The key to a healthy pelvic floor is maintaining some dynamic rhythmic and balanced movements around the pelvic girdle. As you keep these movements healthy from side to side and front to back, the pelvic floor can maintain proper elasticity to support the movements and pressures you encounter during the day.
Pelvic dysfunction can be scary, unfamiliar and can seem easier to ignore than to address. Bladder leakage, painful intercourse, and hip, pelvis or back pain are just some of the symptoms that can affect someone’s ability to thrive and live confidently.
Throughout my career, I have met people that have been Kegeling and working on their strength for years, yet continue to have “a weak core,” pelvic floor problems, bladder leakage and/or prolapse issues.
Strong, muscular, crossfit athletes with a ripped abdominal physique have come into my office reporting of bladder leakage with jumping or squatting, yet they work on their “core” daily and continue to have issues feeling balanced around their hips and pelvis.
New or experienced moms who have been through pelvic PT continue to experience long-standing problems the more active they try to be.
I get it. There is confusing info on the internet and some teachings out there are short sighted.
While this article is only a brief snapshot, I hope that it lays a foundation for you to understand your body and movements better, and helps you to stand and move more confidently while doing the activities that bring you joy!
The basis of pelvic floor health is understanding that the pelvic floor is only one component of a bigger system.
It’s one small part of you, yet is greatly influenced by the function and movements of other postural parts.
For many reasons, the pelvic floor muscles can become weak, tight or spastic. The pelvis can also become misaligned and out of sync with your arms and legs causing unwanted tension and poor control.
The good news is that most of the time, the pain, tension and dysfunction is caused by a mechanical muscular problem that can respond well to realigning or engaging some key relationships.
Tilt
The pelvis needs to maintain the ability to tilt in sync with your breathing, thoracic cage, abdominals and hamstrings. To keep the contents of this article light and relevant, let’s just look at some basic foundational movements of the thoracic diaphragm and the pelvic floor diaphragm.
The diaphragms of the body are horizontal, trampoline-like muscles that separate cavities or regions of the body. It’s very important that the thoracic and pelvic diaphragms can synchronize their movement and muscle control for pelvic and core health.
The full active exhalation image shows pelvic thoracic posturing with the abdominals, hamstrings, glutes and adductors well supporting the pelvic thoracic relationship.
The full active inhalation image shows the unopposed or unsupported postural changes with too much extension and hyper inhalation. Too much tension is present in the lower back, neck and hip flexors muscles groups.
Notice the shape of the two postures. The movement and positions of the thoracic cage and pelvic bowel are constantly changing shapes throughout the day with all the various ways your body moves. A healthy pelvic floor is able to dynamically adapt and move through, in, out and in-between these end-range postures. When the thoracic and pelvic relationships are well supported with hamstrings, adductors, glutes and abdominals, the pelvic floor muscles are happy and resilient.
When the thoracic and pelvic relationships are strained by too much back extension tone, or too much hip flexor and quad tone, the pelvic floor muscles are strained, stressed and pressured.
90-90 Hip LiftÂ
STEP 1: To properly support a foundational layer for pelvic floor health, I want you to learn how to reposition your posture and learn how to engage your hamstrings and your exhalation abdominals in a basic exercise we call the 90-90 Hip Lift.
STEP 2: Lay flat on the floor, perpendicular to a wall. Bend your knees 90 degrees and put your feet flat against the wall, making sure your feet are firmly grounded into the wall. Do not allow your knees to go outside the frame of your body. Your knees should be the same width or slightly inside your feet.
STEP 3: As you exhale, press your feet into the wall, dig your heels down and move your knees upward to rock your tailbone higher than your waist. Keep your back flat against the floor.
STEP 4: Reach around and make sure your hamstrings are engaged. Keep them engaged as you practice sensing your abdominal muscles’ relationship with your breath. Can you feel your deep core abdominals at the end of your exhalation?
STEP 5: The proper positioning of your hamstring and abdominals gets your pelvis in a better position to train your pelvic floor more effectively. The pelvic floor muscles contract on the exhalation in synchronization with your abdominals and proper hamstring support.
