Dr. Julie Sarton

Join us for a new series on GETTING BACK TO BASICS! 🎉✨ Kicking it off with Pelvic Floor Anatomy 101!💡 The Pelvic Floor Muscles (PFMs) are simply amazing and hands down the coolest muscle group in the body!🏆 These are skeletal muscles like every other muscle in your body, but they have several unique properties that set them apart: 🧠Governed by the Autonomic Nervous System – They can become overly active or hypertonic due to a dysregulated nervous system. 💪Close relationship with your pelvic organs – They surround and support them, helping hold them up! ⚖️A key player in body mechanics – Sitting at the crossroads of your body, they absorb forces from the ground up (through the legs) and balance them with forces from the top down (through the spine and trunk). 🔥They change in the presence of inflammation – Think Endometriosis, IC, IBS, IBD, or after any pelvic surgery (hysterectomy, prostatectomy) which can impact them. 🌬️Respond to pressure changes – They’re part of your inner core and react to shifts in abdominal pressure. 🕵️‍♀️“The Great Deceiver” – These muscles can refer pain elsewhere in your body (lower abdomen, hips, coccyx, back, bladder, prostate). Get to know and love these incredible muscles and don't wait for a problem with them to happen to give them the attention they deserve! ❤️ Illustration Credit: Olesia H. . . . #hypertonicpelvicfloor #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #pelvicpain #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloorphysio #pelvicfloorpt #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloorhealth #sijointdysfunction #ibs #interstitialcystitis #endometriosis #tailbonepain #pelvicmafia #pelvichealing

The list goes on… If any of these apply to you, it’s time to consider seeing a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist. Call us today at 714-770-8222 to set up an appointment with one of our skilled PTs. We have helped patients both locally and globally overcome all kinds of pelvic floor dysfunctions. If you are not local to Southern California, we also offer telehealth visits! See the link in our bio to learn more! . . . #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloorpt #pelvicpt #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicpain #pelvichealth #pelvicfloorhealth #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloorphysio #pelviceducation #pelvicmafia #hopeandhealing #sartonpt

Did you know that by treating your foot you can influence your pelvis? 💡💡💡 The foot and the pelvis are connected in 4 ways: 1. THROUGH FASCIA. There’s something called the posterior fascial line. The fascia on the bottom of your foot connects up through the back of your leg & is continuous on up into the pelvic floor. It then travels up the spine to your cranium where it wraps around your head and attaches to the orbit of your eye! This continuous line of fascia goes from head to toe! 2. THROUGH MUSCLE CONNECTIONS. The Achilles tendon is continuous with the calf muscle which crosses over the back of the knee joint. The hamstring also crosses over the back of the knee joint & then crosses over the back of the hip to attach directly on the pelvis. The hamstring directly Influences the pelvic floor due to this attachment onto the ischial tuberosity (or sitting bone). 3. THROUGH NERVES. Did you know that nerves that innervate your pelvis come from the same area of the spine as part of the sciatic nerve that goes down to your foot? 4. VIA THE SENSORY HOMUNCULUS ON THE BRAIN (post coming on this!!). There is a representation of each area on the body on the cortex of your brain. What’s fascinating is the foot and the genitalia sit right next to each other on the homunculus. When one is happy (or angry), the other gets influenced! You can get spill over through a process called smudging and perceive more or less pain in the pelvis by treating the foot!🙌 . . . #pelvicpain #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #fascia #fasciarelease #fascialrelease #fasciatherapy #fascialfitness #pelvis #pelvicfloorpt #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicpt #sartonpt

We love this beautiful 3-D view of what the pelvic floor muscles collectively look like! This amazing graphic reveals how your PFMs do not simply run from front to back, but rather create a bowl like structure that literally connects us hip to hip & sit bone to sit bone as they swing around the vagina/scrotum & the rectum attaching onto the tailbone. They respond to being trained in what is called the transverse plane which includes rotation (more on this later). Remember, you need to make sure that your pelvic floor muscles are lengthened before they are strengthened! 💪 Credit: @sciepro.official . . . #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #pelvichealth #pelvicfloorhealth

We are so excited to join @mypelvicfloormuscles for a live webinar “Pudendal Nerve Palooza 2: Treatment Strategies for Optimal Healing” this Saturday, Feb. 22nd at 1pm EST. Join via the link in bio at @mypfm.academy Donate to the myPFM nonprofit while advancing your pelvic health toolkit by learning with myPFM Academy. How much does it cost? 1. ���$49 individual webinar donation 2. ���$25/mo donation for pro member access (access this webinar plus 200 more) 3. ���Apply for a myPFM Aacdemy scholarship (as a nonprofit, we never want money to be the barrier to people accessing high quality pelvic health education) Perks of joining? ✨There is a live Q&A at the end of the webinar so you can ask the instructor questions in realtime ✨Webinars are recorded if you aren’t able to join live. ✨CEU’s are available (varies based on your location) ✨All donations will receive a charitable contribution receipt Questions? Let us know! We hope to see you there!

