Pregnant? In Pain? Local Woman Co-Authors Book on How to Have a Mostly Pain-free Pregnancy
Oh, my aching back! Jill Hoefs, Summit, N.J., a physical therapist and a Toms River High School North graduate, had an idea for a book that could help women with problematic pregnancies about the same time she, herself, became pregnant.
“It’s important to know that if you can’t find a comfortable position, everything hurts, and you’re waddling around town, you’re not alone with your pregnancy complaints,” Hoefs said.
Hoefs, MPT (Master of Physical Therapy), wrote Your Best Pregnancy: The Ultimate Guide to Easing the Aches, Pains, and Uncomfortable Side Effects during Each Stage of Your Pregnancy with her colleague, Denise Jagroo, DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy). The 288-page paperback book, published by Demos Health, has just been released and is available through Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
The two physical therapists met in 2008 at a women’s continuing health education class and often discussed the problems their pregnant and postpartum patients were having. “Some ladies couldn’t sit while pregnant because of excruciating tail bone pain; many had low back pain that began while they were pregnant and never subsided; others had foot pain, rib pain and non-stop peeing,” Hoefs said. “The list went on and on.”
“Once we envisioned the idea for this book there was no turning back. Over the next five years we polled our pregnant and post-partum patients to determine their biggest complaints,” said Hoefs, adding that she researched symptoms, treatments and outcomes to help other pregnant women.
Hoefs said about 50 percent of her practice is made up of pregnant and post-partum patients. “Women are often told their symptoms are due to their pregnancies and will subside when they deliver their babies.” But Hoefs doesn’t believe pregnant patients have to live with pain for nine months.
“For example, I had a patient who had horrible pelvis and hip pain that woke her during the night and worsened when she got up or moved quickly.” When the patient asked her obstetrician about physical therapy, he said she could try it but didn’t know if it would help. I realigned her pelvis and gave her a comfortable brace that kept her pelvis in the corrected position. I taught her how to get up and down without pain and made some postural corrections that allowed her to work and sleep without pain,” Hoefs said. “It was super easy to correct.”
Hoefs said she and Jagroo wrote this book because they realize everyone doesn’t have access to a women’s health physical therapist, adding that the book includes easy-to-follow exercises with clear instructions and photographs.
Although Hoefs now works in Summit and New York, she has a deep connection to the Shore. Her parents, Jane and Howard Butensky, are long-time residents of Toms River.
Hoefs, the owner of Body Align Physical Therapy, with offices at 32 Union Square East, 7th floor, New York City; and 308 Broad Street, Summit, New Jersey, is a certified physical therapist with special interests in women’s health, ergonomics, and sports medicine. She is also a licensed instructor in the Tupler Technique, a non-surgical program to help restore the abdominal wall after pregnancy, surgery, or rapid weight gain.
Jagroo, of Staten Island, N.Y., earned her doctoral degree in physical therapy from New York University. She is a specialist in Manual Therapy and is certified in Pelvic Physical Therapy through the American Physical Therapy Association’s Women’s Health Section. She is one of 150 board-certified clinical specialists in Women’s Health Physical Therapy in the country.
About Your Best Pregnancy: The Ultimate Guide to Easing the Aches, Pains, and Uncomfortable Side Effects during Each Stage of Your Pregnancy and author sites:
Book: http://www.amazon.com/Your-Best-Pregnancy-Ultimate-Uncomfortable/dp/1936303612, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/jill-hoefs?keyword=jill+hoefs&store=book.
For more information about co-author Jill Hoefs, visit http://www.bodyalignpt.com/, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Body-Align-Physical-Therapy/179577402058208 or contact her at jill@bodyalignpt.com, or call 646-328-2525.