Shift
Another key support needed for pelvic health is to learn how to shift your pelvis and pubic bone from side to side and engage your inner thigh muscles at the correct time to do this.Â
Your inner thigh muscles are constantly regulating the tension in your pelvic floor as you walk. When your weight is shifting over your left leg, your left inner thigh should be working to support your pelvic floor as you stand on your left leg, and then as you walk forward, your weight will transition off of that leg onto your right for your right inner thigh to support you when on your right leg. A lot of people develop pelvic dysfunction when their right inner thigh muscles can’t relax properly. Because of this, the scissor slide activity needs to be done laying on your right more than the left.
Scissor Slides
To assess and work to rebalance the inner thigh muscles, we use an exercise called the Scissor Slides.
STEP 1: Lay on your right side in the 90-90 position.
STEP 2: Roll up a bath towel or use a small ball and place it between your knees. Also place a thin hand towel under your right knee to help cue you to keep your right outside leg against the surface you are laying on.
STEP 3: As you inhale, shift your pelvis back as you slide your left knee behind your right.
STEP 4: Maintaining the movement shift, exhale to squeeze your left knee into the towel roll.
Hike
The last of the key pelvic motions you need for pelvic floor health is pelvic hiking. One side of your pelvis should be able to depress as the other hikes slightly higher towards your armpit. This is the hula dancing pelvic motions that are needed to help shift lower back, neck and hip flexion tension.
Due to the fact that we live in a right-handed world, our pelvis often loses the ability to hike on the left side, and if our back is over tightened, it may have lost the ability to hike on either side.
Right Leg Reach
Our Right Leg Reach exercise is our favorite go-to experience to retrain the pelvis to depress on the right side and hike on the left. This exercise is about learning to sense a compression on one side of your body and an elongation or expansion on their other.
STEP 1: Lay on your left side with your top leg straight and in line with your shoulders. The left leg may be bent.
STEP 2: As you exhale, stretch your right foot away from your right armpit and hold your leg there.
STEP 3: Pause and sense your left pelvis pushing down into the surface you are laying on and hiking up toward your left armpit.Â
STEP 4:Hold this position, gently inhale and exhale again to elongate your right leg even longer. This is creating what we call the “mouse house” space between your body and the surface you are laying on. The abdominal wall on the bottom is shortening while the opposite side is lengthening.
STEP 5: Hold this position for four to five breaths.Â
The exercises in this article have been modified techniques originally taught by the Postural Restoration Institute®. If you are having chronic pelvic problems—your core, hips or shoulders feel imbalanced—or you are having any pain, we recommend scheduling a consultation with a certified Postural Restoration Specialist at Thrive Proactive Health, or in your area.
Thriving Magazine • Women’s Health Issue
For many families, women are the gatekeepers of health and wellness. But so often, women neglect their own health to take care of others. We want to help change that. This edition of Thriving Magazine is all about women’s health and wellness, and how taking care of yourself and understanding the importance of balance influences everything you do.
Articles are written by our experts in Lifestyle Medicine, physical therapy, fitness training, chiropractic care, nutrition, massage, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and energy healing.
More Articles to Help You Thrive
Top 10 “Scents of Christmas” Essential Oils for Your Health and Wellness
The scents of Christmas aren't just for decorations, ceremonies & treats. Check out the many health & wellness benefits from our top 10 scents of Christmas.
Don’t Wait Until New Year’s to Make a Thrivestyle Change
The problem with most New Year resolutions is they are vague, provide you with no structure, and are not measurable in any way so you know if you are actually improving. And why wait until January? Dante has provided an excellent tool to help you get started on a more thriving lifestyle.
Tips for Keeping Your Nutrition on Track During the Holidays
Don't let holiday activities derail your health and wellness! Shelly, Thrive's certified nutritionist, has some (and easy to do!) helpful tips for keeping your celebrations happy and healthy.
A New Perspective On Low Back Pain
More often than not, with low back pain, the low back is not the first place to look. In human movement, the hips and the low back work together. Strengthening your hips through their functional range of motion will make your every-day movements easier and less painful.
Forty and Beyond: Getting Back in the Game
Women are unique in the way that we age, because we face distinct health and wellness changes, especially in our forties and beyond. While some factors may be out of our control, our lifestyle choices are within our control and can greatly impact our health as we age.
Holistic and Innovative Solutions to Create Thriving Wellness and Resiliency for Women
For many families, women are the gatekeepers of health and wellness. But so often, women neglect their own health to take care of others. We want to help change that. Thrive Proactive Health wants to help you find ways to restore, revive and optimize your self care and wellness no matter where you are on your health journey.
