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Published April 15, 2015 at 12:47 p.m.
Mud season, Vermont’s oh-so-charming fifth season marked by muddy roads and trails, can be a tough time of year for outdoorsy people. Sure, there are still ski turns to be made; snow in the mountains is likely to stick around until June this year. Dirt road, or gravel, cycling is phenomenal these days, too. But hiking, backpacking, trail running, and mountain biking aren't options until the trails dry up.
While this is a tricky time of year to get outside, it’s the perfect time of year to make sure you’re in the best shape to hit the trails once they are open. For me, this means working with a physical therapist on a major trouble spot for many new moms — my weak core.
Pretty shortly after my daughter, Elise, was born five months ago, I began experiencing severe back, hip and neck pain. It turns out that my pelvis was having a really hard time holding everything together: My hip flexors are very tight from cycling, running, and backcountry skiing, plus years of sitting at a desk. My poor posture was being made worse by hunching during nursing, which was throwing off the natural curve of my spine. And my core muscles — or lack thereof — were not balancing out all of this tugging and pulling on my pelvis, which caused major low back pain.
When my pain was at its worst, I could barely lift Elise. I knew I couldn’t let this back pain prevent me from getting outside this summer. I called the physical therapist that helped my partner, Tristan after his knee surgery, Noreen Harrington at Choice Physical Therapy, just one of the many excellent physical therapists in Vermont.
While this is a tricky time of year to get outside, it’s the perfect time of year to make sure you’re in the best shape to hit the trails once they are open. For me, this means working with a physical therapist on a major trouble spot for many new moms — my weak core.
Pretty shortly after my daughter, Elise, was born five months ago, I began experiencing severe back, hip and neck pain. It turns out that my pelvis was having a really hard time holding everything together: My hip flexors are very tight from cycling, running, and backcountry skiing, plus years of sitting at a desk. My poor posture was being made worse by hunching during nursing, which was throwing off the natural curve of my spine. And my core muscles — or lack thereof — were not balancing out all of this tugging and pulling on my pelvis, which caused major low back pain.
When my pain was at its worst, I could barely lift Elise. I knew I couldn’t let this back pain prevent me from getting outside this summer. I called the physical therapist that helped my partner, Tristan after his knee surgery, Noreen Harrington at Choice Physical Therapy, just one of the many excellent physical therapists in Vermont.
This article was originally published in Seven Days' monthly parenting magazine, Kids VT.
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