Treatments
We look at the various treatments we offer as our tool box. We aim to provide the best variety of treatment options so we can help you achieve symptom relief and then progress toward changing patterns and eliminate the factors which contributed to your symptoms in the first place. It is always a delicate recipe which depends on who you are and your unique journey.
If you have been referred to pelvic physical therapy, you may have heard that internal exams are an aspect of this care. It can be useful but it is ALWAYS up to you if and when we do internal work.
Learn more about what internal exams and treatments are and why we use them.
Your provider may have referred you specifically for this treatment. This is a tool that can be helpful to train your pelvic floor muscles to coordinate properly but is only one of many. You can speak to your therapist about where in your treatment plan this modality may be helpful and they will review the process with you prior to your consent to proceed with this modality.
There are also several home units that can be reviewed with your therapist.
This tool can serve as a “wake up” for your muscles and nerves in order to connect your brain to the pelvic floor muscles again. It often feels like a slight buzz in the region where the electrodes are placed. Your therapist will work with you to incorporate this modality into your treatment plan.
(Reference: Holly Tanner, Herman and Wallace)
How often do you go to the bathroom? Do you have urgency or leak or just seem to go all the time, or rarely? Filling out a diary is so helpful to understand our baseline and add awareness to when we actually go and why!
We teach you how to use these tools to help you understand your anatomy or improve muscle awareness in the vaginal or rectal region or to desensitize the area. They can be very useful to train your muscles and nerves for penetration as well.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and they have the ability to contract and relax, shorten and elongate just like any muscle. The difference with this group is that they operate to control bladder, bowel and sexual function as well. And although you can control this region, there are very important automatic functions that optimize this region. Many of our patients have “tight” pelvic floors. They are shortened and in a spastic state. Think if you squeezed your hand all day long. How would it feel to open your hand again? If you are in this camp, your treatments will focus on elongating or relaxing your pelvic floor (opening your hand). Once you are able to contract and elongate your pelvic floor, which will feel like it goes up and down, often your symptoms will also dissipate. We use many of our tools to help achieve this objective.
Click to learn more about pelvic floor anatomy and function.
If you have been diagnosed with prolapse (don’t freak out, many of us have it to some degree), abnormal pressure in this area is one of the root causes. Often weakness or tension in certain areas leads to compensation strategies and using pressure (holding your breath for example) is a strategy for the body to help you complete the task. It may help short-term but isn’t the best strategy and can lead to a breakdown, in the vaginal canal for example, with prolapse. Regardless of what caused this, you can optimize how you move now to prevent further laxity and learn how to get back to the activities you love. We also can work with your provider to help find success with a pessary if that has been suggested to you.
Dry needling is a technique we use for the treatment of pain and movement impairments. This technique uses a "dry" needle–one without medication or injection–inserted through the skin. Our therapists are trained in both neurological and intramuscular dry needling techniques.
While the needles used are similar, dry needling is not the same as acupuncture and is not based on Traditional Chinese Medicine principals.
Healthy Pregnancy Recommendations: Without Symptoms!
- Baseline Evaluation prior to pregnancy
- 1st trimester
- 2nd trimester
- 3rd trimester
- 4th trimester
Massage, cupping, and myofascial are all types of work we do in our treatment sessions. The goals with any of this work are to decrease pain and promote better movement. There are many different strategies and each therapist develops their own technique after years of work with their hands.
We see many patients whose diagnoses tell us that the nervous system is injured, from chronic pain to autoimmune issues. We offer many different treatments, resources and strategies to address your nervous system.
We work hard to find what works for you and we are very patient. We won’t say it is in your head. We get it.
Cristin works with patients to understand their data. HRV(heart rate variability) is a data point that allows us to understand how healthy your nervous system is. Using different wearables (Garmin, Polar, Oura Ring and more) she can analyze your data to help you make the most efficient changes to return your nervous system to a healthy state.
Women are not given the information or tools to capitalize on their critical window of health (40s) or to understand the changes needed in nutrition, sleep, stress and exercise beyond menopause. For example, did you know that 40+ women should be minimizing their cardio and maximizing heavy lifting? There is so much more, come in for a peri/meno check up.
Schedule a Healthy Menopause Assessment with one of our therapists to learn more about taking advantage of this critical period.
The "core" is an outdated concept. Our body is a synergistic group of muscles, nerves, joints, ligaments and tendons that all have certain jobs to help with stability and mobility. We help you move the way you want to by helping you become aware of the systems in your body so when you exercise, train or move, your patterns of movement are efficient and optimized. Often we need to focus on the muscles firing well, then coordinate with the other muscles and then move all together.
Think of reading. You learn sounds, then short words and eventually you are reading without thinking of the specific sounds. This is how movement can be. It can feel challenging in the beginning but it will become part of the new you!
There are a number of treatments that fall under this broad category: massage, soft tissue and joint mobilization, myofascial release, visceral massage, craniosacral work, etc. There is not one technique that is THE fix for everyone and we may offer a variety of techniques to promote better movement, improve blood flow, facilitate healing and desensitize nerves.
Our providers and partners have training in a number of exercise modalities and can help patients design and stick with training programs to optimize healing and performance.
Oceanside patients also receive special discounts on certain programs. Learn more about the Align Experience with Angela Desrosiers.
“I don’t want to do this wrong.” We hear this all the time. We can work with you to feel confident that you are doing the exercises and movements well. Whether it is a class you take, lifting, running or your golf swing we can break it down and help you feel great doing it!
This is a movement performed every day. We can analyze your gait and understand where certain restrictions, weaknesses or patterns are and if they are contributing to your symptoms. Small changes here can do wonders!
Balance is essential as we age and is often affected with persistent conditions such as pain. We strive for a “balanced program” for you and that includes balance activities. Your system responds to challenges and you have to leave your comfort zone, safely, to improve.
If you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, you have likely been told to weight train. We can help optimize your program with the goal of building more bone density and make sure you are incorporating the right exercises that will help avoid potential complications such as stress fractures.
We can analyze your form, strength and help you determine if your training plan is sufficient for the runner you want to be!
Several of our providers have yoga certifications and are well trained to incorporate yoga into your therapy sessions.
Infrared sauna use can boost heart health, relieve pain, stiffness and sore muscles, improve skin health, and provide nervous system relaxation and recovery benefits. Available in our Dover location only.
Reiki is an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety through gentle touch. Reiki practitioners use their hands to deliver energy to your body, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing. Several of our therapists are trained in how to incorporate this gentle technique into your therapy goals.
We cannot do our job well without understanding how trauma affects all of us. Our nervous system is designed for protection and our culture provides us with small traumas every day that contribute to our overactive protective system. We have worked with many patients who have experienced major traumas and we have extensive training to provide you a safe environment to slowly move forward.
The 4-D wheel is an innovative tool developed by the late Gina Ogden, which allows patients to investigate the depths of their brain for optimal healing. Recent advances in pain resolution have proven that the complexity of the brain must be integrated into healing. Learn more about our partner Sage Wheeler, who specializes in 4-D Wheel coaching.
We love teaching the teachers and are excited to offer skilled education through private sessions or workshops at your gym or studio. We provide our patients a treatment plan and a starting foundation, but our ultimate goal is helping them find a lifelong passion for movement, whether that be through yoga, pilates, walking or golfing (just to name a few). Collaborating with fitness professionals who really understand our approach and strive to bring that follow-through to our patients for the long term is exactly what we are looking for. We treat many instructors who they themselves are suffering, but who also just want to know more, especially about the pelvic floor. Contact Dr. Cristin Zaimes DPT, if you would like to organize an event or workshop at your studio.