The Pelvis As A Functional System

The Pelvis As A Functional System

Have you ever experienced symptoms that don’t quite make sense together?

Things like:

  • pelvic pain
  • bloating
  • urinary urgency
  • lower abdominal discomfort
  • or even lower back and hip pain

And you’ve been told they’re separate issues… But something about that just doesn’t feel right?

What if these symptoms aren’t separate at all… 👉 but connected through your pelvis?

If we look at the pelvis as a functional system. We can see that organ function, pelvic pain, certain movement restrictions are all connected – To the way the pelvis moves and functions and all the fascial connections into that structure.

Want to read the transcript instead?

here it is…

The Pelvis As A Functional System

Linking Organs, Fascia and Movement

Hi, I’m Alexis Weidland, osteopath at BlossomingMe and Healthy Learning Lounge.

Over the last few videos, we’ve explored:

  • the pelvis as your foundation
  • how it works with your rib cage
  • and how it influences movement and pain patterns

Today, we’re going deeper.

👉 Into the internal system.

Because your pelvis isn’t just structural.

It’s a hub for:

  • movement
  • organ function
  • circulation
  • and nervous system regulation

Your pelvis houses and supports:

  • your bladder
  • parts of your bowel
  • and for women, your uterus and reproductive organs

These organs don’t just sit there.

👉 they need:

  • space
  • movement
  • and circulation

To function well.

👉 Your pelvis is both a mechanical structure  and a functional environment

The Structure ↔ Function Relationship 

Now this is where things start to connect.

If your pelvis is:

  • well-aligned
  • mobile
  • and balanced

👉 your organs have the environment they need

But if your pelvis is:

  • asymmetrical
  • restricted
  • or under constant tension

👉 that environment changes

WHAT THAT MEANS

  • space may be reduced
  • movement may be limited
  • circulation may be altered

And over time…

👉 this can influence how those organs function

The Fascia Connection 

Now we need to talk about fascia.

Because this is one of the most important, but least understood pieces.

Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and links everything in your body.

In the pelvis:

👉 fascia connects:

  • organs to the pelvic walls
  • organs to each other
  • and organs to surrounding muscles

WHAT THIS DOES

This means:

 👉 if one area becomes restricted
👉 that tension can spread

For example:
  • tension in pelvic muscles  → can affect organ movement
  • restriction around organs  → can affect surrounding structures

So again… 👉 nothing is working in isolation

Structural Components

Now let’s bring in the structural side.

Because the pelvis isn’t just one thing, it’s a combination of:

  • bones
  • joints
  • ligaments
  • muscles

Pelvic Floor

Your pelvic floor sits at the base of your pelvis.

It needs to:

  • support
  • respond
  • and co-ordinate movement

If it becomes:

  • too tight
  • too weak
  • or asymmetrical

👉 it can affect:

  • bladder function
  • bowel function
  • pelvic comfort
The Pelvic Floor with Respiration

Your pelvic floor sits at the base of your pelvis.

But importantly… 👉 it also works with your breathing.

Every time you inhale:

  • your diaphragm moves downward
  • pressure increases in your abdomen
  • your pelvic floor gently lengthens in response

Every time you exhale:

  • your diaphragm lifts
  • pressure reduces
  • your pelvic floor recoils and lifts

 👉 your pelvic floor is not static
👉 it is constantly responding to every breath you take

WHEN THIS IS DISRUPTED

If breathing is:

  • shallow
  • restricted
  • or chest-dominant

👉 this coordination is disrupted

Which can affect:
  • pressure regulation
  • support
  • and organ function 

Deep Muscles

There are also deeper muscles involved, including:

  • obturator internus
  • quadratus femoris
  • deep hip rotators

These help:

  • stabilise the pelvis
  • control movement
  • support surrounding structures

If these become:

  • tight
  • overactive
  • or imbalanced

👉 they can contribute to:

  • pelvic pain
  • hip discomfort
  • altered movement patterns

Ligaments

Ligaments like the ischiococcygeal ligament help provide structural support.

If there is:

  • asymmetry
  • tension
  • or strain

👉 this can influence:

  • stability
  • nerve sensitivity
  • and surrounding tissues

 👉 Structure influences function
👉 and function influences structure

Organ Function and Irritation

Now let’s talk more directly about organs.

Bladder

Your bladder relies on:

  • structural support
  • pressure regulation
  • and coordination with the pelvic floor

For normal function, your pelvic floor must:

 👉 contract → to maintain continence
👉 relax → to allow urination

👉 It’s not just strength—it’s timing and coordination

If this system isn’t working well, this can contribute to:

  • urgency
  • frequency
  • discomfort
  • incomplete emptying

Bowel

The bowel, similarly to bladder relies on:

  • movement
  • Pressure
  • timing
  • and coordination

If things are restricted:

👉 this can contribute to:

  • constipation
  • bloating
  • discomfort

Reproductive Organs

For women, the uterus and surrounding structures are influenced by:

  • pelvic alignment
  • circulation
  • fascial mobility

This can relate to:

  • menstrual discomfort
  • pelvic heaviness
  • or sensitivity
IMPORTANT NOTE 

This isn’t about diagnosing specific conditions 👉 it’s about understanding contributing factors