A Change of Season is the Perfect Time to Connect to Your Inner Self
Science has shown there are many factors that contribute to lowering our biological age. Diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels all play an important role in keeping your body young. And learning to manage your energy is vital in keeping you healthy and slowing the aging process.
Let’s Get Nutritional Habits in Place Today and Kickstart the New Year
Why do we need to wait until January 1st to get it all together? Let’s start making small changes today in order to get us on track for the start of the new year. When it comes to food and fueling our bodies, we do our best when we have good habits in place. Having a goal to “eat healthy” isn’t enough; we have to have a plan in place to make ...
The Secret to a Healthier Future is Hidden in Your Daily Routine
How do you adjust and prioritize your health when there is a change in seasons? How do you get yourself and your family into a structured back-to-school routine? Maybe you have a groove with meal prepping or meal planning and your exercise workouts, but during a transition season you need to focus on your daily habits.
Feeling Stuck? Get Your Energy Flowing
Whether we are aware of it or not, we live in an energetic universe and everything is energy. And you have the power to master your energy and create the change you need.
Start the New Year With a Healthy Clean Slate
The last quarter of the year is an optimal time to pause, reflect on events and assess what goals remain before the end of the year. We all have personal milestones to achieve and although it can bring up anxiety and frustrations, this self-assessment is an important aspect of living a life to its fullest. Only by being aware, true and honest ...
The Need for Chiropractic Care For Kids & Babies
A child's spine can become quite misaligned without any awareness on their part of pain or discomfort. Stress and misalignment of the spine can have serious impacts on your child's overall health, behavior and development.
How Chiropractors and Physical Therapists Work Together for the Good of Your Health
While they have distinct areas of expertise, the collaboration between chiropractors and physical therapists can greatly benefit patients. Keep reading to learn how these two professions can work hand-in-hand for the good of the patient.
Why Weather Conditions Increase Pain and How You Can Help Alleviate It
Have you ever noticed that your pain levels seem to fluctuate with changes in the weather? Many individuals report experiencing increased discomfort in their joints, muscles, and other areas of the body during certain weather conditions. Let's delve into how weather patterns can potentially worsen pain, particularly in back and shoulder pain. ...
How Stretching (Physically and Mentally) is Good for You
Maintaining flexibility isn't just for athletes. Tight muscles can also lead to numbness and nerve pain caused by muscle tissue compressing nerve pathways. And mentally stretching gives you the time to pause and meditate as your focus goes only to intentional breathing and elongating shortened muscles.
How Can a Chiropractor Help You Manage Migraine Headaches?
Migraine headaches can be debilitating, affecting millions of people worldwide. While there are various treatment options available, chiropractic care has gained recognition as a holistic approach to managing migraines. In this post, we will explore how chiropractic care can help alleviate the frequency, intensity, and duration of migraine ...
How Can a Chiropractor Help Athletes Minimize the Risk of Sports Injuries?
As an athlete, maintaining peak performance and preventing injuries is crucial. While many athletes focus on training, conditioning, and nutrition, one often overlooked aspect of athletic care is chiropractic treatment.
The Untapped Power of Physical Therapy: More Than Just a Recovery Tool
We've all heard the adage, "prevention is better than cure." Yet, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, we often sideline this sage advice, pushing our bodies to the limit until they cry out for attention. Enter the world of physical therapy — a realm where movement is medicine and where our bodies are guided to heal, strengthen, and ...
How Can Office Workers (aka Desk Sitters) Minimize Back Pain at Work?
In today's world, many of us spend a significant portion of our day working at a desk or in front of a computer. However, long hours of sedentary work can take a toll on our bodies, leading to discomfort, pain, and decreased productivity. This is where workplace ergonomics and chiropractic care come into play. So, why are workplace ergonomics ...
Finding Peace and Balance Through Aromatherapy
Did you know that the amygdala in your brain is responsible for a lot of the emotions and physiological responses you experience? Good or bad, that little gland can be a great tool to maintain balance and create long-lasting memories, or it can remind you of traumatic events in an infinite loop. A scent you have been exposed to that you love ...
