Pelvic floor therapy in Clover Bottom, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can affect your self-perception and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the field, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease you used to, 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 Clover Bottom, MO can help you achieve:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Clover Bottom, MO specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or want to schedule an appointment with one of our experts, please contact us online today or reach out 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 group of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that constitute a supportive net-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 shields organs and your spine from external pressure while helping manage several vital functions.

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

• Helps manage your bladder and bowels by giving you command over the contraction and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from descending
• Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports well-functioning 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 lymphatic circulation, helping to sustain 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 openings 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 resilient base, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing sling to uphold 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 assists you to hold in your stool (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 abdomen (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and helps to keep your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have essential roles. They aid in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the correct times and play a part in sexual function and pleasure by supporting the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is weakened 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 coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Challenges urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Often feeling the urge to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to push out waste
• Pelvic aches
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Erectile dysfunction and trouble 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 Clover Bottom, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the pleasure of participating 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 frustrated, ashamed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and enjoy a comfortable existence.

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

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can aid in 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 supports essential functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less resilient or stiffer muscles and addressing painful spots, physical therapy can support in reducing or eradicating the pain you experience 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 assist in preparing the pelvic floor for labor, minimizing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By concentrating on particular muscles and dealing with any subsurface issues, therapy can improve sexual excitement, orgasm, and overall sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By providing information and instructing you in methods you can utilize 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 supports pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Clover Bottom, MO who can support you in improving your pelvic well-being and performance. Although certain instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate operative treatment, the majority of patients in Clover Bottom, MO will likely experience long-lasting and significant improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Clover Bottom, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Clover Bottom, MO will include an evaluation 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 Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist will spend 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 approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Clover Bottom, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to further determine 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 determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the development of an suitable treatment plan to help you in getting back to the activities you cherish.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

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

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to relax and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Stretching exercises to release tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to incorporate new muscle movements into routine activities

The exercises your Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary based on your unique needs, but will all be aimed at rehabilitating your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence 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, involves your physical therapist using their hands to put pressure on and massage specific areas of your pelvis. It may include myofascial release (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve release (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 utilizes a device to measure 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 live feedback on how they engage and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle alignment and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to cross off – it also offers you entry to expert, evidence-based insights that enhance your daily life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:

• Changes to your diet
• Liquid control
• Appropriate body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Approaches for dealing with constipation
• Any other tips for a healthier daily life and way of living

Augmenting the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications encourages improved 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 Clover Bottom, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in providing personalized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Clover Bottom, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a challenging and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, empathy, and customized attention.

We also subscribe to the belief in offering evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We make use of up-to-date research and advanced technology to guide our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we present 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 Clover Bottom, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Clover Bottom, MO area, all devoted to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Clover Bottom, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from leading your best life. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Clover Bottom, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the activities you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it demanding to navigate your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your ambitions. Request an appointment online or reach out to the most convenient location to you to start your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Clover Bottom, MO today.