 

Circulation, Lymphatics & Fluid Movement 

Your pelvis is a key area for:

  • blood flow
  • venous return
  • lymphatic drainage

Your lymphatic system relies on:

  • movement
  • breathing
  • pressure changes

👉 It doesn’t have its own pump

When this system works

  •  Fluid moves efficiently
  •  Tissues feel supported
  •  The body feels lighter

 When it doesn’t

When it is restricted, compressed or asymmetrical

👉 Fluid can become sluggish or congested

This may feel like:

  • pelvic heaviness
  • lower abdominal fullness
  • heavy or tired legs
  • swelling or fluid retention
  • fatigue

In some cases… 👉 even things like varicose veins can be influenced by how well fluid is returning through the system

This links directly to:

 👉 breathing
👉 pressure
👉 movement

So…   This is not just structure…  it’s flow

Now let’s go a layer deeper into something that’s often overlooked…

Fluid movement.

Your pelvis is an area where a lot of:

  • blood flow
  • venous return
  • and lymphatic drainage

has to move against gravity.

Your lymphatic system, in particular, doesn’t have a pump like your heart.

👉 It relies on:

  • movement
  • breathing
  • and pressure changes

To circulate effectively.

Connecting to Movement & Breath

This links directly back to what we spoke about earlier in the series.

Because:

  • your diaphragm
  • your rib cage
  • and your pelvis

👉 create pressure changes that help move fluid

So if that system isn’t working well… Circulation and lymphatic flow can be affected

So again…

👉 this isn’t just about muscles or joints

👉 it’s about how your whole system moves and flows

Pelvic Health and Sensitivity (important, but difficult, so often not discussed)

There’s also another layer here that’s not often spoken about, but is really important.

👉 pelvic sensitivity and comfort.

The tissues within and around the pelvis are:
  • highly innervated
  • responsive to pressure
  • and influenced by both physical and nervous system factors
If there is:
  • increased tension
  • reduced movement
  • or changes in circulation

👉 this can contribute to:

  • increased sensitivity
  • discomfort
  • or pain with pressure or activity
And for some people…

👉 this may show up in areas like sexual health

This isn’t about labelling or diagnosing anything specific. It’s about understanding contributing factors

Because when the environment of the pelvis is:

  • more balanced
  • better supported
  • and less tense

👉 tissues often become more comfortable and responsive

So again…

👉 the goal isn’t just to “treat a symptom”

👉 it’s to support the environment those tissues exist within

Nervous System

Now we layer in the nervous system. Because this plays a huge role.

When your body is:
  • stressed
  • or in a protective state

👉 pelvic muscles often tighten

When your system is more:
  • shut down
  • or fatigued

👉 function can reduce

This Means

👉 Your state influences your structure AND Your structure influences your state

So when all of this is combined…

You might notice:

  • pelvic discomfort
  • lower abdominal tension
  • urinary or bowel changes
  • lower back or hip pain
  • a sense of heaviness or pressure

👉 These aren’t separate issues. They’re connected through the one system

So instead of asking:

👉 “What’s wrong with this one area?”

Start asking:

👉 “What environment is my body working in?”

PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY

Start becoming aware of:

  • tension in your lower abdomen
  • how your pelvis feels at rest
  • your breathing and how it reaches your lower body

You don’t need to fix everything at once.

👉 awareness is the starting point

If this is starting to connect things for you…

This is exactly the deeper layer we begin to explore inside my programs.

Where we look at the body as a system,  not separate parts.

Because when you support the system… 👉 your body has the chance to function better.

So that’s it for today.

Did it raise any questions or aha moments? If so, I’d love to hear them. So please put those in the comment section. I love answering questions. I hope you found today useful. And if you know someone who could use this information, please share it. Remember to comment, like and subscribe.

Until next time and in health,

Bye for now.

Click the Button Below for my RibCage Reset min-course

Book appointment here

(pick 1- Turramurra location; 2- osteopath; 3- select date you’re looking for, then click select clinician.

Then, choose  initial, follow up or our special Foot and Posture Assessment for a whole body assessment and treatment plan to determine if treatment is right for you)

About Blossoming Me

BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Cranio-sacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage. 

Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.

**Disclaimer** The information provided by BlossomingMe, on our website, in our courses, and in our blogs and posts, is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site and social outlets is not, nor intended to be, a substitute for profess ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.

Why Pain Keeps Coming Back

Why Pain Keeps Coming Back

Have you ever had pain that seems to come and go… or move around your body? Maybe it’s your lower back one week… your neck the next…  or your hip that just keeps tightening no matter what you do.

And it can feel confusing… Because you treat the area that hurts… but it doesn’t fully resolve.

What if the issue isn’t where you feel the pain… 👉 but how your body is moving?

Are you ready to learn why pain keeps coming back (even when it seems to be somewhere else)?

Want to read the transcript instead?

here it is…

Why Pain Keeps Coming Back

What You Movement is Telling You

Hi, I’m Alexis Weidland, osteopath at BlossomingMe and Healthy Learning Lounge.

