ASK Physiothérapie
4203 St. Catherine Ouest, Suite 201 H3Z 1P6 Westmount, QC, Canada

I’ll be leading a workshop in support of YES Employment + Entrepreneurship Tuesday Dec 8th at 6pm. Join the discussion! We’ll be getting into how to spot to most common pelvic floor issues and what to do about them. Details here! See you there!!

http:// Online pelvic health Ed // We miss our in person programming but we are still committed to breaking pelvic health taboos and increasing awareness! Mikayla Morelli Pht is setting up for tonight’s prenatal & postnatal pelvic floor workshop. ... Follow and share so you’re in the know about upcoming workshops! Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK.

http:// Bladder habit #4 // This is a tough one and I empathize! I too, buuuut caffeine is a diuretic and a stimulant so it can rev up your urge and negatively impact pelvic pain. So if your goals are to pee less, for pain to be less irritable and to feel more in control of your body, then that may trump your java jollies. FYI - we should pee 5-8x/day ... The good news! Limiting coffee can be temporary! Once we establish new bladder habits then we can experiment with reintroducing coffee. Yay! It helps to recognize the ritual in coffee drinking beyond the addictive quality of it. There is comfort in pausing with a warm drink that we can recreate it without irritating our bladder. Pro Tips: Also tried tested and true by yours truly Don’t go cold turkey! Withdrawal headaches are the worst, so reduce consumption by 25% per week. If you normally drink 4 cups, drink 3 for a week, then 2, and so on. Start with reduced caffeine alternatives - Tea can still give you a boost but an 8oz cup of black tea has 47 mg of caffeine and green tea has 25 mg, compared to 75-165 mg of brewed coffee. Decaf is also an option - it’s not that bad people! Sleep! Get extra sleep to combat fatigue and grogginess. What time are you heading to bed? 3-5 minutes of exercise in the morning or when you need a boost - it doesn’t take much! - stretch arms over head, march or jog in place, swing your arms side to side Hop immediately in the shower in the morning *The moment of truth* Coffee-like alternatives! - caffeine free herbal teas are a sure bet. Non fruity may make then shift easier, like Chamomile or cinnamon. I’ve had patients swear by Dandilion root tea which has the richness of coffee without caffeine. you have goals! Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK!

Not directly pelvic health but the mind and pelvis are always talking. If you’re feeling more sensitive these days the impact of our social and environmental condition could be the culprit

http:// Bladder habit #3 // We’ve all heard that to ensure you’re doing your kegels correctly to practice starting and stopping your urine flow...nope. Stop that. You could be contributing to your symptoms or creating new ones down the line. Let me explain Your bladder and pelvic floor muscles are communicating all through your day. The bladder is a muscle sac called your detrusor muscle. It’s meant to be relaxed so that it can fill. At the base of your bladder is an internal s...phincter that is not under your control. Under pressure this internal sphincter automatically stays closed to keep urine in. Further down you have an external sphincter within your pelvic floor muscles that you can open and close at will BUT the pelvic floor muscles are meant to have a certain level of resting tension to keep urine inside as you go about your day..until you decide to relax them to pee. When your bladder fills to 300-400ml you will have an uncomfortable feeling to pee. You’ll go to the toilet and then a highly coordinated event happens. You relax your pelvic floor and external sphincter, the brain tells the bladder muscle to contract and the internal sphincter opens. We have a stream people! When you contract the pelvic floor during this process you’re telling the brain we’re done here and the bladder muscle relaxes preparing to store urine again...talk about mixed messages. Over time this can create incomplete emptying, urinary retention and can lead to urinary tract infection...no bueno. This can also lead to over activity of the pelvic floor and bladder urgency because the bladder is confused should I contract or not?. Pro Tip: Let go and let flow!!! Find a pelvic floor physio who can show you how to contract in other ways Practice your kegels any time other than mid-stream Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK.

This is MAJOR! Poise is recognizing pelvic floor physical therapy! Patients need their products for discreetness while they are in treatment to heal. We are better together

http:// Sitting too long to pee? // Healthy adults should take an average of 20 seconds to empty their bladder. We see a lot of patients who sit a long time to make sure their bladder is empty especially if they have urgent urination, frequent urination or are worried they will leak. ... The fact is your bladder is always collecting urine so if you sit long enough something will come out. If we just stay seated as a practice we can end up training the bladder to immediately empty. Oops! Plus, we aren’t giving the brain a clear cue to cut the urge signal so we continue to feel we aren’t empty and need to sit longer! Vicious cycle alert. People tell me they have to be completely empty to not have an urge. False, it’s considered normal for adults to have up to 50 milliliters of urine left after peeing without an urge. If we couldn’t we would be uncomfortable most of the time! Common culprits we see in clinic? - overactive pelvic floor muscles - weak pelvic floor muscles - pelvic organ prolapse - Enlarged prostate Pro Tips: Relax the pelvic floor - pull the anus 2 seconds then release 5 secs, 3-5x Take 3 deep belly breaths Rock forward and lift your bottom off the seat an inch or two and sit back down Crede method - press your hand into the belly above the pubic bone and lean forward to squeeze the bladder If there is no more flow, give one good contraction as though to stop peeing and then walk away. The brain and bladder will learn. Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK.

