Pelvic floor therapy in Hopewell, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause hurt; it can impact 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 confidence and ease as before, 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 Hopewell, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and inflammation
- Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
- Increased self-assurance and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Hopewell, MO specializes in creating customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or desire to arrange an appointment with one of our physical therapusts, please contact us online today or reach out to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore command and confidence in your pelvic health.
How the Pelvic Floor Works
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that create a supportive hammock-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 regulate your bladder and bowels by giving you authority over the squeezing and release of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and avoids them from descending
- 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 assists in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, contributing to sustain 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 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 web of muscles and tissues that forms a sturdy base, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. 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 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 supports the organs inside your abdomen (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and helps to maintain your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have crucial roles. They aid in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct 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 results in pelvic floor dysfunction.
Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you experience difficulty relaxing 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
- Frequently feeling the need to use the bathroom
- Feeling like you need to strain waste
- Pelvic pain
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Erectile dysfunction and trouble 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 Hopewell, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to assisting you recover the joy of engaging in the things you love 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 Hopewell, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and experience a comfortable existence.
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 Hopewell, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can assist in improving bladder and bowel control, alleviate symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and provide 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 strong or stiffer muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can support in lessening or eradicating the pain you feel caused by pelvic floor dysfunction.
- Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can assist in readying the pelvic floor for childbirth, reducing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and tackling any underlying issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, orgasm, and overall sexual fulfillment.
- Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By offering education and instructing you in approaches you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and enables you to sustain a way of life that supports pelvic floor health.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Hopewell, MO who can help you in improving your pelvic health and performance. While some cases of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate operative intervention, the majority of individuals in Hopewell, MO will find long-lasting and substantial progress through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.
What Hopewell, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Hopewell, MO will comprise an assessment of your existing pelvic floor health. The following sessions will emphasize implementing your tailored treatment plan.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. In this appointment, your Hopewell, MO physical therapist will dedicate time to familiarize themselves with you and your symptoms. They will ask about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will conduct a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to determine your present condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Hopewell, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to better evaluate the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed rather than 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 enable the development of an suitable treatment plan to help you in getting back 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 Hopewell, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will incorporate defined goals, techniques, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving strength and coordination is vital for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Hopewell, MO include:
- Kegel exercises to loosen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
- Stretching exercises to release tight muscles
- Resistance exercises to build up weak muscles
- Functional training to integrate new muscle movements into everyday tasks
The exercises your Hopewell, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your particular situation, 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 lying flat on your back and evolve 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 mobilization (freeing up compressed nerves), joint mobilizing techniques (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 learn how to control and harmonize your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they contract and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and relax the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle integration and command.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to complete – it also gives you entry to skilled, science-backed insights that boost your everyday life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:
- Changes to your eating habits
- Liquid regulation
- Proper posture and lifting techniques
- Tactics for addressing constipation
- Further recommendations for a better everyday life and way of living
Complementing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments fosters improved pelvic floor function and general 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 Hopewell, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in delivering customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a dedicated physical therapist in Hopewell, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting favorable patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a sensitive and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.
We also embrace the belief in providing evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to guide our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we offer 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 exploring pelvic floor therapy in Hopewell, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Hopewell, MO area, all devoted to attaining your ideal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Hopewell, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from leading your most life. At Axes, our devoted physical and occupational therapists in Hopewell, MO have a singular mission: getting you back to the things you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your participation in your favorite sport or making it difficult to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan precisely to you and your aspirations. Schedule an appointment online or reach out to the nearest location to you to embark on your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Hopewell, MO today.