If speaking in front of a group of people, taking an exam, or being in a new place ever left you urgently finding the nearest bathroom, you’ve had first hand experience of how stress can impact your pelvic floor.
In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies I speak with Hayley Kava PT, MPT about the role stress plays in pelvic floor health. Hayley explains how our nervous system interacts with the pelvic floor both physically and chemically. She discusses her approach as a PT helping clients manage their stressors before working directly with the pelvic floor muscles. We also cover how important proper breathing and sleep are to our pelvic floor health and simple steps you can take to improve both and begin to bring balance back to your pelvic floor.
In this episode you will learn:
- Learn about Hayley and what led her to becoming a pelvic floor PT.
- A basic review of the pelvic floor and why balance is so important.
- The affects of anxiety and stress on the pelvic floor.
- The vagus nerve.
- Methods for helping an overly engaged pelvic floor into a more relaxed state.
- How the hormonal response to stress affects the pelvic floor and pelvic pain.
- What can be done to help the affects of stress on the pelvic floor.
- How exhaustion and cortisol levels affect pelvic pain.
- What can be done to resolve pelvic pain from exhaustion and low cortisol levels.
- Besides pain, other signs someone is carrying stress and tension in their pelvic floor.
- Looking at the whole body to support and asses the pelvic floor.
- When to seek professional help when trying to resolve pelvic floor issues from stress?
- One tip/piece of advice Hayley would offer new or expectant parents.
- Where you can find Hayley’s work.
About Hayley:
Hayley Kava PT, MPT, never wanted to be a pelvic floor physical therapist.
She then gave birth the first time and realized that labor, birth and post partum recovery was the most physically, and emotionally demanding thing she had ever done.
She through her recovery, she realized that all people with pelvic floors deserve more information and empowerment about how to address their common, but often taboo, issues. So, she created Hayley Kava, Physical Therapy from this passion to spread this information, and to ensure that no person feels alone is dealing with any pelvic floor problem.
Connect with Hayley:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hayleykavapt
- Tiktok: @hayleykavapt
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/hayleykava
- Youtube: Hayley Kava, Physical Therapist
- Podcast: The Don’t Beat Around the Bush Podcast
- Website: https://www.hayleykavapt.com
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Additional Resources:
- Postural Restoration Institute
- How To Help Your Pelvic Floor With Rachel Parrotta DPT (Yoga| Birth | Babies)
- Pelvic Liberation with Leslie Howard (Yoga | Birth | Babies)
- What’s Going On With My Core? An Intimate Discussion with Pelvic Floor Therapist Lindsey Vestal
- Too Loose or Too Tight? What’s Going On With Your Pelvic Floor (Blog)
Don’t forget to grab your FREE guide, 5 Simple Solutions to the Most Common Pregnancy Pains HERE
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Youtube: Prenatal Yoga Center
