Pelvic floor therapy in Lake Tekawitha, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause hurt; it can affect your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the field, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same confidence and comfort you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you need to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Lake Tekawitha, MO can help you experience:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and inflammation
- Enhanced sexual function and satisfaction
- Increased self-assurance and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Lake Tekawitha, MO specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they love most securely and successfully. If you are interested in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or wish 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 restore control and confidence in your pelvic health.
How the Pelvic Floor Works
The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that constitute a supportive net-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 safeguards organs and your spine from external pressure while helping control several basic functions.
The pelvic floor provides a number of vital functions for the body:
- Helps manage your bladder and bowels by giving you control over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from descending
- Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
- Supports well-functioning sexual function
- Provides sturdiness and alignment to the core and back
- During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymph circulation, contributing to sustain healthy tissue
Pelvic Floor Anatomy
The pelvic floor muscles stretch from the tailbone at the back to the pubic bone at the front, while also joining to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have openings or canals for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).
Imagine the pelvic floor as a woven mesh of muscles and tissues that forms a strong base, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing sling to maintain 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 sustains the organs inside your lower belly (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 controlling the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the right 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 unwinding and aligning 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 urge to use the bathroom
- Feeling like you need to force out waste
- Pelvic pain
- Pain during sex
- Erectile dysfunction and difficulty 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 Lake Tekawitha, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to assisting you recover the joy of engaging in the activities 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 frustrated, embarrassed, or despairing. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Lake Tekawitha, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a pain-free life.
Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The benefits of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Lake Tekawitha, 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 offer better support for the pelvic organs.
- Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination supports vitals functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
- Pain management — By targeting weaker or more rigid muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can assist in reducing or getting rid of the discomfort 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 assist in preparing the pelvic floor for delivery, reducing the chance of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and dealing with any hidden issues, therapy can improve sexual excitement, climax, and overall sexual health.
- Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By offering information and instructing you in methods you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and empowers you to sustain a way of life that supports pelvic floor wellness.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Lake Tekawitha, MO who can support you in boosting your pelvic well-being and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might require surgical intervention, most patients in Lake Tekawitha, MO will likely find long-lasting and significant improvement through non-invasive physical therapy approaches.
What Lake Tekawitha, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Lake Tekawitha, MO will include an evaluation of your existing pelvic floor health. The following sessions will focus on implementing your tailored treatment program.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. In this appointment, your Lake Tekawitha, MO physical therapist will spend time to familiarize themselves with you and your symptoms. 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 consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Lake Tekawitha, MO may also include an internal examination to further determine the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed rather than an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the formulation of an optimal treatment plan to help you in returning to the activities you cherish.
Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises
Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Lake Tekawitha, MO will design a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific goals, exercises, and projected outcomes to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving strength and balance is essential for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Lake Tekawitha, MO include:
- Kegel exercises to loosen and engage the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor motion
- Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
- Strengthening exercises to build up weak muscles
- Functional training to include new muscle actions into everyday tasks
The exercises your Lake Tekawitha, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your particular situation, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence 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, 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 release (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 makes use of a device to measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to regulate and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they contract and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and relax the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle coordination and mastery.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a list of exercises to cross off – it also offers you entry to skilled, research-supported insights that improve your daily life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:
- Alterations to your nutrition
- Liquid regulation
- Correct posture and lifting techniques
- Tactics for managing constipation
- Further recommendations for a healthier everyday life and lifestyle
Augmenting the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations promotes enhanced pelvic floor function and general well-being.
Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and other alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Lake Tekawitha, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in offering customized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Lake Tekawitha, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting favorable patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a delicate and difficult issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, compassion, and tailored attention.
We also subscribe to the belief in offering evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to shape our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we present 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 Lake Tekawitha, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Lake Tekawitha, MO area, all devoted to realizing your optimal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Lake Tekawitha, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to prevent you from being your favorite version of yourself. At Axes, our committed physio and occupational therapists in Lake Tekawitha, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the activities you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it difficult to navigate your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan precisely to you and your ambitions. Request an appointment through our website or reach out to the most convenient location to you to commence your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Lake Tekawitha, MO today.
