Sarah Trottier Physiotherapist

Today’s Tuesday Tip: Not everyone should be doing kegels during pregnancy!!! A lot of clients that I’ve seen have read/been told that they should be doing Kegels (strengthening exercise for the pelvic floor), especially during pregnancy. ... BUT when we assess the pelvic floor, we also evaluate the tone of the muscles. Often times, muscles can be very tight and tense, which can lead to pelvic pain, or even incontinence. Therefore, if we start doing Kegels with already tight pelvic floor muscles, it could cause even more dysfunction. It is important to remember that not everyone should be doing Kegels! #pelvichealth #pregnancy #postnatal #kegels #pelvicfloor #pelvichealthpt See more

Toileting for the first time after birth is a common fear for a lot of women. By following these tips, going to the bathroom after birth doesn’t have to be so scary! 1. Diet/Water: make sure to keep up with your fibre intake (lots of veggies, grains, beans) and water consumption, especially if you’re nursing!... 2. Toileting Position: use a squatty potty (or a stool, yoga blocks, tipped garbage can) for under your feet so that your knees are above your hips to mimic a squatting position. This squatting position allows our rectal muscles to relax and allows more space for our bowels to empty completely. 3. Avoid Pushing/Straining: continuous straining while toileting can cause hemorrhoids or pelvic organ prolapse so instead, try deep slow breaths with focus on relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. 4. Stay Active: go for a walk, move around exercise has been proven to help speed up our digestion, which leads to less constipation. #postnataltips #pelvichealth #bowelhealth #saynotoconstipation See more

My first day back to yoga since I injured my back.. and boy did it feel good! Triangle pose (somewhat picture ) was such a great stretch too, especially in my QLs! PS the YouTube video I did today was 30-Minute Power Vinyasa Flow with Briohny Smyth ... such a great practice!!... #keepmoving #dowhatfeelsgood #mobilityiskey #pelvichealth #yogaflow See more

Today’s Tuesday Tip: Not everyone should be doing kegels during pregnancy!!! A lot of clients that I’ve seen have read/been told that they should be doing Kegels (strengthening exercise for the pelvic floor), especially during pregnancy. ... BUT when we assess the pelvic floor, we also evaluate the tone of the muscles. Often times, muscles can be very tight and tense, which can lead to pelvic pain, or even incontinence. Therefore, if we start doing Kegels with already tight pelvic floor muscles, it could cause even more dysfunction. It is important to remember that not everyone should be doing Kegels! #pelvichealth #pregnancy #postnatal #kegels #pelvicfloor #pelvichealthpt See more

Core rotation with theraband: an exercise that I LOVE to give to clients who present with a DRA. In some clients, having a DRA can decrease function of the trunk, in particular with rotational movements. Here is how to perform this exercise: Stand up tall (with a gentle bend in the knees).... Arms straight out at shoulder height, while holding the theraband with both hands Inhale Exhale, engage your deep core, and slowly rotate your trunk and hips away from the band origin. Inhale and slowly return. Repeat 2 sets of 10 (each side) #pelvichealth #exerciseisgoodforthebody See more

Toileting for the first time after birth is a common fear for a lot of women. By following these tips, going to the bathroom after birth doesn’t have to be so scary! 1. Diet/Water: make sure to keep up with your fibre intake (lots of veggies, grains, beans) and water consumption, especially if you’re nursing!... 2. Toileting Position: use a squatty potty (or a stool, yoga blocks, tipped garbage can) for under your feet so that your knees are above your hips to mimic a squatting position. This squatting position allows our rectal muscles to relax and allows more space for our bowels to empty completely. 3. Avoid Pushing/Straining: continuous straining while toileting can cause hemorrhoids or pelvic organ prolapse so instead, try deep slow breaths with focus on relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. 4. Stay Active: go for a walk, move around exercise has been proven to help speed up our digestion, which leads to less constipation. #postnataltips #pelvichealth #bowelhealth #saynotoconstipation See more

Come join us this Wednesday!!!!!