In the last couple of videos, we’ve looked at:

  • the pelvis as your foundation
  • and how your rib cage and pelvis work together as a system

Today, we’re taking that into real life.

👉 Movement.

Because the way your body moves tells you a lot about how it’s functioning.

Your body is designed to move in a coordinated, efficient way.

Especially when you walk.

Walking is one of the most repetitive things you do every day.

And it relies on:

  • balance
  • coordination
  • and smooth transfer of weight

🔹 GAIT 

Now let’s slow this down for a moment.

Because walking might seem simple…

But it’s actually one of the most complex and important movements your body does.

Every step you take should involve:

  • your weight shifting fully onto one leg
  • your pelvis rotating slightly forward on that side
  • your rib cage gently counterbalancing that movement
  • and your body absorbing and redistributing force through the system
When this is working well:

 👉 movement feels effortless
👉 your body feels balanced
👉 you don’t have to think about it

But when it’s not working well…

👉 things start to feel different. You might notice:

  • one side feels heavier than the other
  • one leg feels like it’s doing more work
  • your stride feels shorter on one side
  • or your body feels slightly off or uneven

And often…

👉 you adapt to this without even realising

Because if your pelvis and rib cage aren’t working well together…

👉 your movement becomes altered

This might show up as:
  • stiffness when walking
  • favouring one side
  • reduced rotation
  • feeling slightly unstable

And often… 👉 it becomes your “normal”

🔹 DEEPER MECHANISM

Now this is where it gets really important.

Your pelvis is meant to:
  • rotate
  • shift
  • and transfer weight
Your rib cage is meant to:
  • respond
  • counterbalance
  • and coordinate
When that system is working:

 👉 movement is efficient
👉 force is distributed
👉 your body feels supported

When it’s not:

👉 your body still moves… But not efficiently.

🔹 COMPENSATIONS

And this is where pain patterns begin.

Because your body will always find a way to keep moving.

Even if it’s not ideal.

Let’s walk through an example.

If your pelvis isn’t rotating properly on one side… 👉 your body still needs to move forward

So what happens? 
  • Your lower back might start to rotate more, to make up for that missing movement
  • Then your rib cage shifts, to help keep you upright
  • Then your shoulders begin to compensate, to maintain balance

And eventually…

👉 your neck takes on more load

And this is often when people feel:
  • neck tension
  • shoulder tightness
  • headaches

But the origin of that pattern… 👉 may have started much lower in the body

 So the pain you feel…

Is often the result of compensation… Not the starting point.

🔹 LOAD TRANSFER 

Now let’s talk about load. Every time you move… Your body has to transfer force.

Through:

  • your feet
  • your legs
  • your pelvis
  • your spine
  • and your upper body
 When it Works Well
  • load is shared
  • muscles work together
  • movement feels efficient
 When it Doesn’t

👉 load gets dumped into certain areas, and those areas start to:

  • tighten
  • fatigue
  • or become painful
This might feel like:
  • your lower back tightening after standing
  • one hip always feeling tight
  • neck tension building through the day
  • shoulders overworking

You might also notice things like:

  • always crossing one leg over the other
  • standing more on one hip
  • shifting your weight when standing still
  • preferring one side when carrying things

These aren’t just habits.

👉 they’re patterns

👉 and they reflect how your body is organising itself

🔹 INSTABILITY VS RIGIDITY

Now here’s something that’s often misunderstood. Not all dysfunction looks the same.

Some people have too much movement (instability). Others have not enough movement (rigidity)

 INSTABILITY

If you’re more unstable:

  • your body lacks control
  • muscles overwork
  • you feel unsupported
RIGIDITY

If you’re more rigid:

  • movement is limited
  • force isn’t absorbed well
  • other areas compensate

 👉 both lead to compensation
👉 both can lead to pain

🔹 ASYMMETRY IN MOTION

Now let’s bring back asymmetry. Your body isn’t always balanced side to side.

And when you move… 👉 that imbalance becomes more obvious

WHAT THAT DOES
  • one side takes more load
  • one side moves differently
  • one side fatigues faster
RESULTING IN

👉 recurring one-sided pain
👉 patterns that keep returning

🔹 PAIN PATTERNS (GOLD)

Let’s connect this clearly.

👉 Neck pain

Often linked to:

  • rib cage restriction
  • compensation from below
  • load transfer issues
👉 Lower back pain

Often linked to:

  • load dumping
  • reduced pelvic control
  • poor shock absorption
👉 Hip pain

Often linked to:

  • asymmetry
  • overloading one side
  • inefficient gait

Now this is where most people get this wrong.

They feel the pain… and they try to fix that exact spot… They: 

  • Stretch it
  • Strengthen it 
  • Focus everything  – all their energy, there – where it HURTS

But if that area is compensating… it’s not the problem
      👉 it’s the result

And until the movement pattern changes… 👉 the pain often comes back

🔹 FATIGUE 

And this doesn’t just affect pain. 👉 it affects energy

Because inefficient movement:
  • requires more effort
  • increases tension
  • reduces endurance
Over time, this can feel like:
  • your body tires easily
  • you can’t sustain activity
  • things feel harder than they should

What to Do?

