My Journey with Pilates

About a year ago I finally hit my tipping point with back pain.  I had been ignoring a deep pain on the right side of my low back above my butt for a long time until it started to radiate down my back into my right foot.  It was constant.  I couldn’t sit for longer then a few minutes and couldn’t stand still because I was so uncomfortable.  I found out from my amazing team of physical therapists that I had SI (sacroiliac) instability along with a compressed disc in my lumbar spine.  As I worked with some great manual care therapists I was give the green light to start some Pilates to help strengthen my deep spine stabilizers and find my pelvic floor.

When I stated Pilates with Laurie I didn’t realize how weak I was.  I always thought of myself as an athlete, but I was hit with a big dose of reality when I started to work with her.  I never really knew how to use my pelvic floor and how to engage it with movement.  Even as a physical therapist myself I struggled with these movements and had to work so hard for the smallest movements to happen.  Each deep spine movement she gave me I was shaking and sweating!  I would leave her sessions so baffled at how hard it was for me to find my middle and a neutral spine as well as try and maintain it while adding in leg or arm movements.  It was always a shaky walk to the car !

After a lot of basic sessions I was finally able to stabilize my SI joint and back and get into more complex movements on the Reformer, Wunda Chair, and Cadillac.  Laurie is an amazing physical therapist and Pilates instructor.  She finds all my compensations and teaches and educates me about them so that I can keep reeducating my body about functional movement.  Learning how to engage my pelvic floor and deep spine stabilizers has not only got me out of back pain but also has changed my life and the way I treat patients in the outpatient clinic. 

If you are looking into Pilates as a way of exercise, therapy, or breath work I urge you to try it!  It is such an amazing workout that challenges the mind, body and breathe all at the same time.  If you are super unfamiliar with Pilates like I was and are dealing with some orthopedic issues I suggest finding a physical therapist who is certified in Pilates who can give you some extra care around your injury before you go into a class format. 

Leave any comments you have below and I will be happy to answer! 

What is "BodyWork" ?

The blog post is about the importance of “Bodywork”, and my personal experience of bodywork on my path through wellness and feeling at my optimal best. 

So, what is bodywork?  In alternative medicine, bodywork is any therapeutic or personal development technique that involves working with the human body in a form involving manipulative therapy, breath work, or energy medicine.  These modalities of alternative medicine can include physical therapy, chiropractic’s, acupuncture, massage, holistic nutrition, soft tissue work,  pranayama, healing crystals, meditation guidance and so much more.  I have found that bodywork is any form of treatment that you seek to better yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When I injured my knee and my back about 7 months ago I was down in the dumps about not being able to move as and being in a lot of pain.  I had denied my back pain for some time now and the torn MCL in my knee is what finally got me to slow down from a crazy fast moving life (40 hours in a pediatric clinic, yoga teacher, yoga classes, boxing, and way too much more).  I was referred to work on breathing with a well-known and very gifted yoga teacher Sarah Reese.  I was skeptical being that I could hardly walk because of my knee, but I am forever grateful for going to that first session because it changed my life.  Sarah saw me as an individual in my own unique, and tired body.  We worked on pranayama in a supine (laying on my back) position for an hour, and I was sweating.  

During that first private yoga session she saw my ribs and my poor breathing patterns and referred me to Cindy Shaw, a skilled physical therapist who practices in Huntington Beach CA.  The first session with Cindy was a game changer and will forever be the start of change I needed for my body.  She is called the sacral whisperer for a reason.  She works so intimately in the body and not only works the spine physically but energetically.  She and another colleague Cynthia Almonte, who is an amazing movement specialized physical therapist looked at my body in a way that no one, including myself has ever done.  With a lot of work, compliance, and self-study I am recovering from my back injury and now starting to participate in my usual recreational activities including yoga, running, and surfing. 

In this process I was also referred to a physical therapist that once worked for Cindy Shaw named Laurie Barlett.  She is a certified Pilate’s instructor who works with clients one on one.  I had so many compensation patterns and was very unstable in my SI joint and pelvic floor.  Laurie taught me how to find my “middle”, engage my “core”, and learn how to basically move again.  She kicked my ass!  Literally!  I continue to work  with Laurie on a weekly basis.  She  challenges me to strengthen my body in a way that I didn’t think was possible, while also dealing with a back and knee injury.  Every session is different and purposeful.  She brought back a spark in my desire to move that I felt was gone from being on the bench for so long. 