My first day back to yoga since I injured my back.. and boy did it feel good! Triangle pose (somewhat picture ) was such a great stretch too, especially in my QLs! PS the YouTube video I did today was 30-Minute Power Vinyasa Flow with Briohny Smyth ... such a great practice!!... #keepmoving #dowhatfeelsgood #mobilityiskey #pelvichealth #yogaflow See more

It's National Breastfeeding Week!!! Back pain is common during pregnancy - but can also affect a lot of moms after birth, especially with increase in demands on the body. A good example of an activity that can frequently cause aches and pains after birth is nursing baby. By properly positioning our bodies and using optimal body mechanics, these following tips can help protect your body from injury!... Check out the video below for different nursing positions!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUq7kYJSWbk

Lately, I’ve been experiencing some low back pain as a result of golfing every week for the last 2 months (whereas my body was used to maybe playing 5 times total in a summer). So I did a mini assessment on myself. ... Bending forward is what has been causing me a lot of pain (i.e picking up dog poop, putting on socks, etc). So in the pictures, you can see how far I can bend before pain starts (see in order): A) my forward bend WITHOUT corrections B) Pelvic Correction C) Rib/thorax correction Can you guess which area is driving my pain?? If you guessed C) (or ribs/thorax), then you are RIGHT!! So, I did some exercises based on my findings, and my regular forward bend without correction is back to normal with very minimal pain. The magic of our bodies, so connected!! It’s important to not always focus on the area of pain, but look elsewhere :) #physiotherapy #ottawaphysio #movebetter See more

Being active has always been a big part of my life. When Covid hit, I was able to spend more time focussing on my physical and mental health. I had spent more time outdoors, whether it be walking the dogs a little longer than I usually do (which they have been loving), doing more consistent workouts, running, practising yoga, golfing, etc.... Now that I’m starting back up at work, I have made a promise to myself to continue the same amount of activity that I did while I was off. So this week, I brought the dogs on a hike in Gatineau Park, something I would only do on a busy weekend. It was peacefully beautiful with an ending of a whopping 15,000 steps by these little legs. Not only do I feel much better, but I know the joy that this time brings to my two furry best friends See more

SQUATS Why are they usually always apart of a workout? - Squats are a very functional exercise: getting up from a chair? Squat. Need to pick up a toy from the ground? Squat. Need to lift baby out of the crib? Squat. Need to lift the carseat up? Squat. ... - Squats give you a nice booty. They help build muscles not only in your glutes, but they also help tone your quads, hamstrings, calves, core and abdominal muscles, etc. - Squats improve your flexibility - not only in your hips, but also in your ankles!! - Squats help with injury prevention. - Squats help strengthen joints. Loading the hip, ankle and knee joints can also help with injury prevention! Are squats part of your home exercise routine? Here are so variations of squats: - regular - goblet - resistance band - Modified jump squat - Jump - Pulse https://www.instagram.com/p/CBl8_pyFF7t/?igshid=21pxa6qvqw8k

No weights but have a dog? No problem! Here are some exercises that you can do that both you and your pooch will love ... I love 2-3 sets of 10 #getcreative https://www.instagram.com/p/CBJchKwlWmg/

Perfect gloomy day to learn more about the GI (gastrointestinal) system in postpartum women... and my assistant may have fallen asleep on the job #pelvichealth #continuingeducation #womenshealth #postpartum #postpartumhealth #gisystem #alwayslearning

I’ve suffered from low back pain intermittently since high school. These are my go to stretches in the morning and before bed, especially if I’m starting to feel a little ache starting!! #stretchingisgood #keepmobile #breathe #saynotobackpain #physio #pelvichealth #ottawaphysio https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_Qjgcjlwxl/

GREEN LIGHT! The province of Ontario and our regulatory college have given physiotherapists the green light to resume in-person care! Beginning Monday June 1st, we will be reopening our doors to in-person physiotherapy care with PRECAUTIONS to ensure safety of all... What does this mean for your appointment? Our Administrative staff will be contact you prior to screen you for in-person care. You will be asked to bring a clean, reusable mask to wear for the duration of your appointment. We are limiting staff and clients in the building, spacing out appointment times to avoid crossover of people in our space and allow for cleaning between visits. We ask that you leave additional visitors at home including children, if you require assistance to enter our space, please discuss with our administrative staff during your screening call. We ask that all individuals enter the building through the front doors and leave through the backdoors to limit contact with other people. CONTINUATION WITH TELEHEALTH is still strongly encouraged - We will continue to offer virtual care for all services via telehealth. Stay tuned for more updates xo See more