Pelvic floor therapy in Ballwin, 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, starting a family, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and ease as before, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Ballwin, MO can help you with:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced discomfort and inflammation
• Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
• Increased self-assurance and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in Ballwin, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most securely and effectively. If you are curious in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or want to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or contact to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore command and confidence in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that create 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 shields organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping control several important functions.

The pelvic floor has numerous functions and roles:

• Helps regulate your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the contraction and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and avoids them from descending
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports optimal sexual function
• Provides stability and alignment 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 maintain 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 connecting to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have openings or canals 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 creates a strong foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from descending down. It works like a supportive sling to maintain the position and function of pelvic organs.

The main 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 maintains 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 helps to maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have essential roles. They assist in controlling the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct times and play a part in sexual function and satisfaction by supporting the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is diminished 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 experience difficulty relaxing and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Challenges 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
• Feeling like you need to strain urine or feces
• Pelvic aches
• 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 can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical ability. While it can affect anyone deeply, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Ballwin, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the pleasure of participating in the pursuits you love 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 tailored for you by your Ballwin, 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 advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Ballwin, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can aid in improving bladder and bowel control, reduce symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and offer better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination facilitates 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 stiffer muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can aid in reducing or getting rid of the pain you experience caused by pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can aid in preparing the pelvic floor for childbirth, minimizing the likelihood of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and dealing with 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 providing education and teaching you approaches you can try on your own, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and enables you to maintain a way of life that promotes pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Ballwin, MO who can support you in improving your pelvic well-being and function. Although certain instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might require operative correction, the majority of individuals in Ballwin, MO will likely experience lasting and significant progress through minimally invasive physical therapy approaches.

What Ballwin, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Ballwin, MO will include an assessment of your existing pelvic floor health. The subsequent sessions will center around implementing your tailored treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. In this appointment, your Ballwin, MO physical therapist will spend time to get to know you and your issues. 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 assess your current condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Ballwin, MO may additionally include an internal examination to better determine the 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 help in recognizing the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and facilitate the development of an suitable treatment plan to help you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Ballwin, MO will design a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include specific goals, exercises, and expected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to loosen and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Stretching exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to incorporate new muscle movements into everyday tasks

The exercises your Ballwin, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary 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 begin with you reclining on your back and progress to seated 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 trigger point therapy (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve release (freeing up compressed nerves), joint mobilization (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 employs a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to regulate and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they tighten and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and relax the muscles appropriately, 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, evidence-based insights that boost your everyday life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:

• Alterations to your diet
• Fluid regulation
• Appropriate posture and lifting techniques
• Approaches for addressing constipation
• Further tips for a better everyday life and lifestyle

Enhancing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations fosters enhanced pelvic floor function and overall well-being.

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in providing individualized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Ballwin, MO, our practice puts our clients at the center and endeavors to attain positive patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a sensitive and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.

We also hold the belief in providing evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We make use of up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to guide our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we provide 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 Ballwin, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Ballwin, MO area, all committed to achieving your best pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to hinder you from being your favorite version of yourself. At Axes, our committed physio and occupational therapists in Ballwin, MO have a unified mission: returning you to the things you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it difficult to get through your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment online or contact the closest location to you to embark on your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Ballwin, MO today.