Pearl Physical Therapy

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Pearl Physical Therapy

Pelvic and Ortho physical therapy available in Virginia and Virtually. Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Menopause Coach.

10/29/2026

You’re told to engage your glutes, but how do you know that you did? Mind-muscle connection is your brain sending a clear signal to one specific muscle and you feeling that muscle respond. It’s intentional though, you have to actively think about the connection you’re asking for.

How do you ask for it and how do you know it’s connected? There are a few different cues depending on the exercise, but the simplest way…

> Slow way down and drop the weight or use none
> Put a hand on the muscle so your brain connects the ask to the location
> Pick a movement and think about where you feel it — feel it where you should? Great!
> Then drop your hand and focus on *that* feeling you just felt as you continue that exercise.

Didn’t feel it? Comment “BREATHE” and I’ll send you a free guide on connecting to your breath, your diaphragm, and your pelvic floor to get you started!

pelvic floor exercises, pelvic floor specialist, Virginia physical therapist, postpartum recovery, mind-muscle connection, strength training, menopause workouts, bladder leakage

10/28/2026

At your next PT appointment, count the minutes your physical therapist is actually in the room working with you. Ask what the exercise is for and why it will help. Consider the amount of time actually doing the therapy versus the time spent with an ice pack and tens unit.

Your treatment plan should be built around and focused on you. End of story. When it’s not, that’s usually where I see people give up on their care and say that maybe physical therapy just won’t work for them.

PT works, and it actually works well, as long as your PT isn’t skipping steps and cutting corners. I would never.

Know someone who’s been going for weeks and can’t tell you what her exercises are for? Send her this.

pelvic floor exercises, pelvic floor specialist, Virginia physical therapist, postpartum recovery, relieve pelvic pain, strength training, urinary incontinence, bladder leakage, hypermobility comfort

10/24/2026

You Pavloved your bladder.
Having to p*e the moment you arrive home is not just something that comes with age, and no, your bladder isn’t getting smaller. If you have urgency triggers, it’s probably because you’ve encouraged that behavior.

This is the exact reason I highly discourage “just in case” potty trips.
Going p*e when you don’t have to is signaling to your mind and bladder (regardless of how full your bladder actually is) “before doing [this thing], we must signal urgency to p*e.”

And just like this false urgency interrupts your day, it confuses your pelvic floor which can lead to new or worsened leaking.

Start with tracking it. I know it’s tedious, but more tedious than feeling like you have to p*e soooo bad and when you do barely anything comes out? Don’t think so.

Track each trip → what time it was, what you were doing or were about to do, and how long your stream actually flowed for. Dribbles don’t count. This will help you pinpoint false urgency triggers and is great information to bring to your pelvic floor physical therapy appointment.

What is or used to be your most annoying “gotta go NOW” trigger?? It’s funny the things we can train our mind and body to do without even knowing it!

urinary urgency, pelvic floor muscles, physical therapy, Virginia physical therapist, pelvic floor specialist, postpartum recovery, leak when I sneeze or laugh

10/23/2026

The struggle is real. Wanting to play with your kids but knowing it comes with the potential for p*eing your pants because you laughed a little too hard or jumped a little too high.

As your pelvic floor physical therapist, I want to hear about ALL your wins!! Our whole goal is to help you have the ability to live your life without being dictated by your bladder or pelvic pain. I want to know that what we’re doing is working and that you’re living your best life!

There’s no such thing as a win too small or an overshare. Sneezed while grocery shopping and you didn’t have to do pretzel legs? YES! Had pain free s*x that you were actually able to focus on and enjoy? I’M SOOO PROUD!! I want to celebrate with you, every single time.

pelvic floor exercises, Virginia pelvic floor specialist, physical therapist, postpartum recovery, pelvic pain symptoms, bladder leaking, postpartum recovery

10/19/2026

I won’t lie and tell you that perimenopause and menopause is easy. But I do think if I knew these things sooner, they might have helped 🤷🏼‍♀️ What do you think? What advice would you give younger you, pre-meno, that would have been helpful now?

1. When estrogen leaves, it takes bone, muscle, tissues, and your body composition with it. Now is not the time to be afraid of heavy things! Start lifting now if you aren’t already. Aim for resistance training at least 3 days a week, progressively lifting heavier as time goes.

2. If you walked upstairs and forgot why you're there, congratulations! Welcome to the club, time to stock up on sticky notes. Peri/meno affects mental health too. Track ALL of your symptoms and their frequency, then bring them to your healthcare provider, you probably won’t remember it all during a 15-minute appointment.

3. Have you ever actually looked at your vuIva before? You should. Often. It’s important to recognize when things are changing so you can ask a menopause-informed clinician. Fluctuating hormones can affect your v@ginal tissue, lubrication, blood flow, pelvic floor muscles, sensation, and bladder function. Pain with seggs isn’t normal. Leaking isn’t normal. Inability to org@sm isn’t normal. There are so many options for treatment and management — ask for them.

4. If kegels really, truly fixed every pelvic floor problem, I’d have been out of a job about 29 years ago. If you're leaking, experiencing heaviness, constipation, urgency or painful seggs, get assessed rather than prescribing yourself 100 kegels at every red light. A pelvic problem doesn’t always mean weakness.