http:// Bladder habits #1 // It’s not called a porcelain throne for nothing and your toosh is royal. Peeing happens at rest. When you are hovering your pelvic floor muscles are not fully relaxing because as core muscles they manage your posture. If you’re hovering they are on to keep you balanced and to keep up with all of the other muscles contracting mid squat. Also, because it’s not a comfy position you’ll probably push to speed things up and rush to stand...Pushing can con...tribute to pelvic floor weakness and tension and rushing may mean you don’t empty completely. If there’s any place to have a minute of rest it’s the bathroom. Own your time! Next. Hear me well now THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT YOU WILL CATCH SOMETHING FROM SITTING ON A PUBLIC TOILET. Hovering habits travel with symptoms like urgent and frequent urination, and pain during and after emptying, incomplete emptying and dribbling after peeing. Pro Tip: - Cover the seat with TP - Choose the last stall in the row...probably the least used - Do like my Aunt Cynthia used to do...carry a mini disinfectant. She was a character. Anything to put your mind at ease so you can have a seat. Then let go and let flow! Your bladder and pelvic floor will thank you. Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. #bladder #peeproblems #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy

Workshop Alert! Pregnant and Postpartum people this workshop is for you!! This online event will be candid and jam packed with practical information, strategies and exercices to ensure you’re confident, prepared and as strong as a Mother .... Ask all of your questions anonymously and be answered live! Topics: Pelvic floor and core Exercise and pregnancy Urine leakage prevention Prolapse Constipation Perineal tearing reducing risk and what to do about it Diastasis Delivery considerations Return to sex C section recovery And more ++ Bring yourself, a friend, or a cousin. See you there! Presented by Mikayla Morelli M.Sc PT, pelvic health physiotherapist Register at [email protected] $30 Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. #pregnancy #postnatal #pelvicfloorhealth @mor.mik

This is not okay. We NEED to start the discussion.

October 15th - Pregnancy and Infant loss rememberance day

http:// Is pelvic floor ed important? // Yes, yes, yes. The #1 barrier to treatment for pelvic floor issues is a lack of awareness about treatment and shame in admitting that something isn’t right down there... #tbt This was a fantastic night hosted by Société Les Lilas Society and Maison d'Étude . Those were the days...... The most common comment a pelvic health physiotherapist will hear is I had no idea you existed!. We do and we can help! First let me encourage you - Your symptoms are too common to be taboo! Now let’s educate you: 1 in 5 women have pain with sex 1 in 3 women have urine leakage 24% of women have persistent pelvic pain - causes could be endometriosis or interstitial cystitis 50% of women have pelvic organ prolapse 1 in 7 have chronic constipation 9 % of men have pelvic pain - prostatitis (the number is higher but we need to encourage you guys to speak up) 70%+ men leak urine after prostate surgery Pelvic floor physiotherapy is FIRST LINE treatment for all of these and more, meaning we are meant to be your first stop for treatment before major medical intervention AND we’re meant to be collaborating with your doctors. If you’ve never been referred, ask why and then find one of us. We can help. No referral needed. Follow us and share for upcoming pelvic floor online workshops. Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. @mchuot.photo #womenshealth #womensupportingwomen #montreal

http:// The pelvic floor in action // How does the pelvic floor move? Because the pelvic floor is inside and working automatically most of the time we aren’t often aware of how it moves or when if moves. ... The key take away is during a complete pelvic floor contraction you should feel the pelvic floor 1 close or tighten in the front AND 2 lift in the back pulling the anus in toward your head, lifting the organs. We call a pelvic floor contraction a Kegel. For more on that stay tuned for our next videos. Helpful?! Share! Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. #pelvicfloor #physiotherapy #montreal

What’s the deal with water? You need it . We often see patients restricting their fluid intake to help their bladder symptoms like urine leakage, urgent urination or frequent urination. This strategy could be working against you for 3 major reasons.... 1 Concentrated urine can actually increase your risk of urinary tract infection (UTI). 2Concentrated urine can irritate the bladder and increase the sensation of needing to pee as well as discomfort burning when peeing. Mimicking symptoms of UTI. 3Your bladder is a muscle that works best when it’s flexible and can expand to allow filling and holding. If you’re not drinking enough and peeing often because it’s irritated then it can become stiff, overactive and contribute to more urgency and frequency...a vicious cycle Tips: Don’t allow yourself to become thirsty. It means you’re already dehydrated. Aim for 1.5 L of water unless exercising hard or breastfeeding then aim for 2 to 3L per day. Urine should be the color of wheat. Light yellow Increase water slowly to not shock the bladder. 250ml (8oz)daily per week. Example: measure your daily average, let’s say 750ml, for the next week you’ll drink 1L, if this doesn’t increase urge then increase to 1.25L the following week and so on until you reach 1.5L! Pretty things motivate! Get a pretty bottle to carry with you Use a clear bottle to see your progress! little sips through the day has been shown to reduce urge Sip your fluid through a straw to resist the urge to chug Make it interesting by adding fruit, bubbles or both! Remember you should be peeing 5-8x per 24 hours. ...If more of less consult your doctor AND your pelvic health physiotherapist. Happy Hydration!! Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. #womenshealth #bladderhealth #menshealth #TransHealth

