Physio for my what?!

I am not even being a little dramatic when I say going to Cura Physical Therapies changed my life.

First off, here are some of the personal details.  I had been having painful, feel like my cervix was being stabbed painful, sex for a couple of years before I got pregnant with my first baby.  Actually that really is why we started having kids; I had my IUD removed because I thought it must be the cause of my pain, and then whoops, a few months later, we were having a baby. 

I was told that the pain would decrease after I had my baby.  Only it didn’t.  I had a second baby, and the pain was worse.   On top of that I had a lot of lower back pain and hip tightness.  After both of my first two births, I ended up with debilitating back pain that would land me flat on my back for days.  It is really, really hard to take care of a toddler and a baby when you can hardly stand up!  If I exercised, I would suffer from painful cramps in my whole abdominal area for hours or even days afterwards.

I had learned the value of a pelvic health physiotherapist through the MuTu System (the core and pelvic floor program that I used (and love) to strengthen and retrain my body after birth).  I finally decided to give it a shot and booked my appointment at Cura Physical Therapies. 

I will never forget that first appointment.  I was nervous, for sure.  Physio for my vagina?  My physiotherapist put me at east right away.  I truly felt cared for.  None of my symptoms or questions were brushed aside.  She asked some questions about why I had come in, what some of my symptoms were and what my goals were in terms of life, exercise and sex.  She ended by saying “it is really important to me that you have great pain free sex and can exercise how you want to.”  I knew I was in the right place.

Within minutes, she had identified the source of my problems.  My pelvic floor was extremely tight.  I had thought that I was doing it right by doing all the kegals during my pregnancies and early postpartum stage.  Turns out I had missed the biggest piece; I couldn’t relax my pelvic floor at all.  So this super tight muscle group was full of tension and trigger points, and not able to do anything well as a result (ex. prevent leaking of urine while running, sneezing, or jumping).  Most of us have been told over and over that if we are having issues after babies, we must need more kegals.  So much is missing in that prescription, and my treatment at Cura filled in the holes for me.

Over the next few months, my physiotherapist helped me to mobilize my tailbone, address imbalances in my feet and identify some facia triggered pain along the whole backside of my body.  I am still unraveling a few spots of tension in my pelvic floor and hips, but I can say with 100% certainty that my back, hips and pelvic region all feel better than they have in years.  I don’t wake up with an aching back or go to bed with sore joints after a long day of mom-ing.  I know how to relax my pelvic floor and I can feel the tension as it builds.  I also know how to manage most of the pain on my own before it becomes a problem, which has been really empowering for me. 

If you don’t feel amazing in your body, you deserve to.  The brilliant professionals at Cura are an amazing resource to get you feeling the way you want to feel.  At Cura, patients are valued and they will work hard to learn your story.  They specialize in urinary leakage, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, post pelvic surgery, chronic constipation, overactive bladder, sexual pain and abdominal pain.  If you are experiencing any symptoms or discomfort, do yourself a favour and book in today.  I hope it changes your life as it has mine!