Ever thought about the connection between your feet and your pelvic floor?
Our Women’s Health Osteopath explains how examination and management of hip, leg and foot dysfunction may improve pelvic floor function.
As osteopaths we like to look at the body as a whole and trace the connections between different areas. One of these links is between the inner arches of your feet, your inner thigh muscles and your pelvic floor.
This is well known is such disciplines as yoga and pilates, but not talked about much in general.
In a way it is the extension of your core, as it traces the inner seam of your legs and mid line of your body, and can be prone to losing tone, especially after child birth.
We look for patterns which may include dropped arches, tight inner thigh muscles and a lack of tone in the abdomen (from a forward tilting pelvis).
In yoga, the arches in the feet are seen as another diaphragm in the body, alongside your pelvic floor and thoracic diaphragm (and others). Therefore making the connection between all of these areas is important for keeping your body working well as a whole.
Simple exercises where you lie on your back with your knees bent and have a Pilates ball or pillow between your inner thighs and slowly raise up your pelvis and low back can be helpful in establishing this connection.
What is important is where you put your attention, so try to think about your inner arches of your feet lifting , your inner thigh muscles engaging and your pelvic floor muscles feeling lifted and your abdomen switched on. Be sure to slowly relax everything when you return your low back and pelvis back to the floor. It helps to breathe too! Try breathing out as you lift up and in as you go back down.
This is not meant to be a strengthening exercise, it is more about sensing the connection between different parts of you. The idea is that when you are doing day to day activities that connection is more established. You may then find yourself standing up and not collapsing so much into your inner feet arches.
This connection may help you to tilt the pelvis backwards to neutral and and engage the low abdominal muscles which helps with general posture and ease in the body. In this way the feet can even influence the muscles in your neck. Start exploring these connections, it’s amazing what you find!
Appointments:
For an appointment or further questions please call 020 7206 2625 or CLICK HERE TO VISIT ONLINE BOOKINGS.
Karen Eastwood
- PREGNANCY CARE
- BIRTH PREPARATION
- OPTIMAL FOETAL POSITIONING
- ANXIETY AND STRESS
- CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Karen qualified at the British School of Osteopathy in 1998. She has a special interest in Women’s Health and has taken post graduate courses in Obstetrics which involved working in St Mary’s Maternity Unit observing both physiological births and caesarian sections. This fuelled her passionate work with women in pregnancy. Her approach is to work with them to build confidence and teach empowering techniques for managing labour as well as working with the musculoskeletal system to ensure optimum health. Karen has trained in the Body Control Pilates System and refined her knowledge to address postnatal concerns. She is currently studying the Award in Paediatric Osteopathy at the Osteopathic Centre for Children.
Karen has completed post-graduate training in Osteopathic Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and has a personal interest in stress, trauma and anxiety management.
Karen is available at Fresh Ground on Mondays 8-12pm, Wednesdays 8-11am and Saturdays 9-1pm.
For an appointment or further questions please call 020 7206 2625 or email info@ltosteo.co.uk