Pelvic floor therapy in Saint Paul, MO. Pelvic floor causes more than just physical discomfort; it can impact your sense of self and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the grass, starting a family, or just getting through a day with the same assurance and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you require to feel like your best you again. With evidence-backed 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 creating personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they love most securely and effectively. If you are interested in discovering about pelvic floor therapy or desire to book 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 form a supportive web-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 outside pressure while helping manage several important functions.

The pelvic floor provides a number of vital functions for the body:

• Helps regulate your bladder and bowels by giving you control 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 support 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, contributing to sustain 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 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 mesh of muscles and tissues that constructs a sturdy foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and preventing them from dropping down. It works like a supportive sling to maintain 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 helps you to hold in your stool (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 maintain your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have important roles. They aid in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the appropriate times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction by supporting 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 relaxing and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for ideal function.

Signs and Symptoms

• Trouble urinating or having bowel movements
• Feeling like your bowel movements are incomplete
• Leakage of urine or feces
• Often feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to strain waste
• Pelvic aches
• Pain during sex
• 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, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Saint Paul, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you recover the joy of participating in