Getting Back to School and On Track For Success
The new school year is approaching fast, and it’s time to start getting back into routines to set yourself and your family up for success. This includes establishing routines and habits that keep everyone healthy and performing at their best.
Setting Yourself Up For Success
Are we getting the most out of what we do because we understanding the implications our actions have on our future health and happiness? This is our life, folks, the only one we get, and we have to be responsible to ourselves.
Late Summer is a Time of Self-Care Transition
It is a time of transition and opportunity to establish the mindset for the rest of the year. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this is a special and separate “season” when the summer Fire element transitions into the Earth element before transforming into the Metal element in the fall.
Health Should be a Man’s Number One Priority
Men have many roles: loving partner, superman father, bulldog at work, groundskeeper and maintenance man at home, expert golf player, volunteer at church, sports coach, financial planner, friend, neighbor, and the list continues. Somehow, with all of these responsibilities, the title of “health protector” often gets lost in the shuffle. And ...
Why Every Many Should Awaken to the Energy and Learn to Use It
When you awaken to the fact that you are the energy, you learn to use the mind to serve that energy. The result is you awaken parts of your consciousness that have not previously been awake. You start living in your body more and in your head less.
Level Up Your Grilling with Marinades
Nutritionist Michelle has some easty, healthy and tasty marinade recipes for proteins and veggies to help level up your grilling game!
Rediscovering Balance and Peace: A Man’s Guide to Self-care
As a massage therapist, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of self-care in men's lives. Let's embrace self-care as a masculine act and create a new narrative of holistic well-being, one that honors our true selves and allows us to thrive in all aspects of life. Remember, you deserve it.
Six Plays for Men to Stay at the Top of Their Game
The power of positive thinking is, well, powerful. When you shift your mindset, you create momentum that helps you reprogram your daily habits and cultivate more positive emotions in your life.
Four Exercises Men Should be Doing… Differently
Hey fellas... By ensuring your body moves properly, you could actually lift heavier weight and appear stronger with having to do less. Make sure your moving properly. We've highlighted four exercised you are might be doing wrong and how to correct your movement.
Why Breathing Into a Balloon Will Improve Your Golf Game
Jason Day’s back pain made the news during the 2019 Masters. While his back pain is nothing new, his trainer started incorporating some new and different exercises that required the use of a balloon into his program. What? A balloon? How crazy is that?
Ways to Integrate Self Care Across Your ENTIRE Self With Thrivestyle Medicine
Self care incorporates the six pillars of Thrivestyle Medicine: Mindset, Sleep, Stress Resilience, Community, Exercise, and Nutrition. See how our behaviors in each of these pillars impacts our health and well-being, and get strategies on how to develop more resilience to live happier and healthier lives!
Time-Saving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Recipes
In the mix of a chaotic week, home-cooked meals can easily be put on the back burner. We're here to help you maximize your time with three easy meals that you can prepare in 15 minutes or less: Veggie Egg Muffins, Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup and Honey-Glazed Salmon and Veggies. YUMMY!
How to Eat for Your Menstrual Cycle
Nourishing or eating according to your menstrual cycle means working with your hormones instead of against them. Depending on which phase of your cycle you’re in, your nutrient needs fluctuate with your hormones. You can modify your eating habits around these changes to work smarter, and bless your body instead of stressing it out. This will ...
Managing High Blood Pressure with Chinese Medicine
Pressure changes in the vascular system can be an indication that your body isn’t properly regulating stress factors. As women, we can find ourselves needing to handle a multitude of tasks (often simultaneously), which can wreak havoc on our nervous systems over time.
Conquer Your Fear of Change
Everything in our Universe is energy, including you. And quantum science has found that the Universe is constantly expanding. This means that YOU (energetically) are constantly expanding and changing. But, the thing is, most of us have not been taught to tune onto the energetic part of us. Our mind holds on to the story of how things are and ...
Have You Taken Inventory on Your Wheel of Life?
Self care includes being intentional and thoughtful about certain areas of your life. When you think about self care, you are becoming mindful of your lifestyle habits and how you can become proactive in managing your life stressors better and balance all areas of your life. Our lives are full of stressors — physical, mental and emotional. ...
Awaken to the Energy and Learn to Use It
Anything you want in life, you have to work hard for, right? Although this may be true for strengthening your heart or increasing your muscle strength, it is not the truth for anything else you want to accomplish in life.
