Pelvic floor therapy in Crystal City, 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 returning to a beloved sport, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and comfort you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you require to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Crystal City, MO can help you achieve:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced discomfort and swelling
- Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
- Increased self-assurance and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Crystal City, MO specializes in designing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they love most safely and effectively. If you are interested in finding out more about pelvic floor therapy or wish to arrange an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or get in touch to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you regain command and confidence 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 base 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 outside pressure while helping control several vital functions.
The pelvic floor has several functions and roles:
- Helps control your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the contraction and relaxing of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from descending
- Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
- Supports optimal 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 lymphatic circulation, contributing 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 joining 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).
Imagine the pelvic floor as a woven network of muscles and tissues that forms a strong base, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from descending down. It works like a supportive sling to uphold 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 assists 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 supports the organs inside your abdomen (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and works to maintain your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have crucial 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 weakened or becomes too tense, it results in pelvic floor dysfunction.
Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you experience 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
- Regularly feeling the urge to use the bathroom
- Sensation of needing to strain waste
- Pelvic aches
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Erectile dysfunction and difficulty 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 affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Crystal City, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to assisting you regain the joy of engaging in the pursuits 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, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans customized for you by your Crystal City, 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, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The benefits of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Crystal City, 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 facilitates 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 sensitive areas, physical therapy can support in diminishing or eliminating the pain 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 aid in readying the pelvic floor for delivery, decreasing the chance of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting specific muscles and dealing with any underlying issues, therapy can enhance sexual excitement, climax, and overall sexual health.
- Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By providing education and instructing you in tips you can try on your own, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and empowers you to maintain a routine that supports pelvic floor health.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Crystal City, MO who can help you in improving your pelvic well-being and function. While certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may require surgical correction, the majority of patients in Crystal City, MO will likely experience lasting and substantial progress through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.
What Crystal City, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Crystal City, MO will comprise an examination of your existing pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your customized treatment plan.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Crystal City, MO physical therapist will spend time to understand you and your symptoms. They will inquire about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will perform a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to assess your current condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Crystal City, MO may also involve an internal examination to better evaluate the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used rather than an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will aid 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 love.
Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises
Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Crystal City, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific goals, exercises, and projected results to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving strength and balance is vital for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Crystal City, MO are:
- Kegel exercises to relax and engage the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to coordinate 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 movements into everyday tasks
The exercises your Crystal City, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary based on your unique situation, 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 begin with you lying down on your back and gradually advance to seated 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 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 measure 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 contract and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle integration and mastery.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to complete – it also offers you entrée to professional, research-supported insights that improve your everyday life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:
- Adjustments to your diet
- Liquid regulation
- Correct posture and lifting techniques
- Tactics for managing constipation
- Further tips for a more wholesome daily life and lifestyle
Augmenting the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications fosters better pelvic floor function and overall well-being.
Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and additional alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Crystal City, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in providing customized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Crystal City, MO, our practice places our clients at the center and strives to obtain positive patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a challenging and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, empathy, and personalized attention.
We also subscribe to the belief in delivering evidence-based and integrative 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 provide a range of other physical therapy services that can enhance your pelvic floor therapy, including:
- Orthopedic rehab
- Sports physical therapy
- Neurological physical therapy
- Geriatric physical therapy
- Pre- or post-surgery rehab
If you are interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Crystal City, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Crystal City, MO area, all committed to achieving your best pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Crystal City, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our committed physio and occupational therapists in Crystal City, MO have a unified mission: returning you to the activities you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your participation in your favorite sport or making it challenging to get through your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your aspirations. Request an appointment through our website or reach out to the closest location to you to commence your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Crystal City, MO today.
