Pelvic floor therapy in Josephville, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your self-esteem and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from getting back to a favorite activity, beginning parenthood, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease as before, 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 Josephville, MO can lead to:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced discomfort and inflammation
• Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
• Increased self-assurance and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in Josephville, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they love most safely and successfully. If you are curious in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or want to book an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or get in touch to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you reclaim command and assurance in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that create 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 outside 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 giving you control over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents them from descending
• Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports healthy sexual function
• Provides support 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 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 openings or passages 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 network of muscles and tissues that forms a resilient base, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from dropping down. It works like a supportive sling to uphold the position and function of pelvic organs.

The chief 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 maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have essential 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 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 ideal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Difficulty urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are incomplete
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Regularly feeling the urge to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to strain urine or feces
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during sex
• 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 can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical ability. While it can affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Josephville, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the joy of participating 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 disappointed, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Josephville, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a pain-free existence.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The positive outcomes of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Josephville, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can aid in improving bladder and bowel control, alleviate symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and offer 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 resilient or more rigid muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can support in diminishing or eradicating the pain you experience 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 labor, reducing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to giving birth.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on specific muscles and dealing with any subsurface issues, therapy can boost sexual arousal, climax, and overall sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By providing education and teaching you techniques you can practice independently, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and empowers you to maintain a lifestyle that fosters pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Josephville, MO who can support you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate surgical correction, the majority of patients in Josephville, MO will likely find long-lasting and significant improvement through less invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Josephville, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Josephville, MO will include an assessment of your current pelvic floor condition. The remaining sessions will emphasize implementing your tailored treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Josephville, MO physical therapist will spend time to familiarize themselves with you and your issues. 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 current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Josephville, MO may also involve an internal examination to better determine the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed instead of an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation conducted by your physical therapist will help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and facilitate the creation of an suitable treatment plan to help 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 Josephville, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include specific goals, techniques, and expected outcomes 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 Josephville, MO include:

• Kegel exercises to relax and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into daily activities

The exercises your Josephville, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your specific needs, but will all be aimed at rehabilitating your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your current health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you lying flat on your back and progress to sitting and upright 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 trigger point therapy (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve mobilization (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 measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to manage and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles by giving you real-time feedback on how they contract and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and relax the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to cross off – it also offers you access to skilled, evidence-based insights that enhance your daily life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:

• Changes to your eating habits
• Fluid regulation
• Correct body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Strategies for managing constipation
• Further tips for a more wholesome everyday life and way of living

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

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

Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Josephville, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in offering customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Josephville, MO, our practice places our clients at the center and endeavors to attain favorable patient results. We realize that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a challenging and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, compassion, and customized attention.

We also subscribe to the belief in offering evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to inform our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we offer 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 Josephville, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Josephville, MO area, all committed to achieving your best pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Josephville, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from being your favorite version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in Josephville, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the activities you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it challenging to manage your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment online or get in touch with the nearest location to you to commence your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Josephville, MO today.