicated word only used in nursing homes or hospitals. However, a quarter to a third of men and women in the U.S. are struggling with urinary incontinence! Did you know celebrities such as Katy Perry and Stephen King actually suffered from incontinence? World Continence Week, taking place on the last week of June each year, is a time to not only raise awareness about incontinence, but end the stigma and shame that surrounds it. People suffer from incontinence for all reasons, and most wouldn’t think of physical [...]
5 Reproductive Health Issues We Should Be Talking About
5 Reproductive Health Issues We Should Be Talking About PMS, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Endometriosis, Pelvic Floor Disorders and Incontinence are health issues many women suffer from without hope of help. Check out this column from the New York Times that describes each issue and how to get help! NY Times Maya Salam Column
Why Talk About Bowel When I Leak Urine?
Why Talk About Bowel When I Leak Urine? By Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, RCMT, BCB_PMD When children come to physical therapy for evaluation of urinary leakage, daytime and/or night time, we frequently ask questions about their bowel habits. Many people wonder why we ask about the bowel when they have urinary leakage (a.k.a. incontinence). The reason is that the bowel and the bladder share the same nuerologic input as well as the same muscles to help control them. When the bowel is full and doesn’t empty on a regular basis, it puts pressure on the back of the bladder [...]
Constipation: Big Picture Therapy
Constipation: Big Picture Therapy Author: Susannah Haarmann, PT, WCS, CLT You made an appointment with a pelvic therapist to address urinary urgency and now they’re asking you questions about your bowel function? Invasive or awkward much? We get it, but we need to know. Let me explain; there are 3 outlets sharing a tight space within your pelvis. The bowel, bladder and reproductive pathways are intimately related and a malfunction of one might cause some compromise in another. Just think about how much satisfaction is tied to your ability to poop, pee and have sex! It’s our job to [...]
PARENTS: Advocate for Your Child to Use the Bathroom at School!
PARENTS: Advocate for Your Child to Use the Bathroom at School! By Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, RCMT, BCB-PMD I have been working with children who experience bowel and bladder issues for over 30 years. One of my primary concerns is that children are not allowed to use the bathroom during the school day except for scheduled times. This leads to holding patterns and decreased fluid intake throughout the day, which can lead to constipation and bladder and bowel problems! This is a crazy cycle that needs to stop! Parents need to educate themselves on normal bowel and bladder health. [...]
The Psychological Effects of Bed-wetting, Daytime Urinary and Fecal Incontinence
The Psychological Effects of Bed-wetting, Daytime Urinary and Fecal Incontinence By Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, RCMT, BCB-PMD A regular referring pediatrician called me one morning to tell me about an 11-year-old boy who hung himself secondary to fecal incontinence and persistent teasing by his siblings and peers. Her comment to me was “If his parents only knew about the services you offer this child’s life may have been spared.” That was over 10 years ago and to this day I still get emotional just thinking about it. Children who suffer from constipation with or without encopresis (fecal incontinence), daytime [...]