💖Valentine’s Giveaway for Your Pelvic Health!💖 We’re teaming up with @fringeheals to give your pelvic floor some love! One lucky winner will receive: ✨A free 30-minute telehealth session with @pelvichealing
✨A red light therapy pelvic wand from @fringeheals How to enter:
 1️⃣ Like this post 2️⃣ Follow @pelvichealing
3️⃣ Follow @fringeheals
4️⃣ Tag up to 5 friends in the comments (each tag = one entry)
🌟 Bonus entry: Share this post to your story and tag us! If you are a private account, screenshot and DM us. Giveaway ends February 28th – winner announced March 3rd. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or associated with Instagram, and is available to U.S. and Canada residents only. Tag your friends and enter now! ⬇️

Part of OUR WHY is helping patients & providers connect the dots when it comes to pelvic floor dysfunction. So often people think about pelvic floor muscular dysfunction being related to bladder, bowel or bedroom problems. And while these are HUGE & deserve so much more attention, we want to shine the light today on other routinely missed presentations of PFM dysfunction. These symptoms often cause patients to run from provider to provider who often don’t understand that the pelvic floor muscles are at the root of their various presentations. Check out the list above and let us know if any of these apply to you. . . . #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #pelvicpain #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloorphysio #pelvicfloorpt #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloorhealth #hypertonicpelvicfloor #sijointdysfunction #urinaryurgency #tailbonepain #pelvicmafia #pelvichealing

Bringing you something from the vault today! Over 15 yrs. ago our own Dr. Julie Sarton authored an illustrative article on how to perform a female comprehensive pelvic floor exam featured in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. This is a great resource, outlining how to assess the superficial, intermediate, and deep layers of the pelvic floor muscles. It additionally highlights the most common signs and symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction at each layer. Want the full article? Drop Pelvic Power in the comments, and we’ll send it your way!🤗 . . . #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #pelvicpain #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloorphysio #pelvicfloorpt #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloorhealth #pelvicmafia #pelvichealing

🔥The 5 Functions of the Pelvic Floor Muscles🔥 Your Pelvic Floor Muscles (PFMs) do WAY MORE than you think! These powerhouse muscles work behind the scenes every single day to keep your body functioning at its best. Let’s break down their 5 key roles: 1️⃣ Support🏗️ – Your PFMs act like a hammock 🏕️, supporting your bladder, uterus (or prostate), and rectum to fight gravity, prevent pelvic organ prolapse and keep everything in place. 2️⃣ Sphincteric Control🚽 – Ever thought about how you hold in urine or stool when there’s no bathroom in sight? That’s your PFMs contracting!💪 And when it’s time to go? They relax to let things flow. 3️⃣ Stability🏋️ – Your PFMs are part of your deep core, working with your abs, back, and diaphragm to stabilize your spine and pelvis. A strong pelvic floor = better posture + less pain! 4️⃣ Sexual Function❤️‍🔥 – These muscles play a big role in arousal, orgasm, and overall pleasure for all genders. Strength and coordination here can enhance sensation and function!😉 5️⃣ Circulation & Lymphatic Flow💨 – Your PFMs help pump blood and fluids through the pelvis, aiding in healing, recovery, and overall pelvic health. When your pelvic floor is too weak, too tight, or uncoordinated, it can lead to issues like leakage, pain, prolapse, and core dysfunction. But don’t worry—we’re here to help you educate on how to reconnect with these essential muscles!💖 💬Drop a 💪 if you’re in for this series and ready to learn more about pelvic floor health! . . . #hypertonicpelvicfloor #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #pelvicpain #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloorphysio #pelvicfloorpt #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloorhealth #sijointdysfunction #ibs #interstitialcystitis #endometriosis #tailbonepain #pelvicmafia #pelvichealing

If you haven’t heard… we are on YouTube!! Click the link in our bio to subscribe to our channel and learn more in depth information from our much longer videos where we take a deeper dive into all things pelvic health. Let us know in the comments which topics you want us to cover over there. We want to hear from you!👇

Hey Pelvic Healers! Happy FriYay! Did you catch our post yesterday on How to do a Sitting Bone Evaluation? If not, go watch it now as today’s post will make a lot more sense! Be gentle as you try the self treatment technique demo’d above! Feel the muscles that surround your sitting bone 1st and if those are tight, please work to release them before mobilizing your sitting bone. If you discover you have too much discomfort to mobilize the bone in a sitting position then start with this technique either reclined in a warm bath or in a standing position. If standing, you can incorporate this release while in the shower with warm water running to help to get blood flow to the surrounding musculature. Know there are a lot of other variations to this technique and ways to treat pain with sitting….this is one of many manual therapy techniques we utilize in our clinic. Each patient receives a customized unique treatment plan based on their eval findings and what the underlying drivers are that are contributing to their pain with sitting. Remember, there is no one size fits all when it comes to pelvic floor therapy Rx! #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicpain

🔍Sneak Peek Into a Sitting Bone Assessment!🔍 When a patient comes in with sitting bone pain, our job as Pelvic Health Therapists isn’t just to treat symptoms—it’s to uncover the true root causes.🧩 💡Muscle and/or nerve irritation is often part of the problem, but we need to go deeper: Why did these structures become irritated in the first place? That’s where pelvic bony structure plays a key role—not just when the patient is lying down, but in the position that provokes their pain. 👀Watch this clip for insight into how we evaluate ischial tuberosities (aka sitting bones) in sitting: ✅Position: Is one pulled toward midline, sitting posteriorly/anteriorly, or misaligned? ✅Mobility: How much movement is available when we apply a spring test? 🔬But this is just one piece of the puzzle—we also correlate findings with fascia, muscles, nerves, the spine, and the entire lower kinetic chain to get the full picture. 🚨Patients: If your pelvic floor therapist is only evaluating you “inside the box”, it’s time to find one who takes a truly integrative approach! 📢Pelvic PTs, OTs, PTAs, COTAs, PT students, & chiros: Want to learn our methodology? Stay tuned! Dr. Sarton will be working with a small group of clinicians for a groundbreaking collaborative program—announcement coming soon! 🚀 Let’s ELEVATE how pelvic health is practiced together! 🌍💜 #sitbones #pelvicfloor #pelvicfloormuscles #pelvicpain #pelvichealth #pelvicfloordysfunction #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #pelvicfloortherapy #pelvicfloorpt