Pelvic floor therapy in Crescent, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can impact your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from dominating on the grass, starting a family, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you need to feel like your best you again. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Crescent, MO can help you achieve:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and swelling
- Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
- Increased confidence and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Crescent, MO specializes in developing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they enjoy most securely and effectively. If you are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or wish 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 restore command and confidence in your pelvic health.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that form a supportive hammock-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base 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 basic functions.
The pelvic floor provides a number of vital functions for the body:
- Helps control your bladder and bowels by giving you authority over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from prolapsing
- Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
- Supports healthy sexual function
- Provides support and alignment to the core and back
- During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and supports vaginal delivery in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymph 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 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 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 helps you to hold in your feces (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 sustains the organs inside your abdomen (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 help in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the right times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction by providing support to the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is diminished or becomes too tense, it leads to pelvic floor dysfunction.
Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction is a condition where you have difficulty relaxing and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.
Signs and Symptoms
- Challenges urinating or having bowel movements
- Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
- Leakage of urine or feces
- Regularly feeling the need to use the bathroom
- Sensation of needing to strain waste
- Pelvic discomfort
- 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 affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Crescent, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team devoted to assisting you recover the pleasure of engaging in the pursuits you cherish 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 hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Crescent, 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 advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Crescent, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help improving bladder and bowel control, alleviate 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 relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
- Pain management — By targeting weaker or stiffer muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can support in lessening or eliminating the pain you feel 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 labor, decreasing the risk of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By concentrating on specific muscles and addressing any hidden issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, 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 education and teaching you techniques you can practice at home, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and enables you to maintain a routine that supports pelvic floor wellness.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Crescent, MO who can help you in improving your pelvic health and performance. Although certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate operative correction, most patients in Crescent, MO will likely find sustained and meaningful improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.
What Crescent, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Crescent, MO will involve an assessment of your current pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your tailored treatment plan.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Crescent, MO physical therapist will spend time to familiarize themselves with 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 current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Crescent, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to more evaluate the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used as an alternative to an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will help in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the creation 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 Crescent, MO will design a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific 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 Crescent, MO are:
- Kegel exercises to relax 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 strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into routine tasks
The exercises your Crescent, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will differ based on your particular needs, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your current health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you lying down on your back and gradually advance 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 trigger point therapy (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve release (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 employs a device to measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to control and harmonize your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they tighten and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and release the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle coordination and command.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to mark off – it also offers you entry to expert, evidence-based insights that boost your daily life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:
- Changes to your diet
- Fluid management
- Correct posture and lifting techniques
- Approaches for dealing with constipation
- Any other tips for a better daily life and way of living
Complementing the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications fosters 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 more alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Crescent, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we firmly believe in delivering individualized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a dedicated physical therapist in Crescent, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a delicate and difficult issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, empathy, and tailored attention.
We also embrace the belief in providing evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We make use of up-to-date research and advanced technology to shape 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 exploring pelvic floor therapy in Crescent, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Crescent, MO area, all devoted to realizing your ideal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Crescent, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Crescent, MO have a unified mission: returning you to the activities you treasure the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your playing in your favorite sport or making it demanding to manage your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your aspirations. Request an appointment online or contact the nearest location to you to embark on your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Crescent, MO today.
