Poppy Physical Therapy

Poppy Physical Therapy Welcome to Poppy Physical Therapy where we specialize in pelvic floor physical therapy.

At Poppy we believe pelvic floor issues should not be tolerated and treat the whole person to meet your goals.

MYTH MONDAYMYTH: The pelvic floor is its own separate system, so if something's off, you only need to work on the pelvic...
09/21/2026

MYTH MONDAY
MYTH: The pelvic floor is its own separate system, so if something's off, you only need to work on the pelvic floor.

TRUTH: Your pelvic floor is part of a team. It works with your diaphragm, deep abdominals, low back muscles, glutes, and hips, and it's constantly adjusting to your breath and movement.

Think of your core as a canister:
🌿 The diaphragm is the lid
🌿 The abdominals wrap the front and sides
🌿 The back muscles (multifidus) support the spine behind
🌿 The pelvic floor is the base

These parts are designed to move together, and breathing is what keeps them coordinated:

INHALE: Your diaphragm drops down, your ribs expand, and pressure in the canister increases. Your pelvic floor responds by gently lengthening and relaxing downward.

EXHALE: Your diaphragm rises, pressure decreases, and your pelvic floor and deep abs naturally engage and lift.

It also happens without you thinking about it. When you cough, laugh, lift a grocery bag, or stand up from a chair, a healthy pelvic floor and deep core activate just before you move, to manage the pressure. Your glutes and inner thigh muscles connect into the pelvic floor too, so tension or weakness in your hips can change how it functions.

When one part isn't doing its job, another takes over. Holding your breath, clenching your glutes, or gripping your abs can leave the pelvic floor overworking or unable to respond when you need it. That can look like leaking, heaviness, pain with intimacy, constipation, or low back and hip pain.

This is why pelvic floor PT looks at how you breathe, move, and manage pressure, not just the muscles you can't see.

09/14/2026

Welcome to Poppy Physical Therapy 🌸

At Poppy, we believe healing happens best when you feel seen, not just treated. Pelvic floor PT can be a deeply personal journey — so we’ve built a space that feels less like a clinical waiting room and more like a warm exhale.

Here, sessions are unhurried. One-on-one, always. We take the time to actually listen — to your story, your goals, your body — before we ever get to a treatment plan. No rushing, no cookie-cutter protocols.

Our space reflects that same care: soft, calming, and private, so you can show up exactly as you are. Because the environment you heal in matters just as much as the care you receive.

This is a space for every body, every stage, every story.

Your pelvic floor isn’t weak. It’s exhausted.If you have EDS, you already know your joints move more than they should — ...
09/03/2026

Your pelvic floor isn’t weak. It’s exhausted.
If you have EDS, you already know your joints move more than they should — but that same connective tissue issue affects your pelvic floor too. The ligaments and fascia that are supposed to help hold everything in place just aren’t as reliable. So your muscles pick up the slack.
The pelvic floor ends up gripping constantly, trying to do a job that isn’t fully its to do, all day, every day — instead of contracting only when it’s actually needed.
Over time, that looks like:
Pelvic, hip, or low back pain with no obvious cause
Pain with s*x or pe*******on
Urinary urgency or a sense of incomplete emptying
Constipation or straining
Muscles that fatigue fast, because they never really get to rest
This is why “just do more Kegels” so often backfires — you’re asking an already-clenched muscle to clench harder. For a lot of EDS bodies, the real starting point is learning to let the pelvic floor fully release again, before asking it to do more.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not broken and you’re not imagining it. Your body has been compensating for a long time. There’s a way to work with that instead of against it.
Save this for later or send it to someone who needs to hear it.

Kegels have a time and a place. They are not needed all the time. 🙃I had a conversation the other day that stuck with me...
08/24/2026

Kegels have a time and a place. They are not needed all the time. 🙃

I had a conversation the other day that stuck with me. Someone mentioned pelvic floor therapy to a friend, and the friend's response was, "Oh, I know how to do kegels!"

I get why people think that. Kegels are the one pelvic floor exercise almost everyone has heard of, so it makes sense that "pelvic floor" and "kegel" get used like they're the same thing. But they're not, and for a lot of people, more kegels are actually the opposite of what they need.

Here's the thing: your pelvic floor isn't just a muscle that needs to get stronger. It's a muscle that needs to know how to contract AND relax, on cue, at the right time. If your pelvic floor is already tight, overactive, or holding tension (which shows up as pain with s*x, urgency, constipation, doing more kegels can make things worse, not better.

That's why pelvic floor PT isn't a kegel-prescription service. It's an assessment. We figure out whether your pelvic floor needs to get stronger, needs to learn to let go, or needs better coordination and timing, and we build a plan around what your body is actually doing.

So next time someone tells you they're seeing a pelvic floor PT, it's probably about a lot more than kegels, or at least I hope so!

