Chevron Island Physio

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Manage your constipation and protect your pelvic floor

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Managing constipation is such an important part of keeping your pelvic floor healthy. An impacted bowel or regular straining on the toilet puts immense pressure on our pelvic floor musculature and the ligaments and connective tissue that support our bladder, bowel and uterus.

Constipation is an uncomfortable and often embarrassing health concern that can be improved with diet and lifestyle changes. 

Symptoms – You are constipated if you pass fewer than three bowel movements per week, though passing a bowel movement at least once per day is optimal. Other symptoms are straining when you go to the toilet, feeling incomplete after you have passed a stool, lumpy or hard bowel movements, as well as associated signs such as bad breath, tiredness, headaches, loss of appetite, coated tongue, bloated tummy, body odour, flatulence and skin problems. 

How to Help – Dehydration and lack of fibre are the most common causes of constipation. Drink a mug of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice every morning when you wake up. Aim to drink at least 500mls of water before lunch, and at least 500mls of water before dinner. Eat a variety of fresh foods containing fibre. Buy and cook a new vegetable this week. White flour products like biscuits and cakes can increase constipation. Eat at least 1 cup of cooked vegetables per meal and at least 2 serves of fruit per day. Add fruit, yoghurt and nuts to your afternoon snack. Stewed apples with cinnamon are a great source of soluble fibre and a yummy dessert. Include at least 1 heaped teaspoon of ground linseed or chia seed into your porridge or sprinkled on salad or soup.      
Consume a quality magnesium supplement daily with your dinner. Include bitter foods in your diet, such as rocket, collard greens and dandelion leaf. Drink herbal teas including ginger, fennel, liquorice or dandelion root. 

Other Contributing Factors – Constipation can be made worse by stress and muscle tension, lack of movement, shallow breathing, long term use of laxatives, medications for depression and blood pressure, iron supplements, history of abdominal operations or chronic health conditions  such as Diabetes. 

Need More help? – Already tried everything for constipation? Our physiotherapists can help you to improve your capacity for movement and can address pelvic floor or abdominal muscle issues that may contribute to your constipation. 

Our Naturopath can help you to make dietary changes and can prescribe herbal medicines and nutrients that can relieve constipation. Our Naturopath can also help you with other digestive issues including heartburn/reflux, bloating, IBS and diarrhoea.  

Please speak with your Health professional if you are experiencing abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or if you have noticed blood or mucous in your stool.

    Is food contributing to your inflammation?

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    Our bodies depend on temporary inflammation to help fight off sudden injuries or infection. But when that inflammation becomes chronic, “the immune system mistakenly attacks normal cells, and the process that ordinarily heals becomes destructive.” When inflammation as an immune response is never shut off, the?constant production of immune cells can do permanent damage, leading to?cancer, heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s, among other health concerns such as back pain, headaches and more. The foods we eat – and do not eat – play a large part in how much inflammation is created in our bodies. It’s likely that no?one?food is to blame for causing inflammation but that your?overall?diet could contribute. 

    Some of the common inflammatory foods that you may want to consider reducing or even eliminating include: 

    Omega-6 Fatty Acids 

    The average person gets more omega-6 fatty acids via diet than omega-3s, but this?imbalance can lead to inflammation. Our body craves omega 3s which can turn off the inflammatory messengers. To create the correct balance cut back on omega 6 heavy seeds and vegetable oils and add more fatty fish and walnuts etc. 

    Hydrogenated and trans fats?found in margarine, shortening, lard or products made with them. That includes baked goods, cookies, pies, buns. 

    White sugar including lollies, cakes, soft drinks and sweetened juices. Research is showing that sugar is one of the most addictive substances you can use and is highly inflammatory.  

    Artificial sweeteners?(Nutrasweet, Splenda, saccharin, aspartame, etc.)—research links these nasty substances to many serious health conditions including inflammation. 

    Food additives: colours, flavour enhancers, stabilizers, preservatives, etc. Unfortunately, many foods consumed by children (and adults!) are loaded with these harmful, toxic ingredients. Avoid as much as possible. 

