Dyspareunia or pain with intercourse is common after having a baby. An estimated 50% of women report pain with intercourse 3 months after delivery and 17% still report discomfort at 6 months postpartum (Buhling et al, 2006). More severe perineal injuries correlate with more persistent pain, however women who undergo a C-section delivery may also...
Many clients I work with, particularly in the greater Boulder Area who are active and fit prior to pregnancy, want to know what types of exercise and intensity is appropriate to continue during pregnancy. First, it is always important to check with your OB/Midwife to make sure you are safe to continue or change your...
How The Use of Forceps During Delivery Impacts Urinary Incontinence in the Postpartum Period By Berrin Boyce As a pelvic floor PT working in Boulder with many people during their pregnancies I often hear the question: “What can I do to decrease the risk of developing urinary incontinence or pelvic floor issues after delivery?” I...
Low Back Pain and Postpartum Depression By Berrin Boyce, PT, DPT, PRPC Low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, and postpartum depression are relatively common following pregnancy. Musculoskeletal pain likely impacts around 50% of people in the postpartum period (Carvalho et al, 2016), while 1 in 7 women will experience postpartum depression. Although both are common,...
Postpartum runners potentially make up a large portion of community runners as most women participating in running events are of childbearing age. 35% of women returning to running after childbirth report running-related pain. In 2019, a group of international running experts developed guidelines for postpartum runners to safely and effectively return to running. This criteria...
Return to running is recommended beginning 3-6 months postpartum. This is due to tissue healing time frames for the pelvic floor and abdominal muscles regardless of how you delivered. It is important to consider both time frame and specific criteria for each individual (signs and symptoms and risk factors) as there is no ‘one size...
In the United States, about 13% of women aged 15-49 year old will experience infertility. Infertility is described as the inability to get pregnant after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. For those experiencing infertility, it can be a long, emotionally and financially taxing journey. Each woman’s journey is unique which can make it hard to...
A frequent question of pregnant patients is, “how do I actually push during labor”? If they ask friends, they will often get the answer, “well in the moment you just know what to do”. If they ask the internet, there are even more vague and varied answers. So let’s discuss the best biomechanics and research...
Leaking during jumping jacks or other high-impact exercise is common, but it’s not something more Kegels will fix. If you’re doing pelvic floor work and still leaking with jumping, the problem usually isn’t strength, it’s timing. Having leakage with jumping and running, whether newly postpartum, decades postpartum, or having never had a baby, has multiple...
35% of postpartum women that return to running report musculoskeletal pain. A new research study has looked at biomechanical and musculoskeletal differences that exist in postpartum runners as compared to nulliparous (person who hasn’t given birth) runners. 9 women less than 2 years postpartum that run at least one day per week were compared to...