So instead of asking: “What do I need to fix?”

Start asking: “How is my body moving?”

Start noticing:

  • how you walk
  • whether one side feels different
  • whether movement feels smooth or effortful

You don’t need to analyse everything. 👉 just start becoming aware

Next

In the next video, we’re going even deeper. We’ll look at how the pelvis connects to your internal systems

👉 your organs, pelvic health, and how this influences symptoms you might not even associate with movement.

If this is starting to make sense…

My Rib Cage Reset mini course helps you begin reconnecting these patterns in a simple, guided way.

Because when your movement improves… 👉 your body starts to feel better.

So that’s it for today.

Did it raise any questions or aha moments? If so, I’d love to hear them. So please put those in the comment section. I love answering questions. I hope you found today useful. And if you know someone who could use this information, please share it. Remember to comment, like and subscribe.

Until next time and in health,

Bye for now.

Click the Button Below for my RibCage Reset min-course

Book appointment here

(pick 1- Turramurra location; 2- osteopath; 3- select date you’re looking for, then click select clinician.

Then, choose  initial, follow up or our special Foot and Posture Assessment for a whole body assessment and treatment plan to determine if treatment is right for you)

About Blossoming Me

BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Cranio-sacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage. 

Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.

**Disclaimer** The information provided by BlossomingMe, on our website, in our courses, and in our blogs and posts, is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site and social outlets is not, nor intended to be, a substitute for profess ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.

The Rib Cage and Pelvis Connection

The Rib Cage and Pelvis Connection

If you’ve ever felt like your body wasn’t functioning quite correctly… Maybe it felt unstable, disconnected, like it just wasn’t strengthening they way you expected. Or maybe like your two sides feel like they belong to two different people… It could be that the connection between your rib cage and your pelvis, is the issue. When your body does not commuicate and co-ordinate properly, your ability to move, stand tall, feel stable and to strengthen effectively is impeded. But why? Integration and co-ordination requires your fascia, nervous system, and upper and lower body to work together. That is why the rib cage and pelvis connection is so important!

Want to read the transcript instead?

here it is…

The Rib Cage and Pelvis Connection

The System Behind Posture and Stability

Have you ever felt like your body is unstable…not balanced or disconnected?

Like you can’t quite hold your posture, or one side of your body feels totally different to the other, or your core doesn’t feel like it’s doing what it’s supposed to?

Maybe you’ve tried strengthening or stretching… maybe you’ve worked on your posture… But it still doesn’t feel right.

What if the issue isn’t strength… but coordination?

Hi,

I’m Alexis Weidland, osteopath at BlossomingMe and Healthy Learning Lounge.

In the last video, we spoke about the pelvis as the foundation of your body.

Today, we’re building on that.

Because your pelvis doesn’t work alone. 👉 It works together with your rib cage.

And this relationship is what drives:

  • posture
  • stability
  • movement
  • and even how your body manages load and pressure

Think of your rib cage and pelvis like two ends of a system.

Your pelvis sits at the base. Your rib cage sits above. And between them is your:

  • diaphragm
  • abdominal wall
  • and deeper stabilising system

                          👉 Together, they form what we call a pressure system.

WHAT IS A PRESSURE SYSTEM

Now, this might sound complex—but it’s actually very practical.

Your body uses pressure to:

  • support your spine
  • stabilise your body
  • and transfer force when you move

Think of your torso like a canister.

  • The diaphragm sits at the top
  • The pelvic floor sits at the bottom
  • The abdominal wall wraps around

When everything is working well… 👉 pressure is created evenly inside that system

That pressure helps:

  • reduce strain on joints
  • distribute load efficiently
  • and give your body a sense of support

But if that system isn’t coordinated… 

👉 pressure becomes uneven
👉 or leaks from the system

And when that happens… Joints are less supported, so your body has to find stability somewhere else.

👉 This system only works well when your rib cage and pelvis are aligned and moving together.

But for most people…

That relationship becomes disrupted. Because of:

  • posture habits
  • stress
  • breathing patterns
  • previous injuries

Your rib cage and pelvis stop working together. And instead… 👉 They start working against each other.

This might show up as:

  • rib cage restriction, twisting, flaring upward
  • pelvis tilting forward or tucking under
  • excessive arching or flattening of the spine

And when that happens… Your pressure system can’t function properly.

Now this is where it gets really interesting.

Your diaphragm – the main muscle you use to breathe –  attaches into your rib cage.

When you inhale:

  • your diaphragm moves down
  • your rib cage expands

But this movement is meant to be balanced by what’s happening below.

👉 Your pelvic floor should respond
👉 Your abdominal system should coordinate

WHEN IT’S NOT WORKING

If your rib cage is restricted, twisted, lifted or flared… Your diaphragm can’t move effectively.

If your pelvis is tilted or unstable… Your pelvic floor can’t respond properly.

👉 And your body loses that balanced pressure system

And this is where compensation really takes over.

