RED-S – what?!

This is something pertinent, as in the past year I have gone from not having heard of RED-S, to suggesting that patients really start thinking about it as a cause for stress fractures, and enabling them to swerve a downward spiral into long term injury and depression. Where has this come from? You may have heard of the Female Athlete Triad. Effectively it is a combination of Low energy availability, Menstrual disruption and Poor bone health. It was originally seen as a rigid structure – a diagnosis, which was not particularly useful when you have someone turning up with a … Continue reading

Trampolines at the school gate

There have been a few blogs like this – less about what I know and more about some signposting to some people that are vastly more qualified to talk about it than me. I’ve just finished listening to a physio podcast about incontinence. Yes – we get all the exciting things to listen to. While I was aware of pelvic floor issues and how physio can help with issues regarding incontinence etc. what I was not aware of is the size of the problem nationally, the normalisation of it as “just something that happens” by pad manufacturers and the complete … Continue reading

Lifting for Mums

How much does a child weigh? Depends on the child… right? So how much should a mother be able to lift and hold in order to bring the child up? Can you quantify it? Should you? A minor bugbear of mine is the classes you see for women – yes, specifically women, which are based on “toning”. These classes tend to involve small weights… maybe up to about 5kg each. Not only this, but in women specific gyms (so I have been told) the weights tend to get to about 10kg, and not really any higher. Women who want to … Continue reading

P is for Pelvic Floor

Your pelvic floor is a hammock or sling of muscles found in the base of your pelvis. Our pelvic floor supports the bowel, bladder and in women, the uterus, all the while, playing a role in supporting the spine. The combined forces of the pelvic floor muscles form a supporting mechanism for the pelvic viscera from below – imagine interlocked fingers cradling a bowl. This hammock of muscles also interacts with the diaphragm when the abdominal pressure inside changes – as happens when we breathe. Breathing can be affected by a weak pelvic floor, possibly contributing to dysfunctional breathing patterns. We … Continue reading