Pelvic floor therapy in Manchester, 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 dominating on the basketball court, beginning parenthood, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Manchester, MO can help you achieve:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Manchester, MO specializes in developing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are curious in finding out more about pelvic floor therapy or wish to arrange an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or contact 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 a complex of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that constitute a supportive web-like structure at the bottom 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 protects 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 command over the contraction 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 alignment 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 extend from the tailbone at the back to the pubic bone at the front, while also linking to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have passageways 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 network of muscles and tissues that constructs a strong base, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from descending down. It works like a reinforcing sling to preserve 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 helps you to hold in your poo (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 helps to maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have essential roles. They assist in controlling the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct 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 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 optimal 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 need to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to push out waste
• Pelvic pain
• 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 affect anyone deeply, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Manchester, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to assisting you recover the joy 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, embarrassed, or despairing. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Manchester, 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 Manchester, 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 facilitates vitals functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less strong or more rigid muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can aid in lessening or eliminating the discomfort you experience due to 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 labor, minimizing the risk of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting specific muscles and addressing any underlying issues, therapy can improve sexual arousal, orgasm, and overall sexual satisfaction.
• Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan won’t exclusively include supervised exercises. By offering information and teaching you approaches you can try autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and enables you to sustain a way of life that fosters pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Manchester, MO who can help you in boosting your pelvic well-being and function. Although certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction might require surgical intervention, the majority of patients in Manchester, MO will likely experience sustained and significant progress through less invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Manchester, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Manchester, MO will comprise an evaluation of your current pelvic floor condition. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your customized treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Manchester, MO physical therapist will spend time to familiarize themselves with you and your symptoms. They will inquire about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will perform a physical examination and musculoskeletal assessment of your trunk and pelvis to evaluate your present condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Manchester, MO may also involve an internal examination to further evaluate the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be utilized rather than an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will aid in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and facilitate the creation of an suitable treatment plan to assist 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 Manchester, MO will create a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific goals, techniques, and anticipated results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to release and contract the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle actions into daily tasks

The exercises your Manchester, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change 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 commence with you reclining on your back and gradually advance 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 myofascial release (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve decompression (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 utilizes a device to measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to manage and harmonize your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they tighten and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle integration and mastery.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a list of exercises to mark off – it also provides you with entry to skilled, evidence-based insights that boost your day-to-day life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Adjustments to your nutrition
• Fluid management
• Correct body alignment and lifting techniques
• Strategies for managing constipation
• Additional tips for a better daily life and lifestyle

Augmenting the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications promotes better 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 Manchester, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in providing customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Manchester, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive 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 highest respect, empathy, and personalized attention.

We also embrace the belief in providing evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and advanced technology to guide our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we provide 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 Manchester, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Manchester, MO area, all dedicated to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to hinder you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our devoted physio and occupational therapists in Manchester, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the things you treasure the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it demanding to manage your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your ambitions. Request an appointment online or reach out to the most convenient location to you to embark on your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Manchester, MO today.