Pelvic floor therapy in Augusta, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from dominating on the field, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same confidence and ease as before, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you need to regain your lifestyle. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Augusta, MO can lead to:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced discomfort and swelling
• Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
• Increased confidence and well-being

Axes Physical Therapy in Augusta, MO specializes in creating personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they love most securely and effectively. If you are interested in finding out more about pelvic floor therapy or want to schedule an appointment with one of our experts, please contact us online today or reach out to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you regain control and assurance in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that form a supportive web-like structure at the base of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base for the organs in the pelvic area, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor safeguards organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping manage several vital functions.

The pelvic floor has numerous functions and roles:

• Helps regulate your bladder and bowels by providing you authority over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from descending
• Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports well-functioning sexual function
• Provides stability and alignment to the core and back
• During pregnancy, expands to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, helping to maintain healthy tissue

Pelvic Floor Anatomy

The pelvic floor muscles extend 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).

Picture the pelvic floor as a woven network of muscles and tissues that constructs a resilient base, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from dropping down. It works like a supportive sling to maintain the position and function of pelvic organs.

The primary 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 assists 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 supports the organs inside your abdomen (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 help in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the appropriate times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction by supporting the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is weakened or becomes too tense, it results in pelvic floor dysfunction.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a condition where 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
• Frequently feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to strain urine or feces
• Pelvic discomfort
• Pain during sex
• Erectile dysfunction and difficulty 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 Augusta, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you recover the pleasure of participating in the activities you cherish most in life.

How Physical Therapy Can Help With Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

If you are suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction, you may feel frustrated, ashamed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans customized for you by your Augusta, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and experience a comfortable life.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can strengthen, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The benefits of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Augusta, 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 provide better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination promotes 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 support in lessening or eradicating the discomfort you endure caused by 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, reducing the chance of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and tackling any hidden issues, therapy can enhance sexual excitement, orgasm, and general 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 approaches you can practice autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and empowers you to maintain a way of life that promotes pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Augusta, MO who can help you in boosting your pelvic health and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate operative treatment, the majority of individuals in Augusta, MO will experience long-lasting and meaningful improvement through less invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Augusta, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Augusta, MO will include an assessment of your existing pelvic floor condition. The following sessions will center around implementing your personalized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your Augusta, MO physical therapist will take the time to familiarize themselves with you and your issues. They will inquire about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will conduct a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to evaluate your present condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Augusta, MO may also include an internal examination to better evaluate the 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 facilitate the creation of an optimal 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 Augusta, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will incorporate defined goals, techniques, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

Improving muscle strength and balance is crucial for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Augusta, MO are:

• Kegel exercises to relax and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into everyday activities

The exercises your Augusta, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may initially start with you lying down on your back and gradually advance to sitting and standing positions.

Manual Therapy

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

Biofeedback Training

Biofeedback training makes use of a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to control and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they tighten and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and release the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle coordination and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to mark off – it also gives you access to expert, science-backed insights that enhance your everyday life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:

• Changes to your eating habits
• Fluid management
• Appropriate posture and safe lifting methods
• Strategies for dealing with constipation
• Any other recommendations for a healthier daily life and lifestyle

Augmenting the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications encourages improved pelvic floor function and overall well-being.

Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may involve therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and more alternatives.

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we firmly believe in offering personalized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Augusta, MO, our practice puts our clients at the center and aims to obtain favorable patient results. We realize that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a sensitive and difficult condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, compassion, and tailored attention.

We also embrace the belief in offering evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to inform our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we present 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 interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Augusta, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Augusta, MO area, all committed to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to impede you from leading your most life. At Axes, our committed physio and occupational therapists in Augusta, MO have a sole mission: returning you to the things you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it demanding to manage your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your aspirations. Request an appointment online or reach out to the nearest location to you to start your rehabilitation with Axes Physical Therapy in Augusta, MO today.