Pelvic floor therapy in Barretts, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can impact your self-perception and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from returning to a favorite sport, beginning parenthood, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you need to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Barretts, MO can help you with:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Barretts, MO specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they enjoy most securely and successfully. If you are interested in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or desire to book an appointment with one of our physical therapusts, please contact us online today or reach out to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you reclaim command and assurance in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that constitute a supportive net-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 protects organs and your spine from external pressure while helping control several vital functions.

The pelvic floor has several functions and roles:

• Helps control your bladder and bowels by giving you command over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from descending
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports healthy sexual function
• Provides sturdiness and posture to the core and back
• During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, helping to preserve 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 linking 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 web of muscles and tissues that forms a strong foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing sling to maintain 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 poo (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 essential roles. They assist in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct times and contribute in sexual function and pleasure by providing support to 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 have difficulty unwinding and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Difficulty 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
• Sensation of needing to strain waste
• Pelvic pain
• 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 affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Barretts, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to assisting you regain the joy 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, embarrassed, or despairing. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Barretts, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a comfortable life.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The positive outcomes of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Barretts, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help 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 vitals functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less resilient or more rigid muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can aid in lessening or eliminating the discomfort you experience resulting from 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 assist in preparing the pelvic floor for labor, reducing the chance of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with giving birth.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting specific muscles and tackling any subsurface issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, climax, and overall sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan won’t just comprise guided exercises. By offering information and guiding you in methods you can practice on your own, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and enables you to maintain a way of life that promotes pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Barretts, MO who can assist you in enhancing your pelvic well-being and performance. Although certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may require surgical treatment, most individuals in Barretts, MO will likely find sustained and substantial improvement through non-invasive physical therapy methods.

What Barretts, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Barretts, MO will include an evaluation of your current pelvic floor health. The following sessions will emphasize implementing your customized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Barretts, MO physical therapist will take the time to familiarize themselves with you and your symptoms. 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 determine your present condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Barretts, MO may also include an internal examination to more assess the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used instead of an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will assist in recognizing the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the creation of an suitable treatment plan to help you in returning 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 Barretts, MO will design a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific goals, exercises, and expected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to loosen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle movements into everyday activities

The exercises your Barretts, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary based on your particular 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 lying flat on your back and progress to sitting and upright 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 trigger point therapy (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 regulate and harmonize your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they engage and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and relax the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle integration and mastery.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to mark off – it also provides you with entrée to professional, evidence-based insights that improve your day-to-day life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Alterations to your nutrition
• Fluid management
• Appropriate body alignment and lifting techniques
• Approaches for dealing with constipation
• Additional recommendations for a better daily life and lifestyle

Augmenting the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments encourages 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 other alternatives.

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

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

We also embrace the belief in offering evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and advanced technology to inform 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 considering pelvic floor therapy in Barretts, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Barretts, MO area, all committed to achieving your ideal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from living your fullest life. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Barretts, MO have a sole mission: getting you back to the things you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it challenging to get through your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment online or contact the nearest location to you to embark on your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Barretts, MO today.