Amy Archer Physiotherapy

10/09/2023

What a wknd!!!!
1. Birthday fri but kept low key as nervous for GNR 🙈 Although was lucky to have coffee with and lunch with ❤️
2. Mini GNR- first timers, was amazing atmosphere kids loved it!
3. GNR-first one in 13yrs!!! 4 children later also 🙈😂 insanely hot first 6 miles, upset tummy after this wasn’t great 😬 had the best cheerleaders tho!! Thank you and Glenn!!!managed to just get under the 2hours not a PB at 1hr 56 but a lots changed since a 1hr 49 time 🙈
4. Craziest after race!!! Walk to metro felt like the longest mile going! Biblical Rain in the queue, wading through water to get to the stairs, half way up sent back down metros cancelled 😩no alternative option other than to find a pub and have an Ale with
5. Walked another however many miles to get to where the hubby had managed to drive too! 5 hours after finishing race got home 🙈
What a day!!! Definitely won’t forget that for a while 22miles covered 36,751 steps done now time for a wine 🍷😂!!!

Well done to everyone who took part and a massive thanks to all those who volunteered and came out to support!! Also sending love to all those who were affected by the heat and didn’t make it to the end hope they all made it home safe thanks to

09/03/2023

Looking for Mothers Day gift ideas that aren’t the usual chocolates and flowers?

The Mummy Mot is a comprehensive postnatal assessment that can be done from 6 weeks postnatal onwards (no end time limit)
It’s suitable for those who want advice on how their body is recovering after birth, want to return to exercise safely, struggling with incontinence, prolapse, painful in*******se, general aches and pains or tummy muscle seperation.

To purchase a voucher call:07783433461 or email: amyarcherphysiotherapy@outlook.com

02/11/2022

DRA is a separation of the abdominal muscles. Associated with pregnancy and postnatal recovery. But can affect men and athletes! Those with DRA often describe symptoms of a feeling of lack of control in their tummy, lack of back support when lifting, jelly tummy, still feel like they look pregnant, intermittent bloating. For some the gap will resolve at about 8 weeks postnatal for others this can take a lot longer.

DRA can also lead to pelvic floor issues due to a lack of control of core pressure- so symptoms of Incontinence and prolapse can be associated with DRA. Some may also experience lower back pain.

Lots of us will have read all the DONTS for DRA in the past…. Dont do crunches/don’t do planks/don’t lift heavy weights the list goes on!!! What can I do is often a question I get asked?!!!!!!!!

The advice on DRA rehab is changing rapidly & instead of don’t do things we are focusing on what a client can do!!!!

What we know is that:
➡️Rehab needs to be client specific
➡️It needs to be challenging enough to make a change to the abdominal muscles
➡️You need to work ALL of the abdominal muscles
➡️It takes time to see changes
➡️It’s not all about closing the gap in fact when we create tension in the linea alba to control the pressure in our core then this may initially increase the gap!! And that’s not a bad thing 😱
➡️Doming and bulging does not necessarily mean you have to stop a specific exercise you may have to adapt it or may be able to work with it
➡️You may need treatment to your pelvic floor at the same time or before starting your rehab
➡️You will probably need to work on your breathing
➡️A small number of people may need surgery but this is generally a last resort, rehab is always the first port of call

If you think you may have DRA or want an assessment to check for this then I advise making an appointment with a pelvic health/womens health physio for a thorough assessment and detailed treatment plan.

16/09/2022

Wondering whether a Mummy Mot can help you….
It’s a comprehensive assessment and treatment plan which covers the following:

➡️Back/Neck/pelvic pain
➡️Incontinence
➡️Prolapse
➡️Wind control- back passage or front
➡️Tummy muscle separation
➡️Core strength
➡️Generally fitness levels
➡️Lower and upper limb strength
➡️Posture
➡️Scar management- Csection, episiotomy or perineal tears
➡️Return to exercise
➡️Rib position/movement
➡️Painful in*******se
➡️Anxiety associated with returning to in*******se

For more information or to book an appointment call: 07783 433461 or email: amyarcherphysiotherapy@outlook.com

31/08/2022

Sound familiar? It can be hard fitting everything in after having a baby, in between feeds, nappy changes, naps, comforting, sorting the house, sorting food, trying to drink plenty and possibly looking after other children there aren’t many minutes let alone hours left in the day!!!

Remember though a new mum rarely sits still especially one with a toddler or older child in tow!!!

➡️How often do you go up and down the stairs (step ups) to get nappies, find socks, get nappy cream, spare outfit, find the favourite toy the list goes on.

➡️How often do you pick things up off the floor (squat/lunge) the constant tidying of toys or dirty washing, the trail of destruction left by a little one!

➡️How often are you putting your baby in and out of the cot (deadlift). Day naps, night feeds, comforting.

➡️How often are you pacing up and down the hallway rocking your baby to sleep or walking round the block with the buggy or heading down to the park with the other kids (walking)

➡️How many times a day/week are you lifting (bicep/chest/shoulders) a car seat, carrying into the house or shops. Lifting a toddler or baby for cuddles. Carrying shopping bags with or without a baby in a sling, putting shopping away (core/back).