5. You don’t need to be any specific version of yourself to do the things you want to do. I have no interest in helping women get really good at avoiding things. Ask yourself, “What’s one thing I stopped doing because of my body, and what would have to change for me to do this again?” and we’ll start there. You CAN do the things you want to do, I promise it’s possible.

pelvic floor exercises, pelvic floor specialist, Virginia physical therapist, postpartum recovery, relieve pelvic pain, strength training, urinary incontinence, bladder leakage, hypermobility comfort

10/15/2026

You aren’t the only one who has tummy troubles when you travel. Most people do! Our routine changes, and our bodies do NOT like that. Plus all the sitting and stress that comes with travel. If you struggle with vacation constipation, these are the 4 most important things I tell all my clients before they leave town! And there’s no shame in packing some colace as a precaution.

PS stop avoiding water on travel days! I know you don’t want to wake anyone up so you can go p*e during your flight, but a lot of the time, travel day dehydration is where the problem begins. Your fear of asking a stranger to move once or twice is not nearly as scary as feeling like crap your entire vacation! Drink the water! Please!

In a perfect world, our bodies would adapt easily to a week of vacation. Do you have a strategy that works for you?

Virginia pelvic PT, physical therapist, pelvic floor physical therapy, gut health, travel tips, how to help bloating, bathroom relief, squatty potty

10/12/2026

I’m not a counselor but I am a physical therapist and seeing that it’s ADHD and physical therapy awareness month, I wanted to share a few of my tips to make your hypermobile body more comfortable! Studies suggest that around 50% of the ADHD population have a form of hypermobility and as a PT, I know all about connective tissue disorders.

These are my five top tips as a pelvic floor + orthopedic physical therapist that if you have hypermobility, you should be following!
> Control your range of motion
> Train for body awareness and mind-muscle connection
> Strength training is your best exercise
> Don’t over-stretch, you probably don’t need it
> Keep moving and doing the things you love, your body might just need small adjustments

and a bonus tip: try physical therapy with someone who specializes in hypermobile bodies! It will make a huge difference.

What’s one thing that changed the way you live with your hypermobility?

10/11/2026

Pelvicon is my Disneyland 🤣 There are SO many things I learned and want to share, but these are the top 7 that I want every woman to know..

+ Sometimes working pelvic floor muscles after delivery can make things worse. Some muscles can get torn when you deliver and if you try to strengthen them too hard or too soon it can set you up for a lifetime of issues. Many of my clients, their ob/gyn doesn’t even do an internal exam at their 6 week appointment and if they do they aren’t always checking for this. A certified pelvic PT will check for torn muscles and adjust postpartum care appropriately.

+ Compression garmets can help with stress urinary incontinence, but it should be used in addition to other treatment.

+ Coning and doming isn’t all bad and doesn’t necessarily make things worse. “DRA is not associated with doing or not doing specific exercise(s) or activity” by Grainne Donnelly.

+ Most of us now know we need vaginal estradiol but if that isn’t enough, you may need DHEA.

+ We are re-thinking endometriosis and looking at is as more as autoimmunity and co-morbid autoimmune disease!

+ The vuIva has it’s own microbiome and we can test your ph levels in pelvic PT. Itching or burning isn’t always a yeast issue!

+ 25% of the population has cIitoral phimosis, which makes having orgsm difficult. I had the opportunity to shadow @ dr rubin a few years ago and there was a woman in her early 60s who had phimosis. How has no other medical provider noticed and told her this?! She’s had kids — plenty of people have seen this part of her body but no one told her these adhesions could be impacting her ability to orgsm.

Which of these things did you NOT know? So many interesting facts, things I’m excited about and going to incorporate into my practice. Women’s health is so important, as is continuing to learn and grow as science evolves!!

pelvic floor exercises, pelvic floor specialist, Virginia physical therapist, postpartum recovery, relieve pelvic pain, strength training, urinary incontinence, bladder leakage, hypermobility comfort

10/03/2026

Weather alert? That’s nice, but I have a session with my postpartum client and you bet your butt I’m already on my way!

pelvic floor exercises, pelvic floor specialist, Virginia physical therapist, postpartum recovery, relieve pelvic pain, strength training, urinary incontinence, bladder leakage, workouts for moms

10/01/2026

If you have 15 minutes and a weight, you have time to work a few leg muscles and your balance!
You don’t need a “real” weight either. Use what you have — a gallon of water, a full backpack, one of your kids 🤣

The order doesn’t matter either. Just do 2 sets of 10 reps with a 30 second break between sets. Doing slow and controlled kickstand RDLs, single leg RDLs, and squats work on your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and even your calves and anterior shin muscles. All of which are crucial for balance and movement!

A few pro tips:
> When you’re doing any kind of RDLs, remember to stick your b***y out like you’re closing a door behind you. If you bend too much at the hips and knees, your RDL turns into a squat. Push the b***y back if you wanna feel it in your glutes!!
> Use your breath as a cue. Inhale as you bend and exhale as you come back up. Focusing on your breath and slowing down the movement is not only more effective, but helps strengthen the mind-muscle connection so your movement doesn’t get lazy. Sloppy workouts are a top cause for injury!

If I made another video about certain exercises or movements, what would be most helpful? Let me know in the comments!

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42587 Autumn Glory Terrace
Ashburn, VA
20148

Website

https://pearl-physicaltherapy.com/

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