The "bodywork" is never over!  These ladies are helping me find a new sense of awareness in my body that I will continually need guidance with, tune ups, and ways to challenge if I ever want to prevent injuries and find optimal performance.  Not being done with this work I think is the exciting part, and I hope to find more ways to show my body some love.  So the moral of the story is to take care of your body!! Find a team that knows your body’s worth and get them to help guide you.   Be preventative!  Just because your not keeled over in bed with pain doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from seeing a team of body healers.  Do your research and become your own advocate.   Taking care of oneself is one the highest forms of spirituality and self-care.  When you are able to show your body mind and soul respect, love, and generosity it then can spread to others.   

Four Reasons Why Every New Mom Needs Physical Therapy

Great Article from YogaUOnline by Dr. Garner, take a read ! 

By: Dr Ginger Garner

 https://www.yogauonline.com/yogau-wellness-blog/four-reasons-why-every-new-mom-needs-physical-therapy

New Moms Need Physical Therapy

Pregnancy and childbirth exact an enormous toll on a woman’s body. It is transforming and beautiful, but when a mother does not get the physical and emotional support she needs, the effects can be devastating.

I am a new mother, three times over. After each birth, I benefited enormously from physical therapy.  I could not stand strong, fit, and wholly healed without it.

I am also a physical therapist, myself, and feel that every woman should know her rights to receive physical therapy as a new mother. One of the many fields of specialization in physical therapy is women’s health. I bet you didn’t know that. That’s okay. Most doctors don’t either.

A physical therapist (PT) in women’s health is dedicated to helping women get their bodies back after birth. They can treat a myriad of issues, including pelvic and back pain, incontinence, and other ailments. The American Physical Therapy Association’s 2010-11 report titled Today’s Physical Therapist: A Comprehensive Review of a 21st-Century Health Care Profession, states “physical therapists are committed to facilitating each individual’s achievement of goals for function, health, and wellness.” The core values of a physical therapist are “altruism, accountability, integrity, clinical excellence, social responsibility, and compassion.” The sad fact, though, is that most new mothers will never get the therapy they desperately need after giving birth.

But I am passionate about turning the tide. All too often, women in general, not just new mothers, do not receive the health care they need. Read my article which reviews the shocking statistics about the crisis in women’s health care today in the US.

A Prime Example of Falling Through the (Medical) Cracks

I have had patients and friends who have suffered from pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, painful scarring, chronic incontinence, and lower back pain for so long that it has severely altered their quality and enjoyment of life.

A friend recently came to me asking for advice for another girlfriend. Let’s say her name is Teresa. Teresa had just undergone major abdominal surgery (think C-section) and was having awful abdominal pains and even headaches.

Knowing that the two are related, based on her surgery type and plan of care, I immediately asked if the surgeon had referred her to physical therapy. Of course the answer was no. Her plan of care did not include any post-operative physical therapy. In fact, when I asked Teresa directly, she said her doctor (a woman, mind you) had never even mentioned needing physical therapy.

I was upset by what I felt was an oversight by the physician to refer Teresa to therapy, but mostly I felt a surge of urgency to help her. This woman needed therapy immediately, yesterday, even. She was floundering, depressed, in pain, and alone at home six weeks after major surgery on her reproductive organs due to a cancer scare. She had no idea how to get better (she had been a marathoner) now that she had this huge scar (larger than that of a C-section) across her abdomen. Even coughing caused pain, and the related headaches and back pain were terrifying.

But, it was not the doctor’s fault. Not really.

Doctors are educated very little, if at all, about PT services in medical school. A good friend with an MD sister said this when asked if she had learned about PT in medical school: “sure, we had education about what PT’s do in medical school. It was a single lecture, on one day, it was optional, and it covered all allied health care services.”

Physical therapists spend a similar amount of time in earning their degree in physical therapy (7-8 years) as doctors do in medical training. There really is no way a single optional lecture in medical school can prepare physicians to know what PT’s do and how to refer for physical therapy.