Pelvic floor therapy in Knob Lick, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can impact your self-perception and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from getting back to a beloved sport, starting a family, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Knob Lick, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and swelling
- Enhanced sexual function and pleasure
- Increased self-assurance and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Knob Lick, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most securely and effectively. If you are curious in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or want to schedule 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 control and confidence in your pelvic health.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that create a supportive web-like structure at the base of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a foundation for the organs in the pelvic area, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor safeguards organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping control several vital 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 stops them from prolapsing
- Resists abdominal 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 lymph 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 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 creates a sturdy foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from descending down. It works like a supportive sling to uphold 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 stool (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 keep your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have important roles. They assist in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the right times and contribute 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 unwinding and coordinating your pelvic floor muscles for ideal 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 need to use the bathroom
- Feeling like you need to push out urine or feces
- 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 can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical ability. While it can have a negative impact on your physical, mental, and emotional health, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Knob Lick, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you recover the pleasure of participating in the pursuits you treasure 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 not the same thing as a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Knob Lick, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and experience a pain-free existence.
Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Knob Lick, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can aid in 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 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 trigger points, physical therapy can support in reducing or getting rid of the discomfort you experience resulting from 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 assist in readying the pelvic floor for childbirth, reducing the chance of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By focusing on particular muscles and tackling any hidden issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, orgasm, and general sexual fulfillment.
- Education and self-management — Your customized pelvic floor therapy plan will not exclusively include guided exercises. By offering information and guiding you in methods you can practice independently, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and enables you to maintain a lifestyle that promotes pelvic floor wellness.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Knob Lick, MO who can support you in boosting your pelvic health and performance. Although some cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may require operative correction, the majority of patients in Knob Lick, MO will experience long-lasting and meaningful progress through less invasive physical therapy methods.
What Knob Lick, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Knob Lick, MO will include an evaluation of your current pelvic floor condition. The following sessions will focus on implementing your customized treatment program.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Knob Lick, MO physical therapist will take the time to get to know 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 present condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Knob Lick, MO may also include an internal examination to more determine the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used rather than an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation conducted by your physical therapist will assist in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the formulation of an optimal treatment plan to help 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 Knob Lick, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include specific goals, exercises, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving muscle strength and balance is crucial for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Knob Lick, MO are:
- Kegel exercises to relax and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor movement
- Flexibility exercises to release tight muscles
- Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to include new muscle patterns into routine activities
The exercises your Knob Lick, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your particular 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 begin with you lying flat on your back and gradually advance 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 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 employs a device to measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to control and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they contract and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and release the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle coordination and command.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to complete – it also offers you entry to skilled, science-backed insights that boost your daily life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:
- Alterations to your nutrition
- Fluid control
- Proper body alignment and safe lifting methods
- Tactics for addressing constipation
- Further advice for a more wholesome daily life and way of living
Complementing the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations promotes 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 more alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Knob Lick, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in providing customized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Knob Lick, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting beneficial patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a delicate and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, empathy, and tailored attention.
We also embrace the belief in providing evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and state-of-the-art 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 exploring pelvic floor therapy in Knob Lick, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Knob Lick, MO area, all committed to achieving your optimal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Knob Lick, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to impede you from living your best life. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Knob Lick, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the things you treasure the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping 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 aspirations. Schedule an appointment through our website or contact the most convenient location to you to embark on your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Knob Lick, MO today.