If your diaphragm isn’t functioning well… Your body might:

  • overuse your neck muscles
  • grip through your shoulders
  • rely on your lower back for stability

If your pelvis isn’t responding well… You might:

  • brace excessively
  • feel like you can’t “switch your core on”
  • or feel unstable during movement
So again…

👉 It’s not just about strength

💡 It’s about how different parts of your body are coordinating

 LOAD TRANSFER 

Now let’s bring this into movement. Every time you:

  • Walk
  • bend
  • lift
  • reach
  • carry something

Your body has to transfer load. And it does this through your rib cage ↔ pelvis connection

When everything is functioning well:

  • force moves efficiently through your body
  • your muscles share the load
  • movement feels smooth and supported

But when this system isn’t working:

👉 load gets dumped into certain areas

This often leads to:

  • lower back strain
  • hip overload
  • neck and shoulder tension
  • It can also lead to pain and discomfort in organs within the pelvis

Because those areas are trying to compensate.

Let’s make this really practical.

Think about picking something up off the floor.

If your system is working well:

  • your breath supports the movement
  • your body stabilises naturally
  • the load is shared

But if it’s not working well:

👉 your lower back takes the load
👉 your shoulders tense
👉 your movement becomes inefficient

And over time… 👉 that’s when pain and strains start to develop

This is often when people say:

  • “My back always tightens when I stand”
  • “My shoulders don’t relax”
  • “My core just doesn’t feel like it’s working properly”
  • “I don’t feel as stable or balanced as I used to”

Now here’s a piece that’s often missed.

Your breathing is not just about oxygen.

              👉 It’s directly linked to how your body stabilises.

Breathing and the expansion through the ribs should be a 360-degree movement

Your rib cage should expand:

  • forward
  • sideways
  • and slightly into your back

  💡And your diaphragm should move in coordination with your pelvis.

But when breathing becomes:

  • shallow
  • Upper chest-dominant
  • or restricted

👉 your rib cage lifts or flares or twists
👉 your pelvis loses connection
👉 your system becomes less stable

It changes how your rib cage moves. And that affects everything below.

So instead of thinking:

     “I need to strengthen my core”

Start thinking:

      “Is my system working together?”

The Fatigue Connection:

And this doesn’t just affect pain.

                   👉 it affects energy

Because when your body isn’t stabilising efficiently…  it has to work harder!

     ➡️Muscles overwork
     ➡️Breathing becomes inefficient
     ➡️Your nervous system stays more activated

Over time, this can contribute to:

  • fatigue
  • reduced endurance
  • feeling like your body just doesn’t have capacity

In the last video, we spoke about:

  • pelvic tilt
  • asymmetry
  • positioning

Now you can start to see… 👉 how that directly influences your rib cage

And how your rib cage then influences everything above and below it.

When this system isn’t working well, you might notice:

  • difficulty holding posture
  • feeling unstable or weak
  • recurring tightness
  • fatigue with standing or movement
  • breathing that feels restricted or shallow

So instead of chasing symptoms…

👉 start looking at how your body is functioning as a system

Because when the rib cage and pelvis start working together… Everything becomes more efficient.

Start by noticing:

  • how you breathe
  • whether your rib cage feels lifted, stuck, or relaxed
  • whether your body feels stacked and aligned well or off kilter and disconnected

You don’t need to fix everything at once.

👉 Awareness is the first step

In the next video, we’re going to take this further.

We’ll look at how this system plays out in real movement—
especially walking, posture, and how pain develops over time.

And if you’re ready to start working with your body in this way…

My Rib Cage Reset mini course takes you through simple, guided ways to reconnect this system.

Link is below if you’d like to explore that.

Because when your body starts working together… 👉 everything feels easier.

So that’s it for today.

Did it raise any questions or aha moments? If so, I’d love to hear them. So please put those in the comment section. I love answering questions. I hope you found today useful. And if you know someone who could use this information, please share it. Remember to comment, like and subscribe.

Until next time and in health,

Bye for now.

Click the Button Below for my RibCage Reset min-course

Book appointment here

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About Blossoming Me

BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Cranio-sacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage. 

Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.

**Disclaimer** The information provided by BlossomingMe, on our website, in our courses, and in our blogs and posts, is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site and social outlets is not, nor intended to be, a substitute for profess ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.

Menopause – I don’t know who I am anymore… is this the way it is now?

Menopause – I don’t know who I am anymore… is this the way it is now?

I don’t know who I am anymore… is this the way it is now?

Perimenopause, Menopause and Post-menopause

10 tips to a comfortable menopause journey

So, we know that menopause is a process that happens to all women at some
point. Many of us assume that the common symptoms of perimenopause
including hot flushes, irritability and discomfort are a “normal” and
inescapable part of the process. You may be surprised to know that this is not
the case! As with puberty, while our bodies change, it is not a life sentence.
It can just be a transition. It is true that many women suffer horribly. It is
also true, that with a diet and lifestyle that supports our hormones to balance,
including cortisol and DHEA as well as the more widely known oestrogen and
progesterone, we can transition through this period of life, comfortably! Life
after menopause can be lively, exciting and something to look forward to. A
stage of life blessed with increased wisdom and being comfortable in your own
skin. Travelling through your Golden years with ease and grace.

