Is abdominal separation affecting your life?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 16:02:06 -0600

De-mystifying what "the gap" is all about.

Known medically as diastasis recti, abdominal separation is a condition that affects men and women of all ages. What is abdominal separation? The abdominal muscles have a slip of connective tissue/glue joining them together and we can see this most often in persons with a six-pack when they have a line down the middle. When there is too much pressure, leading to thinning of the connective tissue, this can lead to what is traditionally known as abdominal separation. However, just because there is a gap, doesn’t mean you have the separation. Primarily known as something that can be caused by childbirth, there are common signs and symptoms to be aware of to know if you are experiencing this:

-abdominal bulging in any position or commonly with ab exercises

-weakness in the core

-feeling like it is difficult to lose weight in the middle area

-feeling you have lost weight elsewhere but in the stomach region

-feeling your stomach is bigger end of day versus at the beginning of the day

-feeling you are still pregnant

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists are trained to assess the abdominal muscles for their strength and also assess the gap. Traditionally a two finger width gap or more was a diagnosis for diastasis recti, but we look at this differently these days. The physiotherapist will assess your muscle strength, your ability to contract and tighten the muscles in different positions and what happens to the middle connective tissue area when you are doing a crunch or sit up. Based on this, they would prescribe you exercises to do at home that will help reduce the symptoms you are feeling.

Along with the abdomen, your physiotherapist may also check your back, hips and pelvic floor muscles because this what you core actually consists of! A lot of people think the core = abs but there is MUCH more to this. A full assessment can identify the things that will help you recover faster.

Questions? Comment below, e-mail us at hello@kaaiaa.co, or book a free phone consult.

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Why does sex hurt?

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 23:42:52 -0600

Regain pleasure in your life.

Sex references are in the mainstream culture on a daily basis and this can be hard for those experiencing pain with intercourse (i.e. sex). For some, sex has never been pleasurable, or has been the cause of physical, mental, and emotional pain. Articles in magazines talk about how to orgasm better and different ways of pleasuring oneself or partners but rarely focus on the experience of many others out there.

If you have always experienced pain with sex or it has come about later in life, please read on.

Sexual function is supported by the p elvic floor muscles which run from the pubic bone to the tailbone and are involved in bladder and bowel control along with the ability to orgasm.

In our patients, the main causes of painful sex we see are the following:

a) “Tight” pelvic floor muscles

Tight, overactive, or hypertonic pelvic floor muscles may be the cause of discomfort or pain with intercourse. Sometimes the vaginal entrance alone can be tight or it can also be tighter deeper in. Although it may be difficult to determine the direct cause of tight muscles, (especially if someone has had this since the first time they were sexually active), we have had clients mention sexual trauma, pelvic floor trauma from birth, and stress as contributing factors.

b) Pelvic organ prolapse

With organs shifting and putting pressure on the vaginal walls, penetration deeper inside can be painful and often patients will describe this as a block or that during sex it is “hitting something” and can be dependent on the position as well. This can be due to pelvic organ prolapse, descending of the vaginal walls + organs.

c) Vaginal dryness

This can be related to hormonal issues, outside of pregnancy, postpartum or around menopause. Use of lubrication, topical estrogen prescribed by your physician, other non-estrogen creams or hormonal treatment can be beneficial in this case.

d) Scar tissue

For vaginal deliveries, if an episiotomy was performed or there was tearing, depending on how the region healed, there may be scar tissue that can lead to sensitivity in the vaginal region or tightness.