    Dairy products?(yoghurt, ice cream, milk, cheese, etc.). Today’s dairy products are packed with hormones, antibiotics, and other harmful ingredients and have numerous links to inflammation in the body. Use alternatives where possible such as almond milk, coconut yoghurt etc. 

    Wheat products.?Wheat is highly acid-forming and inflammatory in the body. Worse, most wheat available now is genetically-modified (GM). Many serious health conditions are starting to be linked to GM wheat consumption. Opt for rice products or salads/veg where possible.

    Gluten. Gluten is found in most grains and is highly inflammatory. It punches holes in the gut lining allowing nasty bacteria through creating inflammation and often leading to pain and conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Choose grains or seeds like buckwheat, quinoa, rice or millet instead. 

    Alcohol.? High in sugar and a burden to the liver. Alcohol is naturally irritating to our insides. When too many drinks are consumed bacteria can more easily pass through the intestinal lining leading to irritation and inflammation.  

    Experiment by eliminating certain foods and notice the difference in how you feel. Each person is different and will have a different reaction to foods. Stick to a diet that is as natural as possible and uses fresh, healthy ingredients. 

    For more information or to make an appointment contact Kasey (Nutritionist) from The Limit Health and Fitness. Kasey is offering 15% off Initial consultations to all Chevron Island Physio patients until 15 November 2019.

    Schedule your FREE 15 minute phone consultation here

    Managing Constipation

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    Managing constipation is such an important part of keeping your pelvic floor healthy. An impacted bowel or regular straining on the toilet puts immense pressure on our pelvic floor musculature and the ligaments and connective tissue that support our bladder, bowel and uterus.

    I often recommend my patients increase their fibre intake to assist with their bowels, however, fiber has so many other benefits to the body.

    Constipation is an uncomfortable and often embarrassing health concern that can be improved with diet and lifestyle changes. 

    Symptoms – You are constipated if you pass fewer than three bowel movements per week, though passing a bowel movement at least once per day is optimal. Other symptoms are straining when you go to the toilet, feeling incomplete after you have passed a stool, lumpy or hard bowel movements, as well as associated signs such as bad breath, tiredness, headaches, loss of appetite, coated tongue, bloated tummy, body odour, flatulence and skin problems. 

    How to Help – Dehydration and lack of fibre are the most common causes of constipation. Drink a mug of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice every morning when you wake up. Aim to drink at least 500mls of water before lunch, and at least 500mls of water before dinner. Eat a variety of fresh foods containing fibre. Buy and cook a new vegetable this week. White flour products like biscuits and cakes can increase constipation. Eat at least 1 cup of cooked vegetables per meal and at least 2 serves of fruit per day. Add fruit, yoghurt and nuts to your afternoon snack. Stewed apples with cinnamon are a great source of soluble fibre and a yummy dessert. Include at least 1 heaped teaspoon of ground linseed or chia seed into your porridge or sprinkled on salad or soup.      
    Consume a quality magnesium supplement daily with your dinner. Include bitter foods in your diet, such as rocket, collard greens and dandelion leaf. Drink herbal teas including ginger, fennel, liquorice or dandelion root. 

    Other Contributing Factors – Constipation can be made worse by stress and muscle tension, lack of movement, shallow breathing, long term use of laxatives, medications for depression and blood pressure, iron supplements, history of abdominal operations or chronic health conditions  such as Diabetes. 

    Need More help? – Already tried everything for constipation? Our physiotherapists can help you to improve your capacity for movement and can address pelvic floor or abdominal muscle issues that may contribute to your constipation. 

    Our Naturopath can help you to make dietary changes and can prescribe herbal medicines and nutrients that can relieve constipation. Our Naturopath can also help you with other digestive issues including heartburn/reflux, bloating, IBS and diarrhoea.  

    Please speak with your Health professional if you are experiencing abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or if you have noticed blood or mucous in your stool.

    What to expect with an internal vaginal examination…

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    I was motivated to write this blog post so that any woman that visits our clinic or any women’s health physio clinic will have some clarity about what physical assessments we may perform, in particular an internal vaginal examination.