Symptoms

These tend to vary
from person to person and some women hardly notice any. An incomplete list
includes:

  • Hot flushes
  • Breast tenderness
  • Worse PMS
  • Lower Sex drive
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Irregular periods
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Discomfort during sex (due to dryness)
  • Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing
  • Urinary urgency
  • Mood swings and irritability
  • Trouble Sleeping

Perimenopause is the transitional stage between regular monthly periods and reaching menopause (defined as the point in time when a woman has had 12 months since her last period). The stage after this is classified as post-menopause.

Pre-menopause is the stage of life between puberty and menopause. A stage where hormones tend not to fluctuate much, a woman tends not to suffer any symptoms associated with menopause and she is in her reproductive years.

Perimenopause begins when the oestrogen produced in the ovaries starts to
reduce. Often resulting in several years of irregular periods due to the more
sporadic release of oestrogen and progesterone (as well as cortisol and DHEA).
Sometimes the hormonal fluctuations as so large or out of balance that we may
experience symptoms such as depression, moodiness and irritability, weight
gain, discomfort, reduced memory and concentration, muscle aches, as sense of
being uncomfortable in our own skin, hot flushes, hair loss, breast tenderness,
reduced libido and sexual pleasure and vaginal dryness, to name a few. This
stage may begin sometime between the ages of 35 and 50 years and can last from
as little as a few months, to as long as 15 years with the average, being
around 4 years. In the final stage, oestrogen levels may decline sharply. Symptoms
may be most pronounced at this time, expanding to include things like urinary urgency
and frequency or even incontinence; depression and anxiety as well as night
sweats, fatigue and skin dryness.

Menopause occurs when there is no longer enough oestrogen produced by the ovaries to trigger the uterine lining to build, the release of an egg or the shedding of the uterine lining. This is the point where fertility ceases. Contrary to what some of us thought, during the perimenopausal stage, conception is still possible.

Treatments:

Medications:

Doctors can prescribe

  • Oestrogen creams for vaginal dryness, pain and discomfort
  •  Progesterone creams for breast tenderness
  •  The pill or other hormone replacement therapies to try to minimise symptoms
  •  Creams or tablets to reduce bladder irritability

Look into the options and side effects for yourself before you decide

10 Natural Tips for a Comfortable Menopause Journey
  • Exercise
  • Stop smoking
  • Get more rest/sleep
  • Reduce alcohol intake
  • Be in a healthy weight range
  • Ensure you don’t have a vitamin or mineral deficiency (magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin C, omega 3, evening primrose oil [internal or topical])
  • Reduce foods that have the potential to alter hormone balance in the body => Processed, hydrogenated and trans-fats; Highly refined carbohydrates (especially sugars); Caffeine; Alcohol
  • Pelvic floor exercises to support the pelvic area and the bladder (as incontinence is a symptom of hormonal imbalance associated with perimenopause)
  • Using natural oils (jojoba, coconut, olive) as lubricants down there as a lubricant during sex, or during the day to allow more comfort
  • Add an anti-inflammatory, alkalising, plant rich diet

Always consult your doctor if you have strong pain, very heavy bleeding or bleeding for more than 7 days longer than your usual period

Pelvic pain and dysfunction part 3: 7 tips to nip that pain in the butt

Pelvic pain and dysfunction part 3: 7 tips to nip that pain in the butt

Pelvic pain and dysfunction part 3: 7 tips to nip that pain in the butt

In part 1 and part 2, we discussed the symptoms and causes of chronic pain and the basics of an effective treatment and management plan. Let’s discuss what you can do NOW to help improve your situation.

Many structures are in the pelvis, underneath the bladder, bowel and uterus. All these structures can irritate each other if inflamed, enlarged, irritable or tight. Gaining improvement can be as simple as reducing irritability to just 1 of these structures, or it may require addressing all of them.

While effective treatment and management requires a multi-faceted approach, there are a number of lifestyle modifications that can be easily implemented to start reducing triggers, allowing the nerves more mobility and reducing the nervous system tension in order to directly impact the negative cycle and start increasing comfort now.

Tip # 1:

Minimise activities that tend to trigger and aggravate pudendal and perineal nerve irritation such as:

  • riding a bicycle (especially for long periods)
  • horse riding
  • jumping (for example, on a trampoline)
  • intense exercise
  • lifting weights (anything over 5 kg is too much)
  • anything that causes intense pain (if 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain imaginable, do not go over a pain scale of 7/10).

Tip # 2:

For any activity where you know pain comes on after a certain period of time (for example sitting for more than 5 minutes):

  • Ensure that you set an alarm and only sit for 4 minutes at any one time.
  • When the alarm goes off – get up!
    • go to the toilet or get a drink or stretch before continuing to sit
    • when sitting again, ensure the alarm is set for another 4 minutes.

Tip # 3:

Ensure you have good posture in any activities you perform for a prolonged time (more than a few minutes). Get ergonomic advice if required.

For sitting:

  • ensure that your knees sit at the same level or slightly lower than your hip joints.
  • allow your pelvis to rotate forward slightly, keeping a slight extension in your lower back – this happens naturally when your knees are lower than your hips, helping to keep the natural spinal curves.