All of the above are examples of exercise. You might not be in your gym kit or in an actual gym but you are still moving your body and using your muscles. All of these functional tasks are a great starting point for then progressing exercise.

It’s important though that postnatally you don’t rush things too, your body needs time to heal, your muscles need to strengthen and lengthen in some areas. Returning to high impact exercise too quickly can cause issues with incontinence, pain or prolapse. If your unsure of how to progress and where your body is at in the healing process then please seek help.

A Mummy Mot is a great place to start to get the advice you need to progress your fitness.

To book a Mummy Mot call: 07783 433461 or email amyarcherphysiotherapy@outlook.com

31/08/2022

Posted • Midwife Marie Louise] P E L V I C F L O O R •
Sometimes you can get birth injuries that are brushed off as ‘normal’ postnatal pain. If you think something is off anytime after birth it probably is and it’s so important to get checked. Birth can be like running a marathon, muscles can get pulled and torn and nerves can be damaged.

Peeing yourself is very common but it's not normal; despite the ads you may see normalising it. You shouldn’t have to put up with incontinence and there’s a lot you can do to both prevent it before and cure it after birth.

In France they have perennial re-education, it's standard care to get referred to a physio therapist and they assess the strength of the pelvic floor and help you recover individually. They see it as essential in caring for new mums. After all, this is an investment in long term perineal health. Which is important for not only normal urinary and bowel function but also s*xual function. Your s*x life matters. I know we don’t offer this on the NHS so if friends or relatives want to buy you something maybe suggest contributing to physio or . How was your postnatal recovery? X
Photo by

➡️ reposted from Midwife Marie Louise] thank you for raising awareness on these postnatal issues ❤️
*xualhealth

18/05/2022

Posted • If I could have a sign on my desk, I think it would be this 🙌🏼 EVERY recovery is different. EVERY body is different. EVERY pregnancy is different. One thing they all have in common is it takes time 💕

YES TO THIS!!!!
How many of us- myself Included with first baby, thought we would reach 6 weeks postnatal, have our GP check and boom be back to prebaby fitness/energy/lifestyle/body shape etc

Your body goes through a huge amount of change during pregnancy both physical and mental. Posture changes affecting back/pelvis/feet, muscle weakness, some muscles shorten some lengthen, for some women pelvic floor weakness for others pelvic floor over activity (tightness). For some birth is traumatic and this leaves physical and emotional scars.

For some yes they will reach 6 weeks and feel great and be healing and recovering well however for others 6 weeks is early days and there is a longer recovery ahead. So don’t panic if you reach 6 weeks and you barely feel any progress at all each postnatal journey is individual and for some takes time.

If you are struggling with incontinence, pain, weakness in your core or don’t know where to start with exercise then seek help from a pelvic health physiotherapist they can assess you fully and advise on a postnatal recovery plan that fits you and not one plan for all.

11/05/2022

Don’t just presume the area of your symptoms is the cause of your symptoms!!

A Physiotherapy assessment should always start with a subjective assessment whereby we ask you a lot of questions about your symptoms- how they started, where they are located, what makes them better or worse, what affect does time of day have on your symptoms, what medical history you have, what medication you take, what your hobbies or occupation is! It can feel like a lot of questions! but this part of the assessment is really important. It’s like a jigsaw we piece the answers together to gain a good picture of what’s going on. By the end of the questioning your therapist should have a pretty good idea of what the cause is and the following objective assessment- looking at your movement, strength, special tests, feeling around the area etc should confirm or deny this.

So sometimes the questioning might not seem that relevant to you but trust me there is always a reason behind what we ask.

Referred symptoms, ie pins and needles, weakness, pain etc, are symptoms that come from one area but present in another for example pins and needles in the hands, elbow pain, sharp shooting pain down the arm or reduced grip strength can all be as a result of an issue with your neck. Pain in the buttock, pain to the outside of the knee or foot, pins and needles in the foot or weakness in the leg may be as a result of a back issue. Hip issues can cause knee pain, neck issues can cause headaches. The list goes on!!

If you have symptoms and your not sure what the cause is what the diagnosis is and don’t know where to start with treatment then see a physiotherapist for further assessment. You can self refer to NHS Physiotherapy in many areas now or seek an assessment/treatment session privately.

14/02/2022

Due to cancellations I have a couple of slots available now for tomorrows clinic. Space available for physio assessment/treatment or Mummy Mot. To book call: 07783 433461 or email: amyarcherphysiotherapy@outlook.com

12/02/2022

The benefits of Pilates for treating lower back pain!

DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD009790.

10/02/2022

Thank you to for raising awareness of the need for postnatal care and waving the flag for ❤️

Posted • Thank you for helping us raise awareness of the importance of a postnatal check! ♀️

A Mummy MOT is a one-hour assessment that checks your posture, functional movement, abdominal and pelvic floor from six weeks after birth.

It is SO important to look after your body after growing a baby.

Please visit our website for more information or DM us.

We have two clinics in London. If you are outside of London we can connect you with a Mummy MOT practitioner in your area.

Please do not suffer. We are here to help you.