Pelvic floor therapy in Desloge, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the basketball court, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you need to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Desloge, MO can help you experience:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced pain and swelling
• Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
• Increased self-assurance and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in Desloge, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are curious in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or desire to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or reach out to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore control and confidence in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that constitute a supportive net-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 control several vital functions.

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

• Helps manage your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the contraction and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from prolapsing
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports healthy sexual function
• Provides stability and alignment to the core and back
• During pregnancy, expands 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 span 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 network of muscles and tissues that forms a strong base, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from sagging. It works like a supportive sling to preserve 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 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 crucial roles. They help in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting 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 leads to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you have difficulty relaxing and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Challenges 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 waste
• Pelvic aches
• Pain during sex
• 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 can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical ability. While it can affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Desloge, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you recover the joy of engaging in the activities 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 customized for you by your Desloge, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and enjoy a comfortable life.

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 Desloge, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can aid in improving bladder and bowel control, reduce symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and provide better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination supports vitals functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less strong or less flexible muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can support in lessening or eradicating the discomfort you experience caused by 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 labor, reducing the chance of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By concentrating on specific muscles and addressing any underlying issues, therapy can enhance 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 education and guiding you in tips you can utilize on your own, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and enables you to sustain a way of life that promotes pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Desloge, MO who can assist you in boosting your pelvic health and function. While certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may require surgical treatment, the majority of patients in Desloge, MO will find lasting and significant improvement through less invasive physical therapy approaches.

What Desloge, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Desloge, MO will include an assessment of your existing pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your personalized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Desloge, MO physical therapist will dedicate time to familiarize themselves with you and your issues. 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 consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Desloge, MO may also involve an internal examination to further assess the muscle 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 support the creation of an optimal treatment plan to help you in returning to the activities you enjoy.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Desloge, MO will design a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will include defined goals, techniques, and projected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to relax and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle patterns into routine tasks

The exercises your Desloge, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will differ based on your particular needs, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may begin with you reclining 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 decompression (freeing up compressed nerves), joint manipulation (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 gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to control and align 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 activate and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle alignment and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

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

• Changes to your eating habits
• Liquid management
• Correct body alignment and lifting techniques
• Tactics for dealing with constipation
• Further recommendations for a more wholesome daily life and way of living

Augmenting the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications fosters better pelvic floor function and general 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 Desloge, MO

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

We also hold the belief in offering evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and state-of-the-art technology to inform 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 interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Desloge, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Desloge, MO area, all dedicated to attaining your ideal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our devoted physical and occupational therapists in Desloge, MO have a sole mission: getting you back to the activities you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it difficult to navigate your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan precisely to you and your aspirations. Request an appointment through our website or contact the closest location to you to commence your rehabilitation with Axes Physical Therapy in Desloge, MO today.