Pelvic floor therapy in Chesterfield, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can impact your sense of self and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from dominating on the grass, 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 feel like your best you again. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Chesterfield, MO can lead to:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced pain and swelling
• Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
• Increased confidence and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in Chesterfield, MO specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they enjoy most safely and successfully. If you are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or want to book an appointment with one of our physical therapusts, please contact us online today or get in touch to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore control 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 hammock-like structure at the base 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 outside pressure while helping control several basic functions.

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

• Helps control your bladder and bowels by giving you command over the contraction and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from descending
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports well-functioning sexual function
• Provides sturdiness and posture to the core and back
• During pregnancy, expands to accommodate a growing fetus and supports vaginal delivery in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, helping to preserve vibrant 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 channels or canals for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).

Imagine the pelvic floor as a woven mesh of muscles and tissues that constructs a strong foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from sagging. It works like a supportive sling to uphold 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 maintains the urethra and rectum (pubococcygeus), and one that connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and sustains the organs inside your abdomen (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and works to keep your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have crucial roles. They aid in controlling the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct times and contribute in sexual function and pleasure by supporting 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 occurs when you have difficulty relaxing and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Trouble urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are incomplete
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Regularly feeling the urge to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to force out urine or feces
• Pelvic aches
• Pain during sex
• 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 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 Chesterfield, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you regain the pleasure of engaging in the things you hold dear 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 far from a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Chesterfield, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and enjoy a pain-free life.

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

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can assist 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 promotes essential 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 lessening or eradicating the pain you feel due to pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can assist in readying the pelvic floor for labor, decreasing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with pregnancy and labor.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and dealing with any subsurface issues, therapy can improve sexual arousal, orgasm, and general sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By offering education and teaching you approaches you can try at home, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and empowers you to sustain a routine that supports pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Chesterfield, MO who can assist you in enhancing your pelvic well-being and performance. Although certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate operative intervention, the majority of individuals in Chesterfield, MO will likely experience long-lasting and meaningful progress through non-invasive physical therapy approaches.

What Chesterfield, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Chesterfield, MO will comprise an assessment of your current pelvic floor condition. The subsequent sessions will focus on implementing your personalized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Chesterfield, MO physical therapist will take the time to get to know you and your issues. They will ask about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will perform 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 Chesterfield, MO may additionally include an internal examination to further assess the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used rather than an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the formulation of an optimal treatment plan to help you in resuming the activities you enjoy.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Chesterfield, MO will create a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will incorporate defined goals, techniques, and projected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to release and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Stretching exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to build up weak muscles
• Functional training to integrate new muscle patterns into routine tasks

The exercises your Chesterfield, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at rehabilitating your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your current health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may initially start with you lying flat on your back and evolve 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 massaging 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 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 coordinate 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 release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle integration and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a list of exercises to complete – it also offers you access to professional, evidence-based insights that improve your daily life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:

• Adjustments to your eating habits
• Liquid management
• Appropriate body alignment and lifting techniques
• Tactics for managing constipation
• Additional advice for a healthier daily life and way of living

Enhancing the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments promotes better pelvic floor function and general 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 Chesterfield, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we firmly believe in delivering customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Chesterfield, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a challenging and difficult issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, empathy, and customized attention.

We also subscribe to the belief in providing evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ 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 considering pelvic floor therapy in Chesterfield, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Chesterfield, MO area, all dedicated to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from living your fullest life. At Axes, our committed physical and occupational therapists in Chesterfield, MO have a unified mission: getting you back to the things you value the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping 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 aspirations. Schedule an appointment through our website or reach out to the most convenient location to you to start your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Chesterfield, MO today.