Pelvic floor therapy in Saint Paul, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can impact your self-esteem and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from returning to a favorite sport, beginning parenthood, or just navigating a day with the same assurance and ease as before, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you need to regain your lifestyle. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Saint Paul, MO can lead to:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Saint Paul, MO specializes in designing customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they love most safely and successfully. 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 reclaim control and assurance in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that constitute a supportive hammock-like structure at the base of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a foundation for the organs in the pelvic area, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor safeguards organs and your spine from external pressure while helping control several everyday functions.

The pelvic floor has several functions and roles:

• Helps control your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the contraction and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and avoids them from prolapsing
• Resists abdominal pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports optimal sexual function
• Provides stability and alignment 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, helping to maintain 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 passageways or passages 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, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from dropping down. It works like a supportive sling to uphold 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 supports 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 maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have essential roles. They assist in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the correct times and contribute in sexual function and pleasure by providing support to the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is compromised 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 relaxing and coordinating 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
• Frequently feeling the urge to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to push out 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 can affect anyone, regardless of 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 Saint Paul, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you regain the joy of engaging in the pursuits 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 far from a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your Saint Paul, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a pain-free existence.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can build strength in, stretch, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Saint Paul, MO include:

• Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help improving bladder and bowel control, reduce symptoms of urinary and fecal incontinence, and provide better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination promotes vitals functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less strong or stiffer muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can support in lessening or eliminating the pain you experience due to 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 aid in readying the pelvic floor for labor, minimizing the chance of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to giving birth.
• Sexual health improvement — By concentrating on specific muscles and dealing with any underlying issues, therapy can enhance sexual excitement, climax, and overall sexual fulfillment.
• Education and self-management — Your tailored pelvic floor therapy plan will not just consist of monitored exercises. By providing education and teaching you approaches 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 supports pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Saint Paul, MO who can help you in improving your pelvic well-being and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might require operative intervention, most patients in Saint Paul, MO will likely find lasting and substantial improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy approaches.

What Saint Paul, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Saint Paul, MO will include an examination of your existing pelvic floor condition. The following sessions will emphasize implementing your personalized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. In this appointment, your Saint Paul, MO physical therapist will take the time to understand you and your issues. 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 assess your current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Saint Paul, MO may additionally include an internal examination to better assess the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used rather than 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 formulation of an effective treatment plan to assist 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 Saint Paul, MO will create a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, exercises, and projected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to release and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to sync your breath with your pelvic floor movement
• Stretching exercises to release tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to incorporate new muscle patterns into daily activities

The exercises your Saint Paul, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your particular situation, 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 initially start with you lying down on your back and gradually advance to seated and upright 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 trigger point therapy (releasing tight knots in your muscles), nerve release (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 measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to control and harmonize your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they contract and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and relax the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle coordination and mastery.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

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

• Alterations to your nutrition
• Fluid regulation
• Correct body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Tactics for managing constipation
• Any other advice for a better day-to-day life and way of living

Enhancing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these adjustments fosters 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 Saint Paul, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in delivering personalized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Saint Paul, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting positive patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can pose as a delicate and difficult condition. 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 integrative care to our patients. We utilize 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 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 considering pelvic floor therapy in Saint Paul, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Saint Paul, MO area, all committed to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Saint Paul, 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 physical and occupational therapists in Saint Paul, MO have a singular mission: returning you to the things you love the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your playing in your favorite sport or making it challenging to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your aspirations. Request an appointment online or get in touch with the nearest location to you to start your rehabilitation with Axes Physical Therapy in Saint Paul, MO today.