Pelvic floor therapy in Arcadia, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can affect your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the field, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same assurance and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you require to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Arcadia, MO can help you with:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced discomfort and swelling
• Enhanced sexual function and satisfaction
• Increased self-assurance and well-being

Axes Physical Therapy in Arcadia, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they enjoy most securely and successfully. If you are curious in finding out more about pelvic floor therapy or want to book an appointment with one of our experts, please contact us online today or contact to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore control and assurance in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that create a supportive web-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base for the organs in your pelvis, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor safeguards organs and your spine from external pressure while helping manage several everyday functions.

The pelvic floor provides a number of vital functions for the body:

• Helps control your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the squeezing and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from prolapsing
• Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports well-functioning sexual function
• Provides support and posture to the core and back
• During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymph circulation, contributing to sustain vibrant tissue

Pelvic Floor Anatomy

The pelvic floor muscles span from the tailbone at the back to the pubic bone at the front, while also joining to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have passageways or passages for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).

Think of the pelvic floor as a woven mesh of muscles and tissues that constructs a resilient foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from dropping down. It works like a reinforcing sling to preserve the position and function of pelvic organs.

The chief muscles of the pelvic floor are called the levator ani and the coccygeus. The levator ani has three parts: one that wraps around the rectum and helps you to hold in your stool (puborectalis), one that connects the front and back bones of your pelvis and supports the urethra and rectum (pubococcygeus), and one that connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and sustains the organs inside your lower belly (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and helps to maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have crucial roles. They aid in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the correct times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction by supporting the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is compromised or becomes too tense, it results in pelvic floor dysfunction.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you have difficulty relaxing and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Trouble urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Often feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to force out urine or feces
• Pelvic discomfort
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Erectile dysfunction and trouble ejaculating
• Organ prolapse

Potential Causes

• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Pelvic surgery or trauma
• Obesity
• Aging
• Menopause
• Chronic constipation or straining
• Chronic coughing or sneezing
• Heavy lifting or high-impact exercise
• Psychological factors like stress or emotional trauma
• Nerve damage
• Surgery

Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just affect people of a single certain age, gender or physical ability. While it can have a negative impact on your physical, mental, and emotional health, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Arcadia, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team devoted to helping you regain the pleasure of engaging in the pursuits you treasure most in life.

How Physical Therapy Can Help With Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

If you are suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction, you may feel disappointed, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Arcadia, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and enjoy a pain-free life.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The benefits of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Arcadia, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can assist in improving bladder and bowel control, diminish symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and offer better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination facilitates essential functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting weaker or stiffer muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can aid in diminishing or getting rid of the discomfort you feel due to pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised for expecting mothers and those who have just given birth. It can aid in readying the pelvic floor for delivery, minimizing the risk of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to pregnancy and labor.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on particular muscles and tackling any underlying issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, orgasm, and overall sexual health.
• Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By offering information and teaching you methods you can utilize at home, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and enables you to sustain a lifestyle that fosters pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Arcadia, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic health and performance. While some cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate operative intervention, the majority of patients in Arcadia, MO will likely find sustained and significant improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy approaches.

What Arcadia, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Arcadia, MO will involve an examination of your existing pelvic floor condition. The remaining sessions will focus on implementing your tailored treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Arcadia, MO physical therapist will spend time to familiarize themselves with you and your symptoms. They will ask about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will perform a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to assess your present condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Arcadia, MO may also include an internal examination to further evaluate the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be utilized as an substitute to an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the creation of an effective treatment plan to help you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Arcadia, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, techniques, and projected outcomes to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

Improving strength and coordination is essential for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Arcadia, MO include:

• Kegel exercises to loosen and contract the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Stretching exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle patterns into routine activities

The exercises your Arcadia, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your particular needs, but will all be aimed at rehabilitating your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may begin with you lying down on your back and evolve to seated and standing positions.

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy, such as instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, is a hands-on technique that involves your physical therapist applying pressure or working on specific areas of your pelvis. It may include myofascial release (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve mobilization (freeing up compressed nerves), joint mobilizing techniques (improving the mobility of your joints), deep tissue massage (relaxing tense muscles), or skin mobilization (lifting and rolling the skin to reduce adhesions).

Biofeedback Training

Biofeedback training utilizes a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to control and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they tighten and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and relax the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to complete – it also provides you with access to skilled, research-supported insights that boost your daily life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Alterations to your nutrition
• Fluid management
• Correct body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Tactics for addressing constipation
• Any other advice for a more wholesome everyday life and lifestyle

Enhancing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications promotes enhanced pelvic floor function and general well-being.

Other methods in pelvic floor therapy may incorporate therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and other alternatives.

Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Arcadia, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we firmly believe in delivering individualized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Arcadia, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting beneficial patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a delicate and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, compassion, and customized attention.

We also subscribe to the belief in delivering evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and state-of-the-art technology to inform our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we offer a range of other physical therapy services that can complement your pelvic floor therapy, including:

• Orthopedic rehab
• Sports physical therapy
• Neurological physical therapy
• Geriatric physical therapy
• Pre- or post-surgery rehab

If you are exploring pelvic floor therapy in Arcadia, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Arcadia, MO area, all dedicated to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Arcadia, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from leading your most life. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Arcadia, MO have a unified mission: getting you back to the things you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it challenging to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your goals. Request an appointment online or get in touch with the most convenient location to you to commence your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Arcadia, MO today.