Pelvic floor therapy in Horine, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical discomfort; it can affect your self-esteem and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from returning to a favorite sport, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you need to regain your lifestyle. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Horine, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced discomfort and inflammation
- Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
- Increased self-assurance and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Horine, MO specializes in creating personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are interested in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or want to book 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 command and assurance in your pelvic health.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that create a supportive net-like structure at the base of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a foundation for the organs in the pelvic region, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor shields organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping manage several basic functions.
The pelvic floor has numerous functions and roles:
- Helps regulate your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the contraction and release of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and stops 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, expands to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, contributing to maintain vibrant tissue
Pelvic Floor Anatomy
The pelvic floor muscles stretch 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 passageways or canals 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 resilient foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from dropping down. It works like a reinforcing sling to uphold 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 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 works to keep your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have crucial roles. They assist in controlling the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the appropriate times and play a part 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 occurs when you experience difficulty unwinding and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for optimal function.
Signs and Symptoms
- Trouble urinating or having bowel movements
- Feeling like your bowel movements are incomplete
- Leakage of urine or feces
- Frequently feeling the urge to use the bathroom
- Feeling like you need to strain waste
- Pelvic aches
- 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 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, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Horine, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you regain the pleasure of participating in the pursuits 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 disappointed, ashamed, or despairing. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans customized for you by your Horine, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and experience a comfortable life.
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 Horine, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help 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 essential functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
- Pain management — By targeting less resilient or less flexible muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can aid in lessening or getting rid of the pain you feel caused by 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 labor, decreasing the risk of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to childbirth.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and tackling any hidden issues, therapy can improve sexual excitement, 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 information and teaching you approaches you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and empowers you to maintain a routine that promotes pelvic floor wellness.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Horine, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. Although certain instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate surgical treatment, most individuals in Horine, MO will experience lasting and meaningful improvement through non-invasive physical therapy methods.
What Horine, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Horine, MO will comprise an examination of your existing pelvic floor condition. The subsequent sessions will focus on implementing your personalized treatment plan.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Horine, MO physical therapist will dedicate 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 determine your current condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Horine, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to further assess the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used rather than an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation conducted by your physical therapist will help in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the formulation of an suitable treatment plan to assist you in resuming 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 customized to your needs. This plan will include defined goals, exercises, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving strength and balance 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 release and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
- Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
- Strengthening exercises to strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to include new muscle movements into daily tasks
The exercises your Horine, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary based on your specific 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 commence with you reclining on your back and gradually advance to seated 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 massaging specific areas of your pelvis. It may include trigger point therapy (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 mobilization (lifting and rolling the skin to reduce adhesions).
Biofeedback Training
Biofeedback training makes use of a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to control and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they tighten and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and relax the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle coordination and mastery.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to cross off – it also gives you entrée to skilled, research-supported insights that enhance your everyday life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:
- Changes to your eating habits
- Liquid regulation
- Proper posture and safe lifting methods
- Approaches for dealing with constipation
- Further recommendations for a healthier daily life and lifestyle
Enhancing the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments promotes improved pelvic floor function and overall 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 Horine, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in providing customized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Horine, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting favorable patient results. We realize 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 customized attention.
We also hold the belief in providing evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and advanced technology to inform 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 Horine, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Horine, MO area, all committed to attaining your best pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Horine, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to hinder you from being your favorite version of yourself. At Axes, our committed physio and occupational therapists in Horine, MO have a unified 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 difficult to manage your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your ambitions. Schedule an appointment through our website or contact the most convenient location to you to commence your rehabilitation with Axes Physical Therapy in Horine, MO today.
