Have you recently sneezed, coughed, laughed or made a sudden or quick movement that resulted in an accidental leakage of urine or gas?  Has this leakage become more of an issue now that it is cough and flu season?  Have you started to exercise more as a New Year’s resolution and notice small leaks of urine throughout your workout or when you walk or jog at a brisk pace?  Our staff at Phoenix Physical Therapy wants you to know that this accidental leakage is NOT a normal part of aging and should not be chalked up to having children!  We want you to know that although this is a very common issue for women, it is a sign of a problem that can be easily treated at our office.  We specialize in helping women learn to manage these symptoms through simple, safe and effective exercises, tailored to the individual needs of the woman.  You should first mention this to your physician or health care provider.  Even though this problem is embarrassing and difficult to discuss, statistics show that it usually takes 6-7 years for a woman to express concern to her primary health care provider regarding this incontinence problem.  Wouldn’t it be nice for you to learn how to improve this issue before it turns into a larger problem that you have to deal with year after year?  This problem just doesn’t go away on its own despite wishful thinking!

Many of our patients are initially unaware of why these accidental leaks of urine or gas occur.  In every male and female, there is a small muscle at the bottom of our pelvis that helps to support the bladder, urethra and colon.  This muscle is called the pelvic floor muscle.  Piercing this muscle are “tubes” that run from the bladder and colon to the outside of the body.  Although this muscle is not readily visible, it is entirely under our control.  This means we have the ability to contract and relax this muscle to control any form of accidental leakage.  Because we cannot readily see this muscle it is often difficult to know how to make our muscle function in a timely or appropriate fashion.  When there is an increase in abdominal pressure such as with a cough or sneeze, this increases pressure on the bladder and colon which then requires our pelvic floor muscle to hold the urethra and/or colon closed to ensure that urine or gas (or other) stays inside where it belongs!  If the muscle is unable to function correctly, perhaps due to weakness, it becomes difficult to keep closure when this increase in pressure from the abdomen occurs.  This is called stress incontinence.  Common activities that can result in leakage include, but are not limited to, sneezing, coughing, laughing, lifting heavy objects, running and bending.

If you experience such leakage, rest assured!  Our staff is skilled in teaching you how to use your pelvic floor muscles.   If you learn how to use your pelvic floor muscle and you practice timing your muscle contraction prior to and during the activities that create your leaks, you will learn to retain your muscle to respond the way it was intended.  In essence, you are learning to retrain your muscle.  This is called the “Knack Maneuver” and is named because you have the knack to get the hang of it! It is all about precision timing of the contraction!  It may take weeks of proper practice to see a difference, but our staff will help and encourage you with tips and suggestions to make your practice successful.

Incontinence is treatable!  You shouldn’t have to resort to use of pads to protect yourself from accidental leakage.  Waiting years to treat this problem only adds to prolonging your incontinence and pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.  Call us today! We are here to help you overcome this embarrassing problem.  Our office manager, Linda, is ready to take your call.

As the holiday season fast approaches and winter is upon us, it is often difficult to find time to take care of ourselves. At Phoenix Physical Therapy, we often hear how tough it is for women to find even a few minutes to manage their health, stress and daily lives. Women of all ages are caregivers by nature and caring for others is top priority. But what about those nagging health issues that many women face? It is easy to ignore incontinence, constipation, urinary urgency and frequency. It is easy to think, ‘maybe it will go away on its own’ or ‘maybe I will be better tomorrow’. Unfortunately, it never gets better on its own….only increasing in severity if left alone.

At Phoenix Physical Therapy, we specialize in treating pelvic floor issues related to muscle dysfunction. Urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, constipation, pelvic organ prolapse, urinary urgency and frequency and nocturia (frequent trips to the toilet at night) are but a few of the female issues we deal with on a day to day basis.

Our staff is great at helping busy women find a few minutes to care for themselves. We focus on each individual’s needs, priorities and health concerns related to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Treatments in our office are tailor made for each woman; no two patients are alike! We are proud of our treatment success and our ability to listen, help and empower women to take charge of their bodies!

If you are a woman who has difficulty taking a few minutes to care for yourself, if scheduling an appointment to manage your incontinence seems just too overwhelming, we are here to help! Call our office, discuss your needs with our helpful and caring staff and schedule that appointment. The hardest part is picking up the phone or sending that email to us. Make 2015 the year to carve out a few minutes for your own health! If pelvic floor issues are a concern to you, you will be pleased you contacted our office and scheduled that appointment. Incontinence is not a normal part of aging and can be corrected with simple strategies and modifications in routine. We are here to help!

Learning to control the embarrassing symptoms of incontinence gives you more freedom, more confidence and empowerment. Take care of your symptoms…call us today and schedule a time to take care of yourself in 2015!

We are thrilled to officially welcome Nonna Aydinyan-Allaire, PT, DPT to our team at Phoenix Physical Therapy.

