Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Fix More Than You Might Think! An Interview with Adrienne Thomason, PT
Meet Petaluma’s Pelvic Floor PT, Adrienne Thomason
In this small town, we are lucky to have many amazing providers who offer care and expert holistic services for women from their menstruation years to menopause and beyond. We chatted with Adrienne Thomason, PT to find out all the ways pelvic physical therapy can benefit you.
Get ready to learn everything you need to know and more about Pelvic PT for pregnancy, postpartum, and even menopause.
Nido: What is your favorite part about your work as a pelvic floor physical therapist?
Adrienne: As a physical therapy practitioner for almost 40 years, I have had the pleasure of working with countless women (aka womb-en) on their most intimate journeys to wellness. Doing pelvic floor PT for the past 12 years has been the culmination of the wisdom gained from being with these amazing women in sacred transitions of their lives including entering motherhood and menopause. I feel honored and blessed to be a part of that sacred space with them.
Nido: What do you wish everyone knew about Pelvic PT?
Adrienne: Pelvic PT is a specialty field of physical therapy. As PTs, we are neuromuscular rehabilitation experts. This knowledge applied to the internal muscles and viscera of the body/pelvis is the foundation of pelvic floor PT. With the complexities of the pelvis and all body systems involved such as muscular, neurologic, gastrointestinal, pelvic organs, and urologic systems, we partner with you as detectives to discover the root causes of any symptoms that may arise. Adding a dose of Holistic Pelvic Care ™, honoring the energetics of the pelvis creates a holistic approach to care.
Nido: Are there exercises that everyone with a pelvic floor should or shouldn't be doing?
Adrienne: Our pelvic floor is the base of our core. The core consists of a group of muscles known as a “canister”. Doing the correct balance of exercise that includes the diaphragm, deep abdominals, spinal muscles, and hip/pelvic floor muscles is a balanced approach to strengthening our core. When over-exercising one of these groups of muscles, we create an imbalance in our core that may lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. Our core and pelvic floor function best in good spinal alignment and with adequate flexibility and stability of all of the surrounding muscles.
Nido: Once and for all, what's the deal with Kegels? Not everyone needs them, right?
Adrienne: Thank you for asking this very important question! Many who come to me for pelvic floor physical therapy need down training of the muscles in the pelvic floor that are holding tension. We are actually more likely to hold tension in our pelvic floor than we are in our necks and shoulders. A pelvic floor in spasm, or holding muscle tension may develop muscle trigger points and fascial restrictions that may cause pain and pelvic floor dysfunction including symptoms such as incontinence and pain with sex. Kegels may be necessary, after resolving the other challenges, in a progressive and prescriptive manner that is unique to each person’s body to restore good function.
Nido: How can Pelvic Floor PT benefit someone during pregnancy & postpartum?
Adrienne: Pregnancy and postpartum are unique times to honor and nurture yourself and the beautiful being you are bringing into this world. It is a time for you to trust the process and your body and know that, in time, the strength will come back and you will feel at home in your body again.
As a result of pregnancy, labor, and delivery there are many common challenges you can face.
We like to differentiate between Common and Normal. What is Common: You may experience incontinence (any leaking of urine), pelvic pain, low back pain, hip pain, pain with sex, decreased libido, diastasis rectus abdominis, a sensation of heaviness or pressure in the vagina or pelvis, muscle weakness/spasm/tears in the pelvic floor muscles, cesarean birth or episiotomy scar tissue and pain, constipation, or perhaps have vaginal gas (yes, it is a thing ;) All of these symptoms could have a pelvic floor correlation. They are in fact so common that others may say it is normal. Know that you can receive treatment from a pelvic floor physical therapist to resolve these common challenges.
Having information about pelvic floor PT would benefit everyone by enhancing the pregnancy journey and smooth transition into parenthood.
This knowledge would have been a game changer for me when I had my babies in the 80s. The challenges that followed, without having this knowledge as a new mom, led me to the urgent need to learn all I could, through continuing education to become a pelvic floor specialist.
Nido: In midlife and beyond, in what ways do you support clients who are either approaching menopause or are on the other side of it?
Adrienne: During the time of peri-menopause, menopause, and beyond we are more likely to have a set of challenges that relates to the changes in our hormones, and also our cultural and societal understanding of this time of our life. It is another time of a sacred passage into a new phase of life. It is often a fork in the road to determine whether we are on the path for these to be our most creative and impactful years, or wind down our lives. Physically, there are possible challenges related to hormonal changes. This is known in Western medicine as the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). It is defined as a collection of symptoms and signs caused by hypoestrogenic changes to the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vestibule/introitus, vagina, urethra, and bladder that occur in menopausal patients. Like many Western medicine diagnoses, it basically lists the whole kitchen sink of symptoms. Each individual may have one or a combination of these symptoms. With a holistic approach to this sacred time, including pelvic floor PT, a treatment approach can be tailored to each person that honors all aspects of their being, working towards their wellness.
Nido: What are you loving most about practicing in Petaluma?
Adrienne: Being newish to the Bay Area, having moved here when my daughter had her baby in San Francisco, I spent some time figuring out where I belong. I settled down in Sausalito for my home and PT practice. Based on the need for pelvic floor PT in Sonoma County, I started working in Petaluma a couple of days a week. To my absolute delight, I have fallen in love with the vibe and people in Petaluma. There is diversity and openness in the amazing people I have met here. Also, in working in the perinatal community here, I have discovered a powerful network of help for young families. There is a progressive village of support including acupuncture, chiropractic care, doula care, and natural medicines that blend with our traditional Western approach to medicine resulting in excellent care. There is also a sense of collaboration amongst these practitioners that is focused on how we can all work together for the benefit of the people we care for. I am honored to be a part of this network of care providers.
Learn More about Adrienne:
As a licensed physical therapist for 39 years, Adrienne has worked in many specialties and a variety of modalities that have shaped the evolution of creating Women's Root Wisdom. Her approach combines traditional pelvic physical therapy, holistic pelvic therapies, and Root Wisdom Coaching. She offers a free 15-minute phone consultation. She has an office at the Luma Center Collective near Downtown Petaluma as well as Sausalito in Marin County.