Pelvic floor therapy in Leslie, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical discomfort; it can affect your sense of self and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from returning to a beloved sport, starting a family, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease as before, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Leslie, MO can help you achieve:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced pain and inflammation
• Enhanced sexual performance and pleasure
• Increased self-assurance and well-being

Axes Physical Therapy in Leslie, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are interested in gaining more information 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 reclaim command and confidence 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 bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base for the organs in the pelvic area, 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 has numerous functions and roles:

• Helps control 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 well-functioning 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 preserve vibrant tissue

Pelvic Floor Anatomy

The pelvic floor muscles extend 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 web of muscles and tissues that creates a strong foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing 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 assists you to hold in your poo (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 sustains 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 crucial roles. They assist in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the right times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction by providing support to 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 occurs when you experience difficulty relaxing and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Challenges urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Regularly feeling the urge to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to force out waste
• Pelvic aches
• 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, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Leslie, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the pleasure of participating in the activities you cherish 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 life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Leslie, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and experience a comfortable life.

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 Leslie, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help improving bladder and bowel control, diminish symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and offer better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination promotes essential functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less resilient or more rigid muscles and addressing painful spots, physical therapy can support in reducing or eliminating the discomfort you experience resulting from pelvic floor dysfunction.
• Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can assist in readying the pelvic floor for childbirth, minimizing the likelihood of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with giving birth.
• Sexual health improvement — By concentrating on particular muscles and tackling any hidden issues, therapy can improve sexual excitement, orgasm, and overall sexual health.
• Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan won’t solely consist of supervised exercises. By offering education and teaching you tips you can practice autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and enables you to maintain a lifestyle that promotes pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Leslie, MO who can support you in enhancing your pelvic well-being and performance. While some cases of pelvic floor dysfunction might require surgical intervention, most patients in Leslie, MO will likely find lasting and meaningful progress through less invasive physical therapy methods.

What Leslie, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Leslie, MO will include an examination of your existing pelvic floor condition. The subsequent sessions will emphasize implementing your customized treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your Leslie, MO physical therapist will take the time to understand you and your symptoms. They will ask about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will conduct 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 Leslie, MO may additionally include an internal examination to better assess the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used as an alternative to an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation performed by your physical therapist will aid in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the formulation 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 Leslie, MO will create a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will incorporate defined goals, exercises, and projected outcomes to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

Improving physical strength and balance is crucial for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Leslie, MO include:

• Kegel exercises to loosen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to coordinate your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to build up weak muscles
• Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into daily tasks

The exercises your Leslie, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will differ 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 begin with you lying down on your back and evolve 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 release (freeing up compressed nerves), joint manipulation (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 manage and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they contract and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle integration and mastery.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to complete – it also offers you entry to skilled, science-backed insights that boost your daily life. Your physical therapist may recommend you with:

• Changes to your diet
• Fluid management
• Proper body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Approaches for dealing with constipation
• Any other advice for a better everyday life and way of living

Complementing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations fosters better pelvic floor function and general well-being.

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in providing customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a dedicated physical therapist in Leslie, MO, our practice puts our clients at the center and endeavors to attain beneficial patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a sensitive and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, compassion, and tailored attention.

We also subscribe to the belief in delivering evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We make use of 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 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 Leslie, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Leslie, MO area, all devoted to attaining your ideal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to hinder you from living your most life. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in Leslie, MO have a sole mission: getting you back to the activities you value the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it challenging to navigate your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your ambitions. Request an appointment through our website or contact the closest location to you to start your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Leslie, MO today.