Having INSiGHT Into Your Central Nervous System is Critical for an Informed Wellness Plan
When it comes to Chiropractic care, Thrive uses the advanced technology of the INSiGHT neuroTECH to accurately measure and assess the health and function of your central nervous system. Why is this important? Read on!
9 Things Your Physical Therapist Wants You To Know About Aging Well
There are things you can do NOW to ensure you're aging well. Learn from Thrive's physical therapists what they consider to be the top 9 things you should know.
Cardio, Crunches or Curls?
On the path to overall physical fitness, should you focus on cardio, crunches, or curls? At Thrive, we are often asked what is the best, quickest, easiest, etc. way to get fit? The short answer is… It's complicated.
Surround Yourself With the People and Places That Fill You Up
This holiday season, let’s remember that much of the feeding and fueling of our bodies and souls is done through gratitude and thanksgiving, and that enjoying love, laughter, and connection is just as important as the food on our plate.
Need Stress Relief? Need Pain Reduction? For These and More, Massage Therapy is the Answer
Happy November, Thrivers! You are 30 days into your 90-day New Year plan, and now’s a great time for a check in. It’s a good practice to ask yourself a few questions when doing an inventory of the past month.
What Are You Thankful For Today?
The holiday season is here. However, it can be a time of high stress, busy schedules, trying to live up to unrealistic expectations, and balancing people’s different personalities and perspectives.
Self Compassion in a Time of Healing
Physical and mental rest need to be the priority for us all. We have collectively been in a state of survival mode during these uncertain times, but now is the time for us to move beyond this fear mentality and a state of heightened nervous system
Do You Exercise the Body You See or the One You Use?
Until recently, it was uncommon for someone to express that they wanted their body to move better and have an improved level of function, rather than changing their body composition and how it looked. So ask yourself, do you only approach fitness with an understanding of how it can make you look or what it can help you do?
Hit or Myth The Truth About Healthy Aging
Most of us want to do the right things to live a healthy life and keep enjoying the things we love, but often we are confused about what things are the right things. In this article, Dante is busting through some of our more prevalent health myths and offering research-based areas to focus on.
What is The Best Recovery Posture During High-Intensity Interval Training?
Julie can remember doing two-a-day workouts with her basketball team that included relay suicide runs and sprints up a long hill. When we were waiting for our teammate to hand off or as we got to walk down the hill, coach would say, “Put your hands on your head” to help us recover faster and get our breathing to slow down. Personally, she ...
Help Protect Your Body With Dry Brushing
Your health is not something you can look at as a short-term objective. Starting routines and turning them into healthy habits is a great way to achieve your long-term health goals. If you are looking for something small you can add to your routine that can help your body be more resilient for the future, dry body-brushing may be just the thing.
With Every Little Decision You Make, Take Care
The health of your body is an asset worthy of daily investment. Read that sentence again (maybe twice) and internalize it! Unfortunately we often forget, or de-prioritize self-care. What does self-care look like? Of course, we know of traditional things like massage, meditation and music. But self-care is woven into literally hundreds of ...
How Old Are You… Biologically?
Science has shown there are many factors that contribute to lowering our biological age. Diet, exercise, sleep and stress levels all play an important role in keeping your body young. And learning to manage your energy is vital in keeping you healthy and slowing the aging process.
Why It’s Important to Recharge Your Body’s Batteries
When your energies are low, you can experience fatigue, low back or knee pain, lack of motivation and loss of zest for life. Vivian provides more insight into WHY it's vital to recharge your body's batteries, along with some helpful exercises.
Three Steps You Can Start Today for Healthy Aging
When we’re young we never think time will catch up to us. Then we blink and time smacks us right in the face. Michelle, our Nutritionist, offers three steps you can take to help you continue aging gracefully and feeling your best.
Is Chiropractic Care on Your Back-To-School List?
Let's talk about backpacks... Your child has been begging for the coolest new backpack, but what looks trendy today can lead to back issues later. Dr. Josh has very helpful tips and a checklist to ensure your child’s backpack is safe for their growing spines.
How to Keep Your Nutrition on Course When Traveling
Let’s talk about travel preparation. Most of the snacks and meals in the airport are for convenience, not wellness. In fact, they are usually processed foods filled with additives, sugar, and have little nutritional value. On your next trip, come prepared and ready, and start your vacation feeling your best.
