028 - Hit the (Pelvic) Floor with Alicia Willoughby

Jennifer welcomes to the podcast orthopedic and women’s health physical therapist, and mother of two, Alicia Willoughby. In her work, Alicia specializes in working with women during pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond childbearing years. She has made it her goal to treat and advocate for mothers who are suffering from orthopedic discomfort and injuries sustained during and after pregnancy. Alicia’s treatment approach combines orthopedic skills and pelvic floor training to treat the whole body. As she can attest from personal experience, no mother should ever experience pregnancy-related injuries that are completely preventable with proper care and attention.

In this episode, Jennifer and Alicia talk all about the pelvic floor of a woman’s body. While men also have pelvic floors and muscles that need attention, it is more common for women to experience trauma and require rehabilitation, especially postpartum. Alicia recalls her own ordeals with pregnancies, including an unplanned pregnancy shortly after the birth of her first child and the miscarriage that ensued. 

Alicia defines the terms ‘pelvic floor’ and ‘abdominal separation’ and explains how each are different. She provides exercises and routines that every mother can follow to achieve pain relief and become in tune with their sexuality again. Jennifer and Alicia share their unique experiences with sexuality postpartum and the difficulties they faced. Finally, Alicia urges listeners who are suffering from pain or discomfort to seek help and provides them with a list of what to expect from women’s health specialists.

Full show notes: https://milfpodcast.com/28