http:// World Mental Health Day // We can’t talk about pelvic health and not recognize mental health. The two travel hand in hand and we witness the impact. A woman who has been through rounds of IVF to become pregnant has seen her body change in unexpected ways now that her miracle has arrived, prolapse and a constant nagging of looseness has become a barrier to her stress managing runs...she feels out of control and a sense of loss that no one seems to understand. She stops all... exercise, picking up the groceries...the baby, because a fear of making things worse set in. Why has her body betrayed her so deeply when all she wanted was a good thing, to be a mother! She cries. . A person overcomes fear to undergo major reconstructive surgery to affirm who they have always been and they are expecting a new and bright life, but now there’s pain and unexplained sensation. Even peeing is a chore! A sense of loss and stress set in. When will it be over?! No more intervention!! They sit staring. . A man starts to have pain when he pees, but all tests are negative. What could be wrong? He consults doctor after doctor for answers but is told everything is normal. But it’s not! Where do I get answers?! Now it’s all he can think about. He’s not sleeping well, intimacy has become a struggle, erections aren’t happening. His sense of masculinity and role as a husband, lover, protector is challenged...What is happening?! He hangs his head. . These are real stories we encounter. Can you relate? We see you. We hear you. You are not alone. We will find you support Connecte Montreal Psychology Let’s start the discussion. There is HOPE . ASK. #mentalhealth #worldmentalhealthday #pelvichealth

Is your position on point? Position matters! 1Knees higher than hips... 2lean forward 3Flat back 4Elbows on knees I call this the dug out position like a baseball player waiting to bat. 5 now inhale to feel the belly balloon against your thighs and pressure out through your anus Why does position matter?! You have a 90 degree curve in your anorectal canal that your poop needs to maneuver to make it’s way out! If you have a tight pelvic floor then the curve is even sharper! When your knees are higher than the hips it straightens the curve! Less resistance means an easier ! Pelvic floor weakness or tightness, lack of core coordination, prolapse and abdominal scarring can contribute to constipation. A pelvic health physiotherapist can treat you. Call us. Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. @squattypotty #constipation #pelvicfloor #physiotherapy #womenshealth #menshealth #transhealth

http:// What is the pelvic floor? // A quick look at the pelvic floor muscles! If you’ve stopped by give us a like! ... Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. #postpartum #womenshealth #menshealth #transhealth #montreal

http:// Balance // Not this but this . Did you know that your pelvic floor is wired like your heart and your lungs? When we are stressed, emotional, or angry our heart rate and breathing rate increases, and our pelvic floors turn on and grip. ... This is a protective mechanism and it’s a good one! If you were running from a bear you would need all this activation BUT...it’s meant to be temporary. In some cases we become so focused on all of the external stressors that we can lose track of what’s happening INSIDE our bodies. The over activity becomes our new normal and our bodies can no longer compensate. Pelvic floors become tight, rigid and tender We’re breathing up in our necks And symptoms of imbalance balance develop like pain, frequent urination and constipation. Challenge: take a moment before each meal to sit, lower your shoulders and take 10 deep breaths. as you inhale for a count of 4, keep your shoulders down, let your belly balloon focus on feeling pressure down into the vagina and anus against the chair. This is your pelvic floor relaxing. as you exhale for a count of 6, feel how the pressure against the chair changes Have a great week and let us know how it went today in the comments below Let’s start the discussion. There is #pelvichope . ASK. #balance #pelvicfloor #physiotherapy

Pantone is breaking barriers and we love it!

We strongly believe in being heart healthy

Who can name this organ?! // The clitoris // This small but mighty organ often comes up in conversation with patients and we need to give it the importance it deserves! ... ~Cliturature~ We only see a fifth or less of the organ on a person. The model Im holding is the actual size! Dr. Helen O’Connell, an Australian urologist first extensively described the whole organ in...1998! Your clitoris can be 7cm long. The clitoris has 8000 free nerve endings. The highest concentration in the body...making it a pleasure powerhouse! up to 70% of cis women require direct clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm. Not to be neglected folks! During orgasm your uterus contracts up to 15 times at precisely every 0.8 seconds The longest documented orgasm was 2 minutes!! Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) is a condition where people feel continually on the edge of orgasm without arousal or relief. It affects about 1% of people. Physio can treat it...stay tuned for more on that. Did anything surprise you? Let us know! Let’s start the discussion. There is pelvic hope . ASK.

Check out our line up of fall programming!

So glad Canadian Living is shedding the light on pelvic organ prolapse. So important to normalize the conversation surrounding pelvic health issues! Pelvic health physiotherapy can help.

A vagina comic with a message!