Pelvic floor therapy in Horine, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical discomfort; it can affect your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from returning to a beloved sport, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same assurance and comfort you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you need to regain your lifestyle. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Horine, MO can help you experience:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and swelling
- Enhanced sexual function and satisfaction
- Increased confidence and well-being
Axes Physical Therapy in Horine, MO specializes in creating customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they love most safely and effectively. If you are curious in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or desire to arrange an appointment with one of our experts, please contact us online today or get in touch to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you regain control and confidence in your pelvic health.
How the Pelvic Floor Works
The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that form a supportive hammock-like structure at the base 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 important 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 squeezing and relaxing of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from descending
- Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
- Supports healthy sexual function
- Provides sturdiness and posture to the core and back
- During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, contributing to preserve healthy tissue
Pelvic Floor Anatomy
The pelvic floor muscles extend 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 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 mesh of muscles and tissues that constructs a strong foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from sagging. It works like a supportive sling to maintain 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 maintains the urethra and rectum (pubococcygeus), and one that connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and supports the organs inside your lower belly (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 help in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the correct times and contribute in sexual function and pleasure by supporting the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is weakened or becomes too tense, it results in pelvic floor dysfunction.
Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction is a condition where you have difficulty unwinding and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.
Signs and Symptoms
- Difficulty urinating or having bowel movements
- Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
- Leakage of urine or feces
- Often feeling the urge to use the bathroom
- Sensation of needing to force out urine or feces
- Pelvic aches
- 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 affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Horine, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team devoted 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, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans customized for you by your Horine, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and experience a pain-free existence.
Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Horine, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can assist 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 promotes essential 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 painful spots, physical therapy can support in reducing or eradicating the discomfort you experience caused by 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, decreasing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to childbirth.
- Sexual health improvement — By focusing on particular muscles and tackling any subsurface issues, therapy can boost sexual excitement, climax, and overall sexual satisfaction.
- 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 techniques you can try autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and enables you to sustain a routine that promotes pelvic floor health.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Horine, MO who can support you in enhancing your pelvic well-being and performance. Although certain instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate surgical correction, the majority of individuals in Horine, MO will experience long-lasting and significant progress through minimally invasive physical therapy approaches.
What Horine, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Horine, MO will involve an examination of your current pelvic floor condition. 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. During this phase, your Horine, MO physical therapist will spend 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 present condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Horine, MO may additionally include an internal examination to more evaluate the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed instead of an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will help in recognizing the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the development of an optimal treatment plan to assist 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 Horine, MO will create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific goals, techniques, and projected results to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving muscle strength and coordination is vital for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Horine, MO are:
- Kegel exercises to loosen and engage the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
- Stretching exercises to release tight muscles
- Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into everyday tasks
The exercises your Horine, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your current health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may begin with you lying flat 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 myofascial release (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve decompression (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 real-time feedback on how they engage and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and release the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle integration and command.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to mark off – it also offers you entry to skilled, science-backed insights that boost your everyday life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:
- Adjustments to your nutrition
- Liquid regulation
- Proper body alignment and lifting techniques
- Tactics for addressing constipation
- Additional advice for a healthier day-to-day life and way of living
Complementing the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments fosters improved pelvic floor function and overall 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 Horine, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in providing individualized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a dedicated physical therapist in Horine, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting favorable patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a sensitive and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.
We also hold the belief in providing evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and advanced 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 Horine, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Horine, MO area, all committed to achieving your optimal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Horine, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from living your most life. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in Horine, MO have a sole mission: returning you to the things you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it demanding to get through your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your goals. Request an appointment online or get in touch with the most convenient location to you to embark on your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Horine, MO today.
