We wanted to shine a spotlight on an important but often not talked about professional that can be key to women's health—the Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist!
Meghan Blanchard, a pelvic floor physiotherapist who has been working in the Ottawa-area for 15 years, reached out to us and granted us the opportunity to ask some questions. Neither Gab nor I had ever heard of this type of phyiostherapy until our first pregnancies. Although I was prepared for my body to undergo some changes after childbirth, I was not aware of the extent. I also didn't realize that it was possible to improve or reduce some of the issues that may have brought on by pregnancy or labour & delivery. Check out our Q&A below!
This post is for general information only and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek the assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.
Can you please tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Hi! I'm Meghan Blanchard. I am a women's health/pelvic floor physiotherapist in Ottawa, Canada. I have been a Physiotherapist for 15 years and I am passionate about educating women about all things pelvic floor and women's health! I am one of the owners of Holistic Wellness Physiotherapy and HW Health - Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine, and I love sharing knowledge and guiding women to understand their body, and to help them restore their optimal function, reduce pain & symptoms, and improve their quality of life!
My educational background includes a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from McMaster University, and a Masters of Science in Physical Therapy that I completed at Queen's University. Additionally, an extensive list of post graduate training and certifications specializing in women's health. I am also a STOTT trained Pilates Instructor for both mat and reformer.
I am a mom to three beautiful little girls (ages 2, 5 & 7). Our life is busy! But we always try to prioritize family time, as well as our health and the importance of movement, and we love including this with our girls with family walks, bike rides, swimming, etc. In my "free time" you will see me strength training, doing Pilates, chasing after my three girls and trying to find time to finish my book for book club!
My passion in women's health has developed through my own pregnancy and postpartum journeys, and a true understanding of the challenges through this period of life. Helping women understand any concerns and feel empowered through this time can be incredibly rewarding for me (and them!).
What is pelvic floor therapy?
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a specialized branch of physiotherapy that focuses on a whole-body approach, including assessment of pelvic floor muscle function, to treat any symptoms you may be experiencing. The goal of the assessment is to determine the underlying cause or contributing factors of your symptoms — in order to develop a personalized treatment plan to restore optimal function, reduce symptoms, and enhance overall movement.
Assisting clients to bring awareness to their pelvic health and connecting better with their pelvic floor can help women regain confidence in their body and feel empowered, as they optimize their pelvic health and overall function. A pelvic floor that is functioning optimally helps not only to resolve specific women's health complaints, but it also will improve your overall posture, stability, movement and athletic performance.
The following are VERY common women's health concerns — and can usually be resolved with treatment!
Do you pee when you cough, sneeze or jump?
Do you feel like you go pee all the time?
Do you get strong urges to pee, and feel like you can't control them on your way to the bathroom?
Do you have pain with intercourse?
Does your core feel weak?
Are you experiencing pelvic pain or back pain?
Are you pregnant and not sure what exercise is/isn't safe?
Are you pregnant and looking for guidance for labour and delivery?
Have you just given birth and don't know where to start when getting back to exercise?
Have you had a c-section and don't know what to do next? Do you have pain or numbness in your scar?
Do you have diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA - abdominal separation) from pregnancy?
Are you an athlete that struggles with symptoms when lifting heavy weights or jumping?
Are you a runner that struggles with abdominal cramping or leakage on your runs?
What are the benefits of pelvic floor therapy for pregnant and postpartum women? Can you do it whether you delivered vaginally or via C-section?
There are so many benefits!
Through pregnancy it is wonderful to learn more about your pelvic floor - where it is, how it works and how to optimize its function both during pregnancy and also for labour and delivery. I work with a lot of women experiencing pelvic pain, low back pain, and leakage concerns during pregnancy, and also can provide guidance on mobility exercises to improve comfort as your body grows throughout the pregnancy, strength training exercises for pregnancy, or provide input based on the research on how to modify or scale current activity levels if needed. I find working with women during pregnancy really gives them more confidence and understanding going into labour. We work with a lot with clients helping them prepare for labour & delivery — and it can be really helpful for understanding some optimal movement strategies for different stages of labour, breathing techniques, positioning to minimize tearing during delivery, etc. A lot of the pelvic floor basics that can be learned throughout your pregnancy are also a great starting point in the early postpartum stage!
