Pelvic floor therapy in Glen Carbon, IL. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your self-perception and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from dominating on the basketball court, beginning parenthood, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Glen Carbon, IL can lead to:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced discomfort and inflammation
• Enhanced sexual function and satisfaction
• Increased self-assurance and well-being

Axes Physical Therapy in Glen Carbon, IL specializes in developing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most securely and successfully. If you are curious in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or want to arrange 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 regain control and confidence in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that constitute a supportive web-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 regulate your bladder and bowels by providing you authority over the contraction and release of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from descending
• Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports healthy 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 lymph circulation, contributing to sustain 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 connecting to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have channels 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 mesh of muscles and tissues that constructs a strong base, supporting the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from dropping down. 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 assists 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 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 crucial roles. They aid in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the appropriate 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 leads to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a condition where you experience 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 not fully finished
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Often feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to strain urine or feces
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• 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 can affect anyone, regardless of 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 Glen Carbon, IL. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to assisting you recover the joy of engaging in the activities 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 frustrated, ashamed, or despairing. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Glen Carbon, IL physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a comfortable existence.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can strengthen, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Glen Carbon, IL 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 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 less strong or less flexible muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can support in lessening or eradicating the discomfort you endure 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 preparing the pelvic floor for childbirth, decreasing the chance of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on specific muscles and addressing any underlying issues, therapy can improve sexual arousal, climax, and general sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Your personalized pelvic floor therapy plan will not solely comprise supervised exercises. By providing information and instructing you in tips you can try autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and empowers you to sustain a way of life that promotes pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Glen Carbon, IL who can support you in improving your pelvic health and performance. Although some cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may require operative treatment, the majority of individuals in Glen Carbon, IL will likely find long-lasting and meaningful improvement through non-invasive physical therapy approaches.

What Glen Carbon, IL Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Glen Carbon, IL will involve an examination of your existing pelvic floor health. The following sessions will focus on implementing your tailored treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Glen Carbon, IL physical therapist will dedicate time to get to know you and your symptoms. 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 consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Glen Carbon, IL may additionally include an internal examination to more determine the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed rather than an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will assist in recognizing the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the creation of an effective treatment plan to assist you in resuming the activities you cherish.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Glen Carbon, IL will create a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will include defined goals, exercises, and projected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to loosen 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 develop weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle patterns into routine tasks

The exercises your Glen Carbon, IL physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will differ based on your specific situation, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you lying down on your back and progress to sitting and standing 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 working on specific areas of your pelvis. It may include trigger point therapy (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 learn how to regulate and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they contract and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and release the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle alignment and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to mark off – it also provides you with access to professional, science-backed insights that boost your everyday life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Alterations to your nutrition
• Liquid control
• Appropriate body alignment and lifting techniques
• Tactics for dealing with constipation
• Further tips for a better daily life and lifestyle

Complementing the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications fosters better pelvic floor function and general well-being.

Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may incorporate therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and other alternatives.

Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Glen Carbon, IL

At Axes Physical Therapy, we firmly believe in offering personalized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a dedicated physical therapist in Glen Carbon, IL, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a delicate and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, empathy, and customized attention.

We also subscribe to the belief in providing evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and cutting-edge 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 interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Glen Carbon, IL at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Glen Carbon, IL area, all devoted to achieving your ideal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Glen Carbon, IL Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our devoted physio and occupational therapists in Glen Carbon, IL have a unified mission: getting you back to the activities you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your playing in your favorite sport or making it challenging to manage your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your aspirations. Schedule an appointment through our website or get in touch with the most convenient location to you to start your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Glen Carbon, IL today.