This ensures your back is “straight” with your head sitting directly over your pelvis.

It also helps your shoulders to sit in a good position, not rounded forward or held up high towards your ears.

  • Make sure that you don’t lean on your elbows or put too much pressure on your wrists (or you will get elbow or wrist strain injuries) (it also pushes your shoulders up and tends to make you lean to one side).
  • ensure that your feet are flat on the floor (use a floor stool if required for comfort)
  • ensure the seat is cushioned a little (especially if you have pudendal nerve pain) – you can use a doughnut ring if pain is more severe.

Tip # 4:

Lie with your legs up the wall for 5-10 minutes in the evenings

  • lie on your back, on the floor with your shoulders relaxed and rotated backwards
  • get your bottom as close to the wall as possible. Adding a cushion underneath your bottom to raise the angle of your pelvis.
  • place your legs up the wall and relax (you could use a meditation or relaxation app at the same time)
  • only stay for 5 minutes initially, but if it gets painful, stop. Aim to get to 10 minutes per night.

This exercise

  • allows pain relief in the pelvic area – for vaginal issues, haemorrhoids, pudendal nerve pain, period pain and also assists with reducing pressure associated with incontinence issues
  • increases blood return to heart, therefore helps with venous return in general and varicose veins/haemorrhoids etc
  • allows the spine to relax and lengthen after a day of compression forces from standing and sitting.

Tip # 5:

Avoid straining on the toilet

  • To avoid constipation, it’s important to keep hydrated, eat healthy fruit and vegetable fibre, exercise regularly and use a natural laxative if necessary (avoid stimulant laxatives).
  • Don’t sit for extended periods as this stretches the ligaments and increases the pressure in the wrong spots increasing likelihood of pain around the buttock (inferior cluneal nerve) or haemorrhoids. If it’s not coming, stop and go for a little walk and come back when you feel more ready.
  • Aim to sit correctly on the toilet (not squat over it) as this tends to constrict rather than relax the area, increasing downward pressure and reducing ease of toileting.

Tip # 6:

Perform a relaxation and strengthening program for the pelvic floor muscles daily.

  1. Start by massaging the perineum to help relax the pelvic floor muscles, relax the nervous system and improve circulation in the area
  2. In the bathroom or a private area, use a small amount of unscented, natural oil (coconut, olive or jojoba are best)
  3. Locate the area right in the middle – between your anus and your vagina in women or base of the penis in men
  4. Use 2 fingers with the oil and gently rub that central area in a clockwise motion for 20 rotations
  5. Then gently rub in a counter clockwise motion for another 20 rotations.

Use a simplified Kegel-reverse Kegel pelvic floor exercise to help your pelvic floor re-learn to strengthen its contraction as well as relax when contraction is not needed (many issues are due to an over-tense pelvic floor).

  1. Sit or stand with good posture, feeling your head being pulled up in the centre, your shoulders relaxed and back a little, your chest “out”, your natural back curves present and not accentuated and equal pressure either through both sit bones or through the front and back of both feet.
  2. As you breathe in, allow your pelvic floor to relax – feeling that centre point (located in the previous exercise) drop, and breath in for a count of 4-5.
  3. As you breathe out, allow your pelvic floor to gently contract and pull together – feeling that centre point gently squeeze together and up towards your pelvic organs and breathe out holding that squeeze for a count of 6-7.

Tip # 7:

Alter sexual activities. Some people find that sex is painful or that afterwards, symptoms seem to worsen.

  • Always use a gentle lubricant (that works for you – jojoba oil is great)
  • Using a relaxation technique may be of benefit
  • Play around with positions to find what is most comfortable for you.

If you would like to chat about your situation, drop us an email, call, or book an appointment with Alexis.


 [JH1]Link to previous articles on website

Pelvic pain and dysfunction part 3: 7 tips to nip that pain in the butt

Pelvic pain and dysfunction part 2: The basis of management and treatment

Pelvic pain and dysfunction part 2: The basis of management and treatment

In part 1, we shared some of the causes and symptoms of pelvic dysfunction. In part 2, we discuss chronic pain (as compared to an acute condition) and why chronic pain can be so complicated to deal with effectively. It’s important to understand what’s going on in your body first, so that you can work out the steps you need to take in order to help heal yourself. It also helps you feel more confident in your approach and in the fact that improvement CAN happen, as well as give you motivation to keep going (healing has good and bad days and times when it feels like nothing is changing, then suddenly, but only after consistent action, things improve and you suddenly realise, the pain you “always” had is no longer there).

Pelvic dysfunction is a complicated subject, because:

  1. There are so many variations of pelvic dysfunctions and symptoms.
  2. There are multiple possible causes and a large number of associated factors and triggers.
  3. It’s a taboo subject so most people don’t want to talk about it.
  4. People don’t generally ask their GP or health practitioner for help for the above reason and don’t realise that there is anything that can be done to help.
  5. People don’t talk to their physical/manual therapists (such as their Osteopath, Chiropractor or Physiotherapist) as they don’t expect that lifestyle factors and muscle imbalances can be an easily treated part of the solution.

