Pelvic Physical Therapy in Alpharetta, GA
our why
While pregnancy, labor and delivery is a beautiful thing, it is still trauma to a woman's body that often goes ignored. Focus of care, after delivery, gets shifted to the baby with little guidance to the mother. No wonder there are so many common issues that arise afterward when women are given no guidance on how to help themselves heal. Just like any other physical trauma, understanding what to do to allow tissues to heal correctly, how to load tissues appropriately, and what to avoid is crucial to recovery. If not, we are likely to end up with dysfunction. These dysfunctions that exist after pregnancy are, far too often, just thought of as normal. But why? Why do we think leaking while laughing, coughing or exercising should be the norm? Women should not be expected to live with any of the common or not so common dysfunctions that arise after pregnancy, when these issues can be addressed.
Is it normal for someone after an ankle sprain to always experience pain or weakness? Generally not. A specific rehab program usually follows an orthopedic injury allowing the ability to gain mobility and strength allowing full return to function, pregnancy is no exception. We need to start helping women by giving them the proper rehab to recover to help get them back into the best shape of their lives
The way our current healthcare system is set up increases the chance that women will skip the foundation building phase and jump straight into their previous exercise routine without guidance or education. This often leads to recruiting the wrong muscles and placing pressure and stress on the incorrect tissue leading to common issues such as diastasis recti, pelvic organ prolapse and leaking. We want to help you to get back to those intense workouts, those long walks, or anything you enjoy without fear of prolapse, leaking or having to worry about your pelvic floor.
The American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology revised its guidelines in 2020 stating that within the first day postpartum, most women can safely engage in pelvic floor, lower abdominal drawing in and breathing exercises. So why aren’t any women starting early? Research shows that dysfunction that persists past 12 weeks postpartum will be present at the 1 yr postpartum mark and beyond. For a diastasis recti(seperation of the linea alba) if it is present at 8 weeks postpartum it will be present at 1 yr and beyond (Coldron, 2008). This tells us that we need to have a quick start to re learning how to wake up our pelvic floor and how to function in our new lives as mothers in a way that effectively protects our pelvic floor, core, and low back during functional activity( pick up baby, holding baby, diapering, bathing, etc)
We want to start to change the way women are receiving care and begin as early as 2 weeks postpartum. We will personalize your treatment plan based on your pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences as well as your activity goals. Our goal is to help guide you through the postpartum period so you have a solid understanding of your body's capabilities and how to safely return to exercise
WHO WE ARE
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AIMEE BENNETT
I was born and raised in Alpharetta Ga. I graduated from UGA in 2008 then from PT school with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Armstrong State University in 2016. My husband and I are now the proud parents of two adorable children, Austyn and Brayden. I have worked in outpatient sports for the majority of my career but discovered a passion for working with pregnant and postpartum women after the delivery of my first born.
After experiencing my first pregnancy, my eyes were opened up to the utter lack of information, education, time and care provided to women in their 4th trimester and I instantly knew I wanted to try and do something to change the current standard of care for postpartum women. I have heard time and time again from friends and family stories of untreated incontinence, prolapse and DR. At no fault to the patient or the practitioners. We are simply not given the time and education needed to know and understand what is going on to our bodies or are often embarrassed to mention it or feel as though it is simply “normal”. I want to change this, which is why I have become a pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise specialist and committed to gaining as much knowledge as I can to help educate and empower women.
I believe that knowledge is power and that pregnancy is a superpower, and needs to be treated as such. Our bodies were designed to do this and it is possible to return to any fitness level after having a baby without fear.
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LAUREN PARADISO
I grew up outside NYC and graduated from Colombia University in 2009 with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I spent the early parts of my career practicing in Washington,DC and Michigan until I moved down to Atlanta in 2016. I have spent most of my time in outpatient orthopedics and I became a Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist in 2015. My passion and interest into women’s health began after having my first daughter in 2016.
I have spent a lot of time guiding people back from pain and injuries and was amazed at the lack of guidance I was given when getting back to running after having my daughter(s). Things like what I should feel, what was ok to push through, if anything, and what were some red flags when trying to progress would have made my postpartum journey a little easier. I have since taken continuing education classes through the APTA and Herrmann and Wallace which provided me the training and knowledge necessary to help women through their pregnancy and postpartum journeys. I am also a pregnancy and postpartum exercise specialist.
I look forward to helping to educate you on the changes your body goes through pregnancy and postpartum, how to protect and strengthen appropriately to achieve your fitness goals without fear of experiencing some of those common postpartum conditions that are thought of as “normal.”
Outside of work, my husband and I spend our time being outnumbered by our three little girls: GG, Emma and Madeline.