For postpartum clients, pelvic floor physiotherapy and gentle exercises can start early on as soon as you feel up for it! Initial focus similar to above is education and pelvic floor basics — and seeing where the client is starting from. Most clients need some guidance to work on coordinating their deep core system (including their pelvic floor) and your treatment plan really is geared towards the individual client depending on how their delivery went, and also depending on their personal goals which can vary widely. Whether your goal is to care for your children day to day without pain or symptoms, be able to jump without symptoms, run a marathon or win the Crossfit games, optimizing your pelvic health will be beneficial. Progressive exercises, manual therapy and scar work (for healing episiotomies or c-sections) can all be incredibly beneficial during this post-natal period. I love using Pilates with my postpartum moms (both vaginal and c-section deliveries) to restore movement and strength!
You can absolutely do pelvic floor physiotherapy with either a vaginal or c-section delivery! There is a common misconception that if you had a c-section you don't need to worry about your pelvic floor. However, the process and length of pregnancy can create a lot of stress and changes in the pelvic floor, as well as the abdominal wall — which ideally are addressed after a c-section to optimize your recovery. Additionally, working on mobility of your scar, breathwork and core coordination, and progressive strengthening of the abdominal wall are other important areas to focus on. It is highly recommended to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist after both a vaginal or c-section delivery to optimize your recovery!
Besides pelvic floor therapy, what other types of services are offered at Holistic Wellness Physio that can be beneficial to postpartum or pregnant women?
We have a wonderful and collaborative team at both of our HW locations! In addition to pelvic floor physiotherapy & orthopedic/sports physiotherapy we have many other 1-on-1 offerings that may be beneficial to pregnant or postpartum women including: pre and postnatal registered massage therapy, mat and reformer pilates (incredible way to improve your mobility and core strength, as well as mindfulness and connection to your breath and pelvic floor through exercise), chiropractic care, and osteopathic manual therapy. We also have a knowledgeable dietician that can provide education and guidance to support women in the prenatal, as well as postpartum periods.
We strive to meet any incoming clients at whatever stage they are currently at with their own health and symptoms - and work with them on resolving symptoms and improving overall functioning. We strive to empower our clients to graduate from one-on-one treatment and continue in more focused rehab programming with our strength coaches, or more independently participate in our group fitness classes (HW Fit). In each case we are able to accommodate all fitness levels and support all health goals! We are currently growing our group exercise offerings at our HW Health location (near IKEA) with a large full scale professional gym and our newly finished studio space that will be expanding to offer group pilates & yoga classes, as well as educational events soon!
What would you say to women who are nervous about trying pelvic floor therapy?
I strive to provide women with a safe one-on-one environment with a strong level of support and professionalism to discuss and address any pelvic health concerns. Please don't be scared! For women, this is an area that isn't talked about enough, and often women are unaware that symptoms they are experiencing are more common than they think, and often completely treatable.
An initial assessment for pelvic floor physiotherapy typically begins with a detailed history, discussing any relevant symptoms and concerns, birthing history (if relevant), past medical details, client goals, etc. in order to get a good understanding of what is going on. There is usually an assessment of a few major areas including breathing patterns, core function, getting an understanding of how your back and pelvis are functioning, as well as other extremities and muscle groups that may be playing a role. In most cases, the assessment would include an intravaginal exam of the pelvic floor muscles (if the client is comfortable). This involves gentle palpation to assess pelvic floor muscle strength, tension, coordination, endurance or other issues that may be contributing to your symptoms. It helps to ensure an appropriate treatment plan can be developed to solve your problems as effectively as possible.
Where can people find you?
If you have any women's health or pelvic floor related questions — honestly about anything — I'm happy to connect to see if pelvic floor physiotherapy would be a good option for you. I also offer free 15 min consultations (phone or in person) and I can be reached at meghan@hwphysio.ca. I currently see clients at both of my clinics: Holistic Wellness Physiotherapy in Barrhaven and also at HW Health on Baxter Rd (near IKEA).
Also follow along @holisticwellnessphysio and watch out for further growth of HW Women's Health and www.hwwomenshealth.ca coming soon!
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