Because of these above issues, it often becomes a chronic pain condition. But what exactly is a chronic pain condition?

The definition of chronic pain is any pain that extends beyond the expected healing time for an injury. Generally, it’s accepted that most tissues have healed by 12 weeks. So, any pain that has continued for longer than 3 months is chronic pain. Conversely, acute pain is any pain condition that has resulted from a direct injury and is still within its expected tissue healing time (thus any pain less than 3 months old).

The brain is a pain modulating unit. That means that any pain stimulus, via nerves, alerts the brain to a potential issue and the brain then uses all the information it can gather before deciding if there is a problem or a potential problem and how dangerous it is. The intensity of the pain we feel is based on the brain’s interpretation of the level of injury or danger at hand. The information the brain uses to decide is vast and includes things like past experience, imminent danger in our surroundings (such as a car coming straight for you) and our fear levels.

Because of this, the brain is able to turn up or down the volume of pain you feel based on its need to keep you safe. Generally, the more threat there is to further harm, the louder the pain signals one feels. Yet, because the brain’s job is to keep us safe, it can turn down the level of pain to allow necessary action, hence the “apparent paradox” in stories you may have heard when for example a person has badly broken their leg, yet managed to walk many kilometres to get to help or run from an explosion etc.

However, when pain continues for extended periods, the wiring in the brain for that location begins to change. Just as a dirt path used over and over again gets deeper, so does the neural pathway. This means that the brain becomes hyper aware of that area of the body and is over sensitive to any nerve input that comes from that location, alerting us to potential injury, via pain, even if there is no risk.

Can you remember a time when you got a cut on your finger and it became inflamed? That area may have begun to feel painful even at the slightest touch such as the gentle swiping of fabric across it? In fact, even the adjacent finger sometimes feels painful, for no apparent reason. This is an example of sensitisation.

This is further intensified by our interpretation of the situation, such as how bad the injury is, our belief that any movement that causes pain is in fact worsening the injury and slowing or preventing healing, the level to which our injury has been affecting our daily life and functioning, and our fear that this situation will never end and might only get worse.

As you can see, the brain collects information from many places and can be influenced by many factors including our individual interpretation of what is happening to us. Thus, we feel increased pain when

  • our general levels of stress are high
  • we avoid all activities that hurt (including ones that help heal) because we believe they are damaging us
  • we fear having pain in general – because
    • it’s not nice
    • we believe that there is something wrong and we are making it worse
    • we don’t understand the biology of our situation
    • we fear that we’ll never improve and we catastrophise the worst about what that might mean for our future
    • we’re afraid that there is something seriously wrong with us.

These factors make treating chronic pain more difficult because in fact the tissues, while they may not be functioning correctly are not “damaged” anymore, so one cannot just deal with the “damaged” tissues nor just the musculoskeletal imbalances that are perpetuating the functional symptoms (such as reduced strength or movement).

Indeed effective management and treatment must therefore deal with as many of the above-mentioned types of psychological aspects as well as the physical factors. This requires education (about pain and the specific process happening in one’s own body), lifestyle modification, minimising triggers, reducing stress, increasing neural relaxation, education and techniques for learning to deal with always having pain (in some cases), rehabilitation exercises and more. Further, all of these components are unique to the individual, so body awareness, support and guidance, and some trial and error are required to build the correct plan of action. Given this complicated and individual nature of chronic pain, I hope the importance of a multi-factorial approach, starting with education and body awareness, is clear.

Once we understand the injury we have, the biology of pain and what is happening inside us, and which activities, if any, to avoid, our fear is reduced. We can also be confident in a stretching and strengthening program and doing activities that cause pain as we understand the difference between hurt and harm. This gives us control, piece of mind and discipline to continue the healing activities required to balance the tissues in the area and re-wire the brain to reduce its pain alert system. Further, we can understand the reason behind any lifestyle, habitual activity and postural modifications as well as stress reduction techniques required, making compliance easier.

Ok, so it’s complicated, where do I go for help?

 A practitioner who has some specific knowledge about pelvic pain and dysfunction is important (potentially an Osteopath, Chiropractor, Physiotherapist or even Acupuncturist – but you need to ask). A good practitioner can:

  • help you deal with the musculoskeletal imbalances and give you exercises
  • discuss and explain chronic pain with you and how you can use techniques and exercises to help re-wire your brain
  • assist with neuro-feedback, to ensure that you are using your pelvic floor correctly and give you both pelvic floor strengthening AND relaxation exercises
  • give advice on correct toileting techniques and support and training for lifestyle interventions to treat different types of incontinence issues (urge and stress)
  • assist with medicated creams, medications and referral to surgical (laser etc) interventions IF and only if necessary (generally a GP or gynaecologist – but you need to ask specifically, and I would recommend seeing a specialist gynaecologist for this type of thing as with a practitioner at Sydney’s WHRIA clinic who are researchers and leaders in this field and have minimal invasive and best results-based interventions).

If you would like to chat about your situation, drop us an email, call, or book an appointment with Alexis.

Stay tuned for part 3 where we share 7 simple tips to improve your situation NOW.


Read Part 1 now