Was your local pharmacy absolutely filled with heart shaped balloons last week? Hearts are for more than Valentines’ Day.

 

February is American Heart Month. 

 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and does not discriminate based on gender.

 

According to the CDC, heart disease causes 1 in 5 female deaths each year (Center for Disease Control, 2002).

 

The CDC has excellent resources on risk factors, detection, and prevention of heart disease which can be found here at the link https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20the%20leading,groups%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=One%20person%20dies%20every%2036,United%20States%20from%20cardiovascular%20disease.. 

 

You may be wondering how we come into play at Hudson Valley Physical Therapy. 

 

While we spend much of our day with the pelvis addressing bowel, bladder, sexual dysfunction, and helping you move better, we see you as a whole person. A serious national health issue like heart disease warrants some discussion. 

 

Second, stress reduction and physical activity are two pillars of heart health. At Hudson Valley Physical Therapy, we can help you with both those areas.

 

How does Hudson Valley Physical Therapy help you move more?

 

Are frequent bathroom trips keeping you from being active?

 

You’re going out for a walk. It’s been 15 minutes and oh no…. You need that bathroom right now. Whether it be urinary.bowel frequency, sudden urgency, or leakage, pelvic floor dysfunction should not be a hindrance to staying active. 

Do you suffer from pelvic pain?

 

Conditions like endometriosis, painful bladder syndrome, chronic prostatitis, and post surgical pain can make it very difficult to get up, get motivated, and get moving. 

 

Sometimes it can feel like getting out of bed and getting to work is all you can handle. Sometimes you really want to join in on that spin class with your friends but fear that it will flare you up.

 

At Hudson Valley Physical Therapy, we are experts at treating pelvic pain, but it doesn’t just stop there. By graduation, we want you to get back to the things you love in life. 

 

Our pelvic health specialists can help you navigate an empowering return to physical activity. 

 

How Hudson Valley Physical Therapy can help you stress less

 

Breathe easier

In our opinion, breathing is so underrated. Yes, we need to breathe to live, but we take breathing to the next level.

 

We use breath as an integral part of our treatment. Breathwork can help with issues of leakage, straining with constipation, and managing pelvic pain. 

 

The breath, in particular diaphragmatic breath, can stimulate your vagus nerve which moves your body away from fight or flight and closer to that ideal rest and digest parasympathetic state (Gerritsen & Band, 2018). 

 

Check out our instagram @hudsonvalleypelvicpt for some ways to breathe a little easier. 

 

Take some time for self care

Hudson Valley Physical Therapy is so pleased to offer acupuncture and massage therapy wellness on site. 

 

 Find more information here: https://hudsonvalleypt.com/wellness-center/

 

At Hudson Valley Physical Therapy, we have the team to help keep you heart healthy. 

References: 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February 7). Heart disease facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20the%20leading,groups%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=One%20person%20dies%20every%2036,United%20States%20from%20cardiovascular%20disease. 

 

Gerritsen, R., & Band, G. (2018). Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 12, 397. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00397