Reading Birth Gathering Vendor Spotlight!- South Mountain Physical Therapy
In today’s Reading Birth Gathering blog post, we are highlighting the importance of pelvic floor therapy for postpartum people. During pregnancy and child birth, the bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles of the pelvis go through tremendous stresses. Sometimes, physical therapy can be helpful to support these structures to return to normal functioning. Aase Pedersen, Doctor of Physical Therapy, shares about her work as a pelvic therapist. Come meet Aase and other perinatal pros at the Reading Birth Gathering on October 23rd– more information available on our Facebook event page!
Aase writes:
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy focuses on the bones, ligaments, joints, muscles, and other soft tissue in and around the pelvis. In my practice, I treat adults of all genders for a wide range of conditions, frequently related to incontinence and pain. During pregnancy, people tend to come in for back pain, pelvic pain, and questions about safe exercise. People often struggle with similar issues postpartum, but may also have difficulty with a C-section scar or pelvic floor muscle issues following labor, not to mention postural changes that crop up while caring for a newborn!
When I see someone for the first time, we spend an hour together one-on-one, reviewing their history thoroughly before determining how to proceed. If someone is coming for pelvic floor muscle concerns, such as incontinence, pain with intercourse, or difficulty emptying their bladder, the gold standard examination is an internal muscle exam. The goal of a pelvic floor muscle examination is to determine your muscle strength, endurance, ability to relax, and sensitivity to pressure or motion.
The most important part of my practice is informed consent. That means, if an internal muscle exam is something you are not comfortable with, we won’t do it. Other examination techniques include external pelvic floor muscle examination, surface EMG biofeedback, which reads out electrical signals to give an idea of how much your muscles contract and relax, scar assessment, diastasis recti evaluation, and abdominal and hip muscle strength testing.
If you are experiencing any concerns related to your pelvic floor, abdominal strength, or pregnancy/ postpartum postural changes, please reach out to your OB/GYN or midwife. They can write you a prescription for pelvic floor PT.
– Aase (pronounced “ACE-uh”) earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University, and completed additional training and obtained a Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certificate through the Herman and Wallace Institute. She has a newfound appreciation for everything her pregnant and postpartum patients have been through after having her first child in late 2021. A Berks County native, she is excited to bring her area of expertise to serve her hometown. She can be found at South Mountain Physical Therapy in Sinking Spring, PA. Our phone number is (610) 927-5183 and our website is www.southmountainpt.com.
Everlasting Wellness is so excited to welcome Aase and South Mountain Physical Therapy to the Reading Birth Gathering! Come see Aase and many other perinatal experts and support services on Sunday, October 23rd 1-4 pm at the Barn at Cahoosing, 9 Evans Hill Rd, Sinking Spring, PA.
And keep up to date with the latest announcements by joining the Reading Birth Gathering event page at: https://fb.me/e/2gg5SP8aW