Pelvic floor therapy in Park Hills, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical discomfort; it can impact your self-esteem and happiness. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from getting back to a beloved sport, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy may be what you require to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Park Hills, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced pain and inflammation
- Enhanced sexual performance and pleasure
- Increased self-assurance and well-being
Axes Physical Therapy in Park Hills, MO specializes in creating personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they enjoy most securely and effectively. If you are curious in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or want to arrange an appointment with one of our experts, please contact us online today or contact to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore control and assurance in your pelvic health.
How the Pelvic Floor Works
The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that form a supportive web-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a foundation for the organs in your pelvis, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor shields 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 manage your bladder and bowels by providing you authority over the squeezing and release of muscles
- Supports organs in the pelvis and prevents 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, expands to accommodate a growing fetus and supports vaginal delivery in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymph circulation, helping 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 joining to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have passageways or canals for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).
Think of the pelvic floor as a woven mesh of muscles and tissues that creates a sturdy base, supporting the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from dropping down. 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 helps 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 works to keep your pelvis stable.
The pelvic floor muscles have essential roles. They help in regulating the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the right times and play a part in sexual function and satisfaction by providing support to the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is diminished 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
- Difficulty urinating or having bowel movements
- Feeling like your bowel movements are not fully finished
- Leakage of urine or feces
- Often feeling the need to use the bathroom
- Sensation of needing to force out waste
- Pelvic aches
- Pain during sex
- Erectile dysfunction and difficulty 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 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 Park Hills, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team dedicated to helping you regain the pleasure of participating 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 disappointed, embarrassed, or despairing. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a life sentence. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Park Hills, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and experience a pain-free existence.
Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can strengthen, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Park Hills, 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 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 assist in diminishing or eliminating the discomfort you endure resulting from pelvic floor dysfunction.
- Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can assist in preparing the pelvic floor for childbirth, reducing the risk of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with pregnancy and labor.
- Sexual health improvement — By focusing on specific muscles and addressing any hidden issues, therapy can enhance sexual arousal, orgasm, and overall sexual fulfillment.
- Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan won’t exclusively consist of supervised exercises. By providing information and instructing you in approaches you can practice 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 fosters pelvic floor health.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Park Hills, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic health and performance. While some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate operative correction, most patients in Park Hills, MO will likely experience lasting and significant improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.
What Park Hills, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Park Hills, MO will involve an examination of your current pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will focus on implementing your personalized treatment program.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your Park Hills, MO physical therapist will dedicate time to understand you and your issues. 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 present condition. With your approval, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Park Hills, MO may additionally include an internal examination to further 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 help in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the development of an optimal treatment plan to help you in getting back to the activities you love.
Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises
Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Park Hills, MO will design a personalized treatment plan customized to your needs. This plan will incorporate specific goals, techniques, and projected results 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 Park Hills, MO include:
- Kegel exercises to loosen and engage the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
- Flexibility exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
- Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to include new muscle actions into routine tasks
The exercises your Park Hills, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your particular needs, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may begin with you lying down on your back and evolve to seated 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 massaging specific areas of your pelvis. It may include myofascial release (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve mobilization (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 learn 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 activate and relax the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to cross off – it also provides you with entrée to expert, evidence-based insights that enhance your daily life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:
- Changes to your diet
- Fluid regulation
- Correct posture and lifting techniques
- Tactics for managing constipation
- Further recommendations for a more wholesome daily life and lifestyle
Augmenting the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations promotes better pelvic floor function and overall well-being.
Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and additional alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Park Hills, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in delivering personalized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Park Hills, MO, our practice puts our clients at the center and aims to obtain favorable patient results. We realize that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a delicate and difficult condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, compassion, and customized attention.
We also subscribe to the belief in offering evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and cutting-edge technology to shape our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we provide 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 Park Hills, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Park Hills, MO area, all devoted to realizing your best pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Park Hills, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our committed physio and occupational therapists in Park Hills, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the things you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it challenging to manage your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment through our website or reach out to the most convenient location to you to start your path with Axes Physical Therapy in Park Hills, MO today.
