Pelvic floor therapy in Beaufort, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can impact your self-esteem and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the field, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same confidence and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you need to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Beaufort, MO can help you achieve:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Beaufort, MO specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they love most safely and successfully. If you are curious in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or want to arrange 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 restore command and assurance in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and tissues 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 safeguards organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping manage several everyday functions.

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

• Helps regulate 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 healthy sexual function
• Provides stability and posture 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 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 web of muscles and tissues that forms a strong 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 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 helps you to hold in your feces (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 sustains the organs inside your lower belly (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and works to keep your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have essential roles. They help in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the right times and play a part in sexual function and pleasure by providing support to 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 is a condition where you experience difficulty unwinding and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for ideal 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
• Sensation of needing to force out urine or feces
• Pelvic aches
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• 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 affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Beaufort, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated 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 despairing. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans customized for you by your Beaufort, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and experience a pain-free 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 Beaufort, 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 offer better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination promotes vitals functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less strong or more rigid muscles and addressing painful spots, physical therapy can support in reducing or eliminating the pain you endure 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 preparing the pelvic floor for delivery, reducing the risk of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on specific muscles and tackling any underlying issues, therapy can boost sexual excitement, climax, and overall sexual gratification.
• 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 take an active role in your own care and enables you to sustain a routine that supports pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Beaufort, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. While some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may require operative treatment, most individuals in Beaufort, MO will likely experience long-lasting and significant progress through non-invasive physical therapy methods.

What Beaufort, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Beaufort, MO will involve an assessment of your current pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your customized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. In this appointment, your Beaufort, 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 evaluate your current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Beaufort, MO may additionally include an internal examination to more assess the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be utilized as an alternative to an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation conducted by your physical therapist will help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the development of an effective treatment plan to assist you in returning 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 Beaufort, MO will design a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, techniques, and expected outcomes 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 Beaufort, MO are:

• Kegel exercises to release and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• 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 Beaufort, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your specific needs, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you lying down on your back and progress to sitting 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 trigger point therapy (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 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 control and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you real-time feedback on how they engage and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and relax the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle integration and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to cross off – it also gives you entrée to skilled, research-supported insights that improve your day-to-day life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Alterations to your eating habits
• Fluid control
• Proper posture and lifting techniques
• Tactics for dealing with constipation
• Additional advice for a better day-to-day life and lifestyle

Complementing the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications encourages better pelvic floor function and overall well-being.

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in delivering personalized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Beaufort, MO, our practice places our clients at the center and strives to achieve positive patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a delicate and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, empathy, and customized attention.

We also hold the belief in offering evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to guide 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 Beaufort, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Beaufort, MO area, all dedicated to attaining your ideal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Beaufort, 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 physical and occupational therapists in Beaufort, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the things you value the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your participation in your favorite sport or making it demanding to manage your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan precisely to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment through our website or contact the nearest location to you to commence your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Beaufort, MO today.