Health Retreat for New Mothers

This month, young mothers from across North America arrived at PelvicSanity Physical Therapy in Laguna Hills for a unique retreat. Struggling with pelvic symptoms caused by childbirth, they connected in a private Facebook support group. Eventually they decided to host an in-person retreat, bringing in leading experts to teach about recovering after childbirth and give treatment sessions.

The event was hosted by a pelvic floor physical therapist, Dr. Nicole Cozean, at her clinic in Laguna Hills. Canada’s leading expert in low-pressure fitness and hypopressive techniques, Trista Zinn, flew in to perform both group and private fitness sessions from her clinic in Ontario, Canada. And Christy Curtis, a local Orange County yoga and meditation instructor, taught mindfulness meditation to the women.

Childbirth is one of the most traumatic things the human body can endure, and up to 75% of women experience some pelvic symptoms or dysfunction following delivery. In many countries around the world, pelvic floor physical therapy is the standard of care for women as they recover, but in the United States young mothers generally have to do their own research to learn about pelvic physical therapy for post-natal symptoms.

“Studies have shown that the muscles of the pelvic floor lose more than 50% of their strength and endurance following delivery” says Dr. Cozean. “Yet most women are told that post-natal symptoms like incontinence, painful intercourse, low back pain, prolapse, or diastasis recti are normal. They may be common, but they are not normal, and something we can address with pelvic physical therapy.”

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is a small group of muscles that literally compromise the floor the pelvis. It’s responsible for allowing us to hold back urine, sexual function, stabilizing the lower back and core, and keeping our pelvic organs supported and functioning properly. The pelvis is at the crossroads of the body, connected to the major muscles of the core and legs – the abdominals, lower back, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, and more all connect at the pelvis. Tightness, strain, or dysfunction in any of these muscles can adversely affect pelvic health and cause symptoms like incontinence, pelvic pain, painful intercourse, low back, hip, or tailbone pain. Pelvic physical therapy looks to restore normal function to these muscles, alleviating pain and pelvic symptoms.

Many of the patients at PelvicSanity come in years after the birth of their children, suffering from chronic pelvic pain or other serious conditions. By working to educate both young mothers and their doctors, Nicole is hoping to see these women earlier, helping them recover from delivery and preventing more serious problems down the road.

“Ideally, every new mother would go for at least a checkup with a physical therapist about six weeks after delivery. We can assess if there has been any damage to the pelvic floor muscles and educate women about what they can do to restore the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor so it can resume normal function."

This retreat brought together women who have been struggling with these symptoms from places as diverse as Quebec and South Carolina, Florida and New York, Michigan and Washington. After a weekend of treatment and education, they returned home with new exercise regimens, treatment plans, and – most importantly – hope.