Peripartum Health

Optimizing Function During and After Pregnancy

The pelvic floor is a sling of musculature located on the inside of your pelvis. Its job is to work with your deep abdominal, respiratory and back musculature- otherwise known as your core – to help stabilize your spine and support your organs. The pelvic floor muscles are paramount in the carriage and delivery of a baby, and are often weak, overly stretched, and/or not functioning properly after childbirth.

Prioritize a healthy pelvic floor for a safe pregnancy and delivery
Adapt to the biomechanical changes undergone during pregnancy
Lessen the risk for postpartum pain, abdominal weakness, and incontinence
Provide guidance in returning to prepartum activities

Peripartum Therapy

What is the pelvic floor?

What is pelvic health?

Pelvic health is having good mobility, endurance, and patterning of the pelvic floor muscles. Proper coordination of the core provides the foundation for functional movements like squatting to lift your child out of the crib, carrying your child while doing errands, and running with your child, as well as physiological necessities like sneezing, laughing, and sexual function.

What are typical symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction and how does this relate to peripartum health?

Typical symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction include incontinence, pain with intercourse, difficulty voiding, back pain, and abnormal pelvic pressure to name a few. These symptoms may be the result of the way your body changes during pregnancy and childbirth, usually from a weak pelvic floor, trunk, and hip muscles; joint hypermobility; or dysfunctional breathing patterns. Physical therapy can help you to understand the pelvic floors connection with the body and can effectively treat the symptoms you may be experiencing.

What is ‘The Fourth Trimester’ and why is it important?

‘The Fourth Trimester’ is a new term coined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists promoting continued medical care for postpartum mothers beyond the initial follow-up with their physician. This allows the mother to receive ongoing care to treat a variety of changes in her body. Although physical therapy has played a role in postpartum care for many years, this is a conceptual shift in the ongoing care and treatment of these new mothers that we are so excited about! At Avant Physical Therapy, we address ‘The Fourth Trimester’ in the same way we treat other injuries – finding where your body is not working optimally and tailoring our interventions accordingly to help you reach your pre & postpartum goals.

To learn more about how Avant Physical Therapy can help you meet your goals, schedule an appointment now. Contact us at 206-686-4073 or request an appointment online today.

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We make every effort to include your healthcare professionals and exercise specialists in a cohesive plan to promote your optimal outcome. We want to truly understand what drives you toward recovery.

After injuring myself during a gym session and getting little relief with massage therapy, I sought help with Avant on my shoulders and low back/hip issues. Kate was my PT and provided a full plan of how to get back on track and what exercises I could do at home and during my gym sessions. Each session targeted the areas Kate and I felt needed more attention during that week. After eight weeks I had better mobility and no pain, plus the gained knowledge of how I can stretch and exercise all of my problem areas that I still use to this day. I highly recommend Avant!

Avant PT is an amazing place! I came here after receiving major foot surgery and the time I spent with Avant was instrumental in my recovery. After many months of regular sessions at Avant, primarily with Laura and Corissa, I was able to fully recover and return to my job as a ballet dancer. Exercises were well selected and explained, and I always felt at ease asking questions. It's hard to overstate how incredibly helpful everything l learned was and continues to be for my physical well-being. I will continue to come to Avant for any future PT needs and I highly recommend them to everyone else. I am incredibly thankful for everything you guys do.

Fantastic experience with Avant Physical Therapy over the last 6 months recovering from lower back and knee injuries and then working on strength and flexibility to prevent future occurrences. Giovanna (Gio) was a fantastic therapist. I asked a lot of questions about why we did different exercises and she always took time to explain how different muscle groups interact in the body and how it connected to the goals we set. In addition, she is simply a lovely human to be around . Beyond Gio, Ronni and the rest of the front desk staff had great communication, were efficient with scheduling and super friendly.

Ryan is the best physical therapist I have had the pleasure of working with. The care he provides is top-notch. He is professional in every manner of his work. The hard work he puts in to figuring out the best plan to getting someone back to full heath is top level. Best therapist around!

After playing eighteen years of competition soccer, seven years of professional soccer & five major surgeries, I was blessed with the best medical personnel I’ve ever had. I would trust Avant with any piece of my training/therapy, shoot MY LIFE!

Hands down, the best PT I've ever been to. Laura is a wonderful, upbeat person and and amazing therapist, and unlike many PT's she spends the entire hour with you. She's also very good with difficult cases. I've had an ongoing back issue for several years and have tried everything. I'd pretty much given up on ever really getting better. In one month Laura helped me more than anyone else had been able to.

As an 11 year NFL veteran running back, I have worked with many therapist and trainers. I appreciate Avant's ability to assess movement deficiencies, identify where the restrictions in my body are and come up with a detailed plan during treatment as well as for me to do on my own.

Can't recommend Brenna highly enough at Avant. Her guidance enabled me to return quickly from a significant muscle tear and get back to the outdoor activities I love. I now feel equipped to strengthen on my own, and help prevent injuries from skiing and climbing, which is extremely comforting. Appointments were filled with helpful guidance on exercises, scheduling was painless, she thoroughly and clearly answered any questions I had, and corresponding over email between appointments provided me with all the information I needed to heal and get stronger.