Lights! Camera! Action! Is the “Movie” of Your Life Going the Way You Want it To?
Quantum science has shown that our lives are just like a movie. And the life that we are living is being projected out through us. In other words, your life is your creation. And YOU have the power to change it in any way you like.
Summertime Food to Help Beat the Heat
We've got your go-to list for healthy foods to help keep you refreshed, cooled down and hydrated this summer.
Chinese Medicine Tips on Keeping Cool in the Summer Heat
During the summer, external warmth can be welcome if one is cold-natured, but can be uncomfortable if there is already internal heat and/or dampness in the diagnostic picture. Learn how to cool off your internal temps.
The Importance of Staying Hydrated and Aligned
Misalignments and restrictions in the spine (subluxations) can negatively affect the vertebral disc rehydration process. Discs that aren’t properly hydrated means they’re not getting the nutrition they need.
Why the Great Outdoors is So Great for Summertime Activities
There are health benefits to being outdoors We evolved for much of human existence in nature, surrounded by water, trees, sunlight, etc. Reap the benefits of our green environment.
Finding Balance With Your Summertime Exercising
Your Thrive Restorative Fitness Team has tips to keep you feeling your best no matter what the summer has in store.
Build Your Bedtime Routine Tonight for a Better Tomorrow!
With just a few minutes of this breathing technique, the heart slows down, blood vessels relax, and the heart sends healing messages to the body. Practice these easy breathing exercises to relieve stress and feel better.
How to Improve a Man’s Health? Through His Stomach.
Dads and dudes — we want you to pay more attention to the things that are causing undue stress in your life, like nutrition deficiencies, erratic blood sugar, dehydration, skipping meals, impaired digestion, sleep deprivation, mindless screen time... One of the best ways you can help yourself is to build and fuel your bodies properly through ...
How Men Can Relieve Issues and Restore Vitality With Traditional Chinese Medicine
The stressors of modern-day life can show up in a multitude of ways, often as mental health issues and physical symptoms that include chronic pain, high blood pressure, digestive complaints, insomnia and fatigue. Learn how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help.
Want a Better Golf Game? Improve Your Rotational Mechanics.
If you’re looking to optimize your golf game, you’ll need to address some key mechanics. Golf is a mechanically complex rotational sport and people train and “stretch” for rotation in ineffective ways. Get Julie's helpful mechanical strengthening exercises and start seeing better results in your swing.
Relieve Stress and Breathe Through Your Heart
With just a few minutes of this breathing technique, the heart slows down, blood vessels relax, and the heart sends healing messages to the body. Practice these easy breathing exercises to relieve stress and feel better.
Is Your “Dad Bod” Healthy?
So fellas, have you settled into a “Dad Bod” where you’re sporting a bit of extra fat around your middle? While some women claim to find the “Dad Bod” attractive and view this physique as reflecting a man’s attention to spending time with his family versus paying attention to how he looks — this body type actually poses serious health risks.
Create an Environment of Healing by Integrating Self Care Across Your Entire Self
Every day, men are re-injuring their bodies, never giving them the opportunity to heal. We are stealing our manliness and livelihood from ourselves each day, leading to a life of disease, sexual dysfunction, infertility, feelings of inadequacy, and depression. It's time to create a healing environment for ourselves.
The Clear Message is… Dad Needs a Massage
Yes, massage is great for relaxation and stress management, but dude — there are so many more benefits, like lowering blood pressure, shortening muscle recovery time, boosting your immunity.. And more!
Build the Brakes, Not the Engine: The Importance of Deceleration Training
Training your body for deceleration could be the difference between a stumble in which you catch yourself and a fall that could have serious consequences.
Holistic Postpartum Care with Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be immensely helpful to support the wellbeing of the new mother by improving circulation of blood through the pelvis, helping heal a Cesarean incision and minimize scar tissue.
The Benefits of Postural Restoration® for Pelvic Therapy
Biomechanical dysfunctions occur in the body due to chain reactions of muscle actions and movement patterns that are out of sync and imbalanced. This is why Postural Restoration® takes a whole-body approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Healthy Hacks for Busy Moms
Mom's need to prioritize their health to better thrive! Prioritize keeping blood sugar in balance, quality sleep and movement. We have the hacks to help do all of these.
