Pelvic floor therapy in Avon, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can impact your self-perception and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from dominating on the basketball court, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same confidence and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Avon, MO can lead to:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Avon, MO specializes in developing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they love most safely and successfully. If you are curious in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or want to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or reach out to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore control and confidence in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that constitute a supportive web-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a foundation for the organs in your pelvis, 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 manage your bladder and bowels by giving you control 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 optimal 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, contributing to preserve vibrant tissue

Pelvic Floor Anatomy

The pelvic floor muscles stretch from the tailbone at the back to the pubic bone at the front, while also linking to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have openings 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 web of muscles and tissues that forms a resilient foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from dropping down. It works like a supportive sling to uphold 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 assists you to hold in your feces (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 lower belly (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and works to maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have crucial roles. They assist in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the appropriate times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction by providing support to the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is diminished or becomes too tense, it leads to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a condition where you experience difficulty unwinding and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Difficulty urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are incomplete
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Often feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to push out waste
• Pelvic discomfort
• Pain during sex
• Erectile dysfunction and difficulty reaching orgasm
• 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, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Avon, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the pleasure of engaging 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 disappointed, ashamed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Avon, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and experience a pain-free existence.

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

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can aid in improving bladder and bowel control, alleviate symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and provide better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination supports vitals functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting weaker or less flexible muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can support in reducing or eliminating the pain you experience due to pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can aid in readying the pelvic floor for labor, decreasing the likelihood 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 concentrating on specific muscles and tackling any hidden issues, therapy can improve sexual excitement, climax, and general sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan won’t solely comprise guided exercises. By offering information and teaching you methods you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and enables you to sustain a routine that fosters pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Avon, MO who can support you in boosting your pelvic health and function. While some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may require surgical intervention, most individuals in Avon, MO will find long-lasting and meaningful improvement through non-invasive physical therapy methods.

What Avon, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Avon, MO will involve an assessment of your current pelvic floor health. The subsequent sessions will emphasize implementing your tailored treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your Avon, MO physical therapist will spend time to understand you and your symptoms. They will inquire about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will perform 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 Avon, MO may also involve an internal examination to better determine the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed as an alternative to an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will assist in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the development of an optimal treatment plan to assist you in getting back to the activities you love.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Avon, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will include defined goals, exercises, and projected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to loosen and contract the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle actions into everyday tasks

The exercises your Avon, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your current health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you lying flat on your back and gradually advance 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 massaging specific areas of your pelvis. It may include myofascial release (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve mobilization (freeing up compressed nerves), joint manipulation (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 employs a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to regulate and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you real-time feedback on how they engage and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and release the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

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

• Adjustments to your eating habits
• Liquid control
• Proper posture and safe lifting methods
• Approaches for dealing with constipation
• Any other advice for a more wholesome daily life and way of living

Augmenting the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations promotes better pelvic floor function and overall well-being.

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in offering individualized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Avon, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting favorable patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a delicate and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.

We also hold the belief in delivering evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We make use of up-to-date research and state-of-the-art technology to guide our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we offer a range of other physical therapy services that can supplement 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 Avon, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Avon, MO area, all dedicated to attaining your ideal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in Avon, MO have a unified mission: returning you to the things you treasure the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it difficult to manage your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your ambitions. Request an appointment through our website or contact the closest location to you to embark on your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Avon, MO today.