Pelvic floor therapy in Green Park, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause hurt; it can affect your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the field, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and comfort you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to feel like your best you again. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Green Park, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced discomfort and swelling
- Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
- Increased confidence and well-being
Axes Physical Therapy in Green Park, MO specializes in creating customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most safely and successfully. If you are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or wish 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 regain control and assurance 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 bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base for the organs in the pelvic region, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor protects organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping control several everyday functions.
The pelvic floor provides a number of vital functions for the body:
- Helps control your bladder and bowels by giving you control over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and avoids them from prolapsing
- Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
- Supports optimal sexual function
- Provides sturdiness and posture to the core and back
- During pregnancy, expands to accommodate a growing fetus and supports vaginal delivery in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, helping to maintain healthy tissue
Pelvic Floor Anatomy
The pelvic floor muscles stretch 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 passageways or canals 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 mesh of muscles and tissues that constructs a sturdy 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 primary 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 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 maintain your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have crucial roles. They assist in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct times and play a part 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 results in pelvic floor dysfunction.
Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you experience difficulty unwinding and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.
Signs and Symptoms
- Difficulty urinating or having bowel movements
- Feeling like your bowel movements are incomplete
- Leakage of urine or feces
- Frequently feeling the need to use the bathroom
- Feeling like you need 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, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Green Park, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain 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 disappointed, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans customized for you by your Green Park, MO physical therapist, you can regain 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 Green Park, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help improving bladder and bowel control, reduce symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and offer better support for the pelvic organs.
- Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination promotes essential functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
- Pain management — By targeting less resilient or stiffer muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can assist in reducing or eradicating 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 delivery, reducing the likelihood of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and addressing any subsurface issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, orgasm, and general sexual gratification.
- Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By providing information and instructing you in tips you can utilize independently, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and empowers you to maintain a way of life that promotes pelvic floor health.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Green Park, MO who can help you in improving your pelvic health and function. While certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may require operative correction, most patients in Green Park, MO will likely find sustained and significant progress through non-invasive physical therapy techniques.
What Green Park, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Green Park, MO will involve an evaluation of your existing pelvic floor condition. The following sessions will center around implementing your personalized treatment program.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Green Park, MO physical therapist will spend time to understand 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 assess your current condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Green Park, MO may additionally include an internal examination to further assess the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used rather than an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the development of an optimal treatment plan to help 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 Green Park, MO will create a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, techniques, and expected results to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving physical strength and coordination is vital for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Green Park, MO include:
- Kegel exercises to relax and engage the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
- Stretching exercises to loosen tight muscles
- Resistance exercises to develop weak muscles
- Functional training to integrate new muscle patterns into daily activities
The exercises your Green Park, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will differ based on your unique needs, but will all be aimed at rehabilitating your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may initially start with you reclining on your back and progress to sitting 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 working on specific areas of your pelvis. It may include myofascial release (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 makes use of a device to measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to regulate and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they engage and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle integration and command.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to mark off – it also provides you with entry to skilled, research-supported insights that enhance your daily life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:
- Adjustments to your eating habits
- Liquid control
- Proper posture and lifting techniques
- Tactics for addressing constipation
- Further advice for a more wholesome day-to-day life and lifestyle
Complementing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications encourages enhanced pelvic floor function and general well-being.
Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and more alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Green Park, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in providing individualized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Green Park, MO, our practice places our clients at the center and aims to attain favorable patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a sensitive 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 delivering evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We employ 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 interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Green Park, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Green Park, MO area, all committed to achieving your best pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Green Park, 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 Green Park, MO have a sole mission: getting you back to the activities you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it difficult to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your goals. Request an appointment through our website or reach out to the closest location to you to embark on your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Green Park, MO today.
