Pelvic floor therapy in Olympian Village, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical pain; it can impact your sense of self and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from getting back to a favorite sport, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and comfort you used to, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you need to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Olympian Village, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and swelling
- Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
- Increased self-assurance and quality of life
Axes Physical Therapy in Olympian Village, MO specializes in creating customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most securely and effectively. If you are curious in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or wish 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 regain command and confidence in your pelvic health.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that constitute a supportive hammock-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 safeguards organs and your spine from external pressure while helping manage several important functions.
The pelvic floor has several functions and roles:
- Helps control your bladder and bowels by providing you control over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from prolapsing
- Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
- Supports healthy sexual function
- Provides sturdiness and posture to the core and back
- During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and supports vaginal delivery in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymph circulation, contributing to sustain 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 linking 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 web of muscles and tissues that creates a strong foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. 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 keep your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have important roles. They help in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the appropriate times and play a part in sexual function and pleasure by providing support to the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is weakened or becomes too tense, it results in 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
- Challenges 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
- Sensation of needing to strain waste
- Pelvic pain
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- 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, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Olympian Village, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the joy of engaging in the things 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 disappointed, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Olympian Village, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a pain-free life.
Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can strengthen, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The benefits of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Olympian Village, 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 provide better support for the pelvic organs.
- Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination supports essential functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
- Pain management — By targeting weaker or less flexible muscles and addressing trigger points, physical therapy can aid in reducing or eliminating 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 readying the pelvic floor for labor, minimizing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor connected to pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and dealing with any underlying issues, therapy can boost sexual arousal, climax, and general sexual fulfillment.
- Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By providing information and instructing you in methods you can practice at home, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and empowers you to sustain a lifestyle that fosters pelvic floor health.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Olympian Village, MO who can support you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate operative correction, the majority of patients in Olympian Village, MO will likely experience lasting and substantial improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.
What Olympian Village, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Olympian Village, MO will include an evaluation of your current pelvic floor condition. The remaining 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 Olympian Village, MO physical therapist will dedicate time to get to know you and your symptoms. 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 assess your current condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Olympian Village, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to better assess the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be employed as an substitute to 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 creation of an optimal treatment plan to help you in resuming the activities you love.
Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises
Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Olympian Village, MO will design a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include defined goals, techniques, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving muscle strength and coordination is crucial for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Olympian Village, MO are:
- Kegel exercises to loosen and contract the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to coordinate your breath with your pelvic floor motion
- Flexibility exercises to release tight muscles
- Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into everyday tasks
The exercises your Olympian Village, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary based on your unique needs, but will all be aimed at reconditioning 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 seated 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 trigger point therapy (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve mobilization (freeing up compressed nerves), joint mobilizing techniques (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 utilizes a device to gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to manage and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you live feedback on how they tighten and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle alignment and mastery.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to cross off – it also gives you access to expert, science-backed insights that improve your day-to-day life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:
- Adjustments to your nutrition
- Fluid management
- Appropriate body alignment and lifting techniques
- Tactics for managing constipation
- Any other recommendations for a healthier daily life and way of living
Complementing the exercises and techniques utilized in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments encourages enhanced pelvic floor function and general well-being.
Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may involve therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and more alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Olympian Village, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in offering customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Olympian Village, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a sensitive 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 delivering evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to shape 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 considering pelvic floor therapy in Olympian Village, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Olympian Village, MO area, all dedicated to achieving your optimal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Olympian Village, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to impede you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Olympian Village, MO have a unified mission: getting you back to the things you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your participation in your favorite sport or making it demanding to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan specifically to you and your ambitions. Schedule an appointment online or get in touch with the nearest location to you to commence your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Olympian Village, MO today.