Nonna graduated from UVM with her undergraduate degree in Community and International Development in 2005 and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2013. After working as an Economic Research Assistant for three years, she decided to pursue a career in physical therapy. During her extensive graduate work, Nonna discovered her passion for pelvic floor dysfunction. Being a mother of two young children, she understands the importance of pelvic health in all stages of life. During her clinical rotations, Nonna gained valuable experience in a variety of healthcare settings, including outpatient, acute and skilled nursing rehabilitation facilities. She has treated a variety of conditions, including but not limited to, orthopedic postural impairments, muscle imbalance, cardiac post-operative, total joint replacements, cognitive and proprioceptive impairments. She is thrilled to be part of the Phoenix team and to be specializing in pelvic floor therapy. Nonna is working towards her certification in Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction, administered by the Biofeedback Certification International Association (BCIA).

Nonna enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 children in Essex. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, running, skiing, and snowshoeing. She is fluent in Russian and has a great appreciation for different cultures.

So often in our health care practice we are asked about the benefits our treatment strategies: “Prove to me this works” or “How do I know this helps when I can’t see the problem”?. “How come I never heard of this kind of treatment before?” It is often not until the patient successfully completes care with us that they realize the full benefits of what they have learned through the course of treatment. Education, empowerment, exercise, pain management strategies and behavioral modification all play a role in successful treatment outcomes for pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.

Once in a while news-worthy journalists are able to capture the essence of our treatment approach and how we manage to make each patient treatment session successful. Prevention magazine has hit the nail on the head so to speak this month with an article entitled “The Pain Down There” (April issue). This article is able to accomplish educating the public with a wealth of information in a short span of space. It covers the pain, the muscle dysfunction, the embarrassment and the lack of functional control so many people (women and men) feel when these ‘hidden’ muscles don’t cooperate with our biological needs. This article describes what we do at Phoenix Physical Therapy.

If you have been told by your physician or you suspect you have a pelvic floor muscle dysfunction by all means read this article. In turn, contact our office, ask questions and determine for yourself if you need an evaluation with one of our highly qualified and sensitive therapists, trained in the management of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. This is what we do, all day, every day, and nothing else! Our office, as seen on this website, is NOT a gym! If this article in Prevention magazine rings true for you, you are at home in our practice. Phoenix Physical Therapy is here to help you on a profoundly personal issue, using the most respectful healthcare approaches.

Contact us….we are here to help. No surgery, no drugs, just you.

Bedwetting is a common yet very frustrating problem for children and their parents. Bedwetting can often be associated with a family history of bedwetting. If one parent wet the bed as a child, their child has a 44% chance of having the same problem. If both parents wet the bed as children, the incidence increases to 77% likelihood of the child having the same problem. Even without a family history, the child can have a 15% chance of wetting the bed, medically called nocturnal enuresis.

There can be many reasons that can contribute to this problem, but often it is a matter of the child being a deep sleeper. Studies support the notion that bedwetters often sleep soundly and are difficult to arouse so that the bladder signals are ignored because of deep sleep. Your child’s physician can help determine the cause of your child’s symptom if necessary.

By age of 10, 95% of children are dry at night. Typically, girls are dry by age 6 whereas boys are usually dry by age 7. Most children start to get dry nights by the age of 4 or 5. There are bedwetting alarms that can be purchased on the web through bedwettingstore.com, if parents want to try this avenue. The battery operated alarm is attached to the child and will beep as the child begins to wet, hopefully waking the child before a large leak occurs. There is medication that some physicians will prescribe that promotes the production of an anti-diuretic hormone that produces more concentrated urine, and some pediatric urologists will recommend a surgical procedure that involves urethral dilation. Here at Phoenix Physical Therapy we offer a non-invasive treatment that utilizes computer signals to teach the child to recognize his or her control over the muscles involved in bladder control.

Biofeedback is the generic term for the computer assisted therapy offered at Phoenix PT. It utilizes a muscle signal to teach a process that involves voluntary control over the muscles that control bladder filling and emptying. It can be a fun process for the child as the child learns to manage these symptoms that often keep the child away from sleepovers and summer camps. It empowers the child to learn control over a process the child otherwise thought was out of control.

There are other behavioral interventions that can also help with night time bladder control. Limiting fluids after dinner is one option, encouraging the child to hydrate during the day and not wait until after school or evening to consume fluids. Caffeine, such as soda, increases urine production and can interfere with night time control. Managing bowels is another option. If your child is constipated, the full colon will interfere with bladder signals and further contribute to the incontinence. Make sure your child takes adequate toilet time prior to bed to completely empty the bladder. Some children skip the toilet before bed, others rush through the process and don’t empty the bladder completely.

If your child has a learning issue, there is a greater chance of having a bedwetting issue. Learning control with the computer visual, detailed behavioral interventions and specific exercises might be what is needed to help your child gain control over this embarrassing and often limiting process.

Discuss this problem with your child’s physician and if treatment is indicated, the staff at Phoenix Physical Therapy is ready to help. Children who can follow directions and sit quietly are good candidates for treatment.