Being postpartum is hard. Your body has been through so much, and adjusting to life with a new baby can feel overwhelmin...
08/15/2026

Being postpartum is hard.

Your body has been through so much, and adjusting to life with a new baby can feel overwhelming enough without also dealing with pain, leaking, pelvic pressure, or feeling like your body isn’t working the way you want it to.

You shouldn’t have to wonder, “Can I do this without leaking?”
You shouldn’t have to avoid getting on the floor, picking up your child, running around, or playing because you’re worried about pain or leakage.

You deserve to feel strong.
Strong enough to lift your child.
Strong enough to get down on the floor and play.
Strong enough to chase your kids around without constantly thinking about your symptoms.

Postpartum recovery isn’t about getting your “old body” back. It’s about helping you feel confident and capable in the body you have now.

You don’t have to suffer through postpartum symptoms. And it’s never too late to start working toward feeling better.

Pain during or after s*x can show up as burning, pressure, tightness, deep pelvic pain, or pain with pe*******on.And whi...
08/10/2026

Pain during or after s*x can show up as burning, pressure, tightness, deep pelvic pain, or pain with pe*******on.

And while it may be common, pain with s*x is not “normal.”

There can be many reasons for painful s*x, including:
• Pelvic floor muscle tension
• Scar tissue
• Hormonal changes
• Pregnancy or postpartum changes
• Pelvic pain conditions
• Hip, back, or abdominal issues

Your body is giving you information—and you deserve to understand why.

Pelvic floor physical therapy can help identify the root cause and develop a treatment plan that feels comfortable and individualized to you.

You don’t have to just “push through” the pain.

08/05/2026

Why I Love Tall Kneeling 💪

Tall kneeling might look simple, but don't let it fool you.

By taking your feet and ankles out of the equation, your body has to rely more on your core, glutes, and pelvic floor to keep you upright and stable.

In this position, your body is challenged to:
✨ Maintain balance
✨ Coordinate your diaphragm, core, and pelvic floor
✨ Control your pelvis without compensating through your feet or low back
✨ Build stability that carries over into standing, walking, lifting, and everyday movement

One of the biggest goals in pelvic floor physical therapy isn't just making the pelvic floor stronger—it's helping it work as part of a team. Tall kneeling is a great way to improve that teamwork.

If tall kneeling feels surprisingly difficult or you notice yourself leaning, arching your back, or losing balance, your body may be telling you that there's room to improve your stability and coordination.

Sometimes the simplest exercises reveal the most.

For many people, urinary leakage, pelvic pain, or discomfort after childbirth are treated as an inevitable part of life....
08/03/2026

For many people, urinary leakage, pelvic pain, or discomfort after childbirth are treated as an inevitable part of life. But Emily Tierney Dumont, Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Poppy Physical Therapy in Saratoga Springs, NY, says those symptoms are often signs of treatable pelvic floor dysfunction—not something people simply have to live with.

Read the full article now on our website!

🚫 Myth Monday: "If I'm not leaking, my pelvic floor must be fine."Not necessarily.While urinary leakage is one sign of p...
08/03/2026

🚫 Myth Monday: "If I'm not leaking, my pelvic floor must be fine."

Not necessarily.

While urinary leakage is one sign of pelvic floor dysfunction, it's far from the only one. Your pelvic floor muscles do much more than control your bladder.

Pelvic floor dysfunction can also contribute to:
• Pelvic pain
• Pain with in*******se
• Constipation or difficulty emptying your bowels
• Urinary urgency or frequency
• Low back, hip, or tailbone pain
• A feeling of heaviness or pressure
• Difficulty relaxing your pelvic floor

Sometimes the pelvic floor is too weak, but other times it's too tight, uncoordinated, or working overtime to compensate for other areas of the body.

The absence of leakage doesn't always mean your pelvic floor is functioning well.

If you're experiencing symptoms that don't feel normal, a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation can help identify what's really going on and address the root cause—not just the symptoms.

✨ Your pelvic floor is about so much more than bladder control.

07/29/2026

Most people think about strengthening their pelvic floor—but very few think about how quickly it responds.

Your pelvic floor has to react in a fraction of a second when you:
🏃 Change directions
⚽ Chase your kids
🛝 Jump off a curb
🎾 Play sports
💨 Catch yourself from tripping

If it can't respond quickly enough, you may notice leaking, pelvic pressure, or pain during higher-impact or fast-paced activities.
That's why pelvic floor rehab isn't just about Kegels. It's about helping your entire body—including your feet, hips, core, diaphragm, and pelvic floor—work together to absorb force and react efficiently.

Training quick, controlled movements helps prepare your body for real life, where movement isn't always slow and predictable.
Your pelvic floor doesn't just need strength—it needs timing, coordination, and the ability to respond when life speeds up.

Address

550 Maple Avenue
Saratoga Springs, NY
12866

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

(518)7140574

Website

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