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Physical Therapists for Women and Mothers

Origin .

Origin Health is comprised of a team of clinicians who use their expert knowledge of women’s entire bodies to solve commonly overlooked health issues, from painful sex to postpartum recovery. Their work is centered around individual goals and needs, and includes expert guidance, targeted exercise, strengthening, and hands-on work.

Physical Therapists for Women and Mothers

Origin .

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“Origin is a progressive women's health company offering physical therapy for the over 40M women per year experiencing incredibly common but overlooked health issues specific to the female body. Origin provides both in-person and virtual care with a specialized focus on pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, and sexual health.“
- Origin .

My Mission

We believe every woman should have access to the care they need to feel good in their bodies and offers virtual and in-person PT sessions, covered by insurance, in addition to proprietary at-home educational content, and community experiences. For more information, please visit www.theoriginway.com or @theoriginway.

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Overshare

Hip Opening Tips To Try Before Delivery

Join licensed physical therapist, Dr. Ashley Rawlins from the Origin team, for this masterclass on hip opening for a safer, less painful delivery (and beyond!).

Origin .
Physical Therapy for Women and Mothers

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Gua Sha for Mastitis

If you’re breastfeeding, you may have experienced a clogged duct — a hard, warm spot in your breast that just isn’t draining. Maybe your baby slept through the night (woo-hoo!), but it left your breasts full. Or, maybe your pump isn’t working as effectively as you’d like while you’re at work. There are a myriad of reasons you can get a clogged duct and it happens to almost every breastfeeding person at least once during their journey. Clogged ducts can leave your breasts lumpy, swollen, red and in pain. Over time, a clogged duct that isn’t draining, or in which the milk is not reabsorbing back into the body (yes, that happens!), can turn into an infection known as mastitis. This is caused by inflammation in the breast tissue and usually shows up as a fever first. Dr. Sarah Clampett, PT, DPT, and the Clinical Director at Origin, tells us that most of her clients want to know how to keep a clogged duct from becoming mastitis. First: get ahead of it. If you’re weaning—a common time for clogs to happen—do it slowly. Start by making a plan: drop one feed per week. This will allow your milk to slow production without risking mastitis. If you do get a clogged duct, it’s totally possible to clear it before it becomes infected. Start at home: use heat (showers are great), massage, and manual expression to move as much of the milk out as possible. You can also dangle feed, which means laying your baby on their back and dangling your breast over their mouth so they can nurse. Gravity helps the milk move out of the duct. If those steps are not effective, you can also try meeting with a women’s health physical therapist who will perform some of the methods you’ve tried at home (heat, massage) and will teach you how to self-massage more effectively (good to know for future clogs). They might also try ultrasound, which can break up the clog, and gua sha, a jade tool often used in Chinese medicine. “I tell any patient who has a history of clogged ducts or mastitis to buy a gua sha,” says Dr. Clampett. “At the earliest signs of a clogged duct, I have my patients apply heat to the breast for 10-15 minutes and then scrape the affected area from the edge of the breast toward the nipple with moderate pressure using the gua sha tool.” If any of the methods above are working, the area will soften and the pain will decrease. Once that happens, Clampett advises her clients to breastfeed or pump to hopefully pass the clog. If you start to develop a fever, contact your OBGYN or midwife immediately. They can assess your symptoms and prescribe antibiotics if needed.

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Backed up? Here's How to Get Moving In The Bathroom

Can't remember the last time you pooped? Don't worry, it happens to everyone. Constipation isn't fun but there are better ways to get through it than straining (and potentially hurting) yourself. Here are our tips for how to get past the strain without the pain.

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Physical Therapy and Postpartum Support

Most of us cannot relate to being a real life princess, but when Meghan Markle shared about her postpartum experience in conversation with Oprah, it’s likely that as many as 1 in 8 moms knew exactly what she was going through. Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Drew Barrymore have all opened up about their struggles with postpartum depression, and despite it being a national conversation, more visibility doesn’t mean more action. Let's talk about what can be done to prevent postpartum depression—starting with physical therapy. Physical therapy exercise has been shown to reduce risk of postpartum depression by up to 50% by working to address the risk factors, which include social isolation, difficult physical recovery, traumatic birth, and loss of independence. HOW IT SUPPORTS YOU For pregnant or new moms, there is so much anticipation built up around the arrival of a new baby that there's seemingly no space to talk about when it’s hard. But two things can exist at once: You can be in LOVE with your new baby and also feel tremendous loss, as this entirely new identity means a loss of the old one in many ways. Finding a “new normal,” learning what hurts, what feels good, when to push your body, and when to rest are all part of it. Physical therapy can help smooth this adjustment and also means you don’t have to do it alone. Physical therapy fosters connection Scheduling an appointment with a physical therapist opens the door to connection. At Origin, we are not just a group of practitioners, but a community of moms, too. Connecting with others who have shared experiences is one of the most powerful tools for mental health support. Physical therapy prevents injuries and helps healing Feeling confident day to day is huge, and the impact of physical postpartum recovery can make everyday tasks really daunting. Physical therapy in pregnancy is proven to reduce the risk of birth injury. For example, one‐third of women have urinary incontinence, and studies show that prenatal physical therapy can reduce this risk by up to 62%. And it’s not just preventative: women can come to physical therapy at any time in postpartum and get care for urinary incontinence, pain during sex, breastfeeding related back pain—all things that occupy a great deal of mental space when left untreated. Physical therapy boosts activity, safely The six week postpartum visit when new moms are given the “all clear” for physical activity and for sex can feel like gaslighting—how can it possibly be one size fits all? However, there are benefits to exercise. “A single session of exercise can result in both an increase in positive mood states (eg, feeling positive, more energetic, happy and more refreshed) and a decrease in negative mood states (eg, tension, anxiety, confusion).” Physical therapy helps new moms get the benefits of exercise while moving at their own pace and preventing injury. Postpartum looks different for everyone, but uncertainty (something that’s often universal) has been found by neuroscientists to create high levels of stress—just look at this last year. Rather than focus on what could happen, a physical therapist can help create personalized plans for what is happening. Not only that but they can also help prevent or minimize injury, preparing moms for birth with tools and a safe space for questions. A physical therapist is a guide who can listen to your experience, then make a plan that frees up some mental space so that you can enjoy the precious postpartum moments.