Pelvic floor therapy in Ellisville, 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 getting back to a beloved activity, starting a family, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you need to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Ellisville, MO can lead to:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Ellisville, MO specializes in developing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they love most safely and successfully. If you are curious in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or desire to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or contact 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 create 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 manage several everyday 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 relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from descending
• Resists belly 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 maintain healthy tissue

Pelvic Floor Anatomy

The pelvic floor muscles span 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 channels or passages for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).

Think of the pelvic floor as a woven web of muscles and tissues that forms a resilient foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from dropping down. It works like a reinforcing 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 poo (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 essential roles. They aid in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the correct times and contribute in sexual function and pleasure 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 experience difficulty unwinding and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Difficulty 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
• Feeling like you need to push out 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 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 Ellisville, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you recover the pleasure of participating 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 life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Ellisville, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and experience a comfortable existence.

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 Ellisville, 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 essential 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 painful spots, physical therapy can aid in lessening or eliminating the pain you endure due to pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can aid in readying the pelvic floor for labor, decreasing the risk of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to pregnancy and labor.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on specific muscles and dealing with any hidden issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, climax, and overall sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Your customized pelvic floor therapy plan won’t just comprise supervised exercises. By providing information and guiding you in tips you can utilize at home, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and empowers you to sustain a way of life that supports pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Ellisville, MO who can help you in improving your pelvic health and performance. Although certain instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may require surgical intervention, most patients in Ellisville, MO will likely experience lasting and meaningful progress through less invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Ellisville, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Ellisville, MO will include an examination of your existing pelvic floor condition. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your customized treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Ellisville, MO physical therapist will dedicate time to familiarize themselves with you and your symptoms. They will inquire about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will conduct a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to evaluate your current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Ellisville, MO may also involve an internal examination to further assess the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed as an alternative to an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will assist in recognizing the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and facilitate the development of an optimal treatment plan to assist 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 Ellisville, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, exercises, and anticipated results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to loosen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to build up weak muscles
• Functional training to integrate new muscle movements into daily activities

The exercises your Ellisville, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may begin with you lying down on your back and gradually advance to sitting and standing 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 mobilization (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 gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to manage and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they engage and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to cross off – it also gives you entrée to expert, evidence-based insights that improve your everyday life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:

• Alterations to your nutrition
• Fluid control
• Appropriate posture and safe lifting methods
• Approaches for managing constipation
• Further advice for a better everyday life and way of living

Enhancing the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations fosters enhanced pelvic floor function and general 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 Ellisville, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in offering customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Ellisville, MO, our practice puts our clients at the center and strives to achieve positive patient results. We realize that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a challenging and difficult issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, compassion, and customized attention.

We also embrace the belief in providing evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to shape our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we provide 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 Ellisville, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Ellisville, MO area, all dedicated to realizing your ideal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from leading your fullest life. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Ellisville, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the activities you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your playing in your favorite sport or making it challenging to manage your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment online or get in touch with the closest location to you to start your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Ellisville, MO today.