    What is an internal vaginal examination?

    An internal vaginal examination is exactly as the name suggests. A trained women’s health physiotherapist will examine inside the vagina.

    We will give you time to derobe and lie comfortably on our treatment table with a towel over your lower body & legs. After this we will use a gloved hand to examine the vagina. We begin with a single finger inserted into the vaginal opening to feel the pelvic floor muscles. We will then ask you to do several pelvic floor contractions and if needed we will give you verbal cues to improve your contraction.

    After the examination is complete, we will give you a chance to get re-dressed before explaining the examination findings.

    Why do an internal vaginal examination?

    It gives us the most accurate information about your pelvic floor muscle contraction strength, endurance  & co-ordination. Both the deep layer of the pelvic floor muscles and the outer layer. For those women experiencing vaginal pain, it can help us determine what part of the pelvic floor muscles may be contributing to this. We may also visually examine the vaginal opening to assess for any suspected pelvic organ prolapse.

    What else will you check in an internal examination?

    We will also see what your pelvic floor muscles do when you cough and/or do a crunch.

    We will check what position your pelvic floor muscles sit in comparison to your sit bones (bottom part of the pelvis).

    On the outside surface, we will measure the distance between the anus and urine opening (urethra) while you are resting and when you bear/push down.  

    All of this will help us INDIVIDUALLY prescribe your pelvic floor exercises & other appropriate physical exercise (from clinical experience, no two women are the same).

    After the internal vaginal examination what happens next?

    We will clearly explain the results of the examination, this will help you understand our suggested management plan. We may give you written handouts relevant to your issue to help you understand even better.

    An internal vaginal examination can be daunting. However, hopefully this illustrates how much important information we can find by doing an internal vaginal examination. Please remember we are physiotherapist’s trained specifically in this area and we examine many women on a daily basis.

    Lateral hip pain – when should you introduce cortisone injections?

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    We see so many people in our clinic each day complaining of pain on the outside of their hips and down the outside of their leg.  They’ve been to the doctor, had a scan and have been diagnosed with Trochanteric Bursitis. Trochanteric bursitis is inflammation or swelling of the bursa (fluid-filled sac near a joint) at the outside (lateral) point of the hip known as the greater trochanter. When this bursa becomes irritated or inflamed, it causes pain in the hip. This is a common cause of hip pain.

    It’s a problem that wakes you from your sleep, hurts when you walk too far and stops you doing the things you love to do with family and friends.  Often your doctor or friends will suggest that you need a cortisone injection into the Bursa to get rid of this problem but some of the recent evidence suggests this may not be the best approach.

    New research from an internationally recognized hip expert has provided us with specific guidelines for how to achieve the best long term outcome for your hip pain and I’ve listed these below:

    Firstly…

    Avoid positions that place increased compression on the outside hip structures.  These include the following:

    •        Sitting cross legged

    •        Laying on the affected side

    •        Standing while “hitching” on the affected side

    •        Sitting in deep arm chairs or deep chairs where the knees end up higher than the hips.

    Secondly…

    Avoid getting a cortisone injection.  The most recent research indicates while the injection can help with pain relief in the short term, those patients who opted for a cortisone injection actually did worse over a 12 month period than patients who did nothing at all.

    And Finally…

    Follow through with a guided exercise program to strengthen the buttock muscles and the muscles around the hip and leg.  This will take a minimum of 6 weeks to take full effect and you will need to carry on with it for at least 12 weeks.   As the muscles around the hip get stronger, it takes pressure off the bursa and hip tendons and allows the area to settle.  If you keep them strong by following through with your program you will be able to get rid of this problem permanently.

    Your physio is an expert at prescribing and progressing these exercises and we have specific equipment that is fantastic at targeting these muscle groups.  It is important to get the load and dosage of the exercise correct otherwise you can exacerbate the problem and end up in more pain than you started with.

     

    If you would like more information about this revolutionary treatment approach, give the clinic a call and chat to one of our fabulous physio’s.

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