Mom on Board: The Need for Self Care
All mothers know that every stage of pregnancy and motherhood is special. However, there seems to be a trend in our society of discounting the importance of postpartum care.
Magnificent Mom, Magnificent You: Love Yourself First
We all feel that the world certainly needs more love right now, and the best way to begin generating more love is to first truly love yourself.
Holding Stress in Your Neck and Shoulders?
Use breath work throughout the day to help re-balance your posture and relieve stress. So many people will overposture and default to a vertical accessory breathing pattern especially when they’re under stress. This is something most people aren’t even aware of. It’s important to remember that good posture is not chest up, shoulders back, and ...
Are You Depressed? Or Compressed?
In Energy Medicine, we do not see depression as a diagnosis, but rather as a state of being energetically. Our energy becomes “depressed” when we repress our emotions.
Sleep to Restore, Revive, and Optimize
The holiday season is upon us. It’s a time of family, fun, and celebration. But it can also be a time of busy schedules, stress, and lack of sleep. Let’s make this a season to thrive by taking care of ourselves so we can enjoy everything that comes this time of year.
Healthy for the Holidays
Here come the holidays! This is my favorite time of the year. A time to come together with family and friends, good food and even better company. It can also be a time with extra running around to get everything checked off of your to do list which can leave you feeling tired and rundown. We all want to stay as healthy as possible so we can ...
Acupuncture for leg and foot pain
We don’t often pay much attention to our legs or feet unless there are issues there to attend to. But those of us with a chronic lower limb injury or musculoskeletal instability in the arch of the foot can attest to how unrelenting such an affliction can be. Managing ongoing foot and leg pain can be exasperating; every step is an excruciating ...
The Benefits of Direct Access Physical Therapy
December 14, 2020 Are you or a loved one dealing with pain? Or maybe you’re a “weekend warrior” who pushed it a little too far? Or how about aches and pains from running? Maybe you’re dealing with muscle tension and loss of function from a physically demanding job? Or maybe you have persistent pain that has been around so long you can’t ...
5 Exercises to Improve your Posture
Inchworms - Rounded Downward Dog Walk OutsFrom all fours, knees directly under hips and hands under shoulders Shift your weight forward so your nose is over your fingertips. Exhale and round up through your mid-back like a "cat" yoga pose Extend knees to inhibit hyperactive muscles into a slightly rounded downward dog From the downward dog ...
The Difference Between Medical Massage and Spa Massage
Have you ever wondered about the difference between a medical massage and a spa massage? We had one of our certified massage therapists, Chantal, discuss the differences to help better understand. While one might think all massages are alike that is not the case. Medical massages and spa massages have differences in their purpose, training, ...
Your Rib Mobility is Critical for a Healthy Spine
The ribcage is a huge part of anatomy that tends to be ignored, especially when treating low back pain.Our ribcage is thought of as a steel cage that isn’t supposed to be very mobile, however, our ribcage is meant to be very mobile! Ribs attach to the front of our body on the sternum and are long levers that wrap all they way back to our ...
Grounding: The Importance of Breathing Properly
Let's look at the mechanics of breathing, as well as the mechanics of the respiratory and pelvic diaphragms, to better understand how the mechanical ventilatory pump is a powerful driver to keep the body connected to the ground during dynamic movement.The central tendon of the respiratory diaphragm descends towards the ground during ...
Grounding: Connection to Gait
Hopefully you are following our discussion about the valuable principle of grounding. What's cool is our natural gait cycle is mechanically sound to help us ground ourselves to improve our internal physiology and system function. Unfortunately, many people have lost the reciprocity to exchange a rhythm between the right and left halves of the ...
Grounding: Restoring Normal Physiological and Mechanical Function
"Grounding" is a principle we apply in our programming and is essential for restoring normal physiological and mechanical function. Various research has been published to help explain the beneficial effects of grounding on human biological performance and health (note: Earthing is a form of grounding).The inability to ground is the inability ...
What are PRI orthotics
At THRIVE, we fabricate a very unique and special foot orthotic that applies neuromuscular principles with solid principals of lower extremity biomechanics. These orthotics effectively influence the entire postural and movement system by combining the Science of Postural Restoration (PRI)Â Advanced Physical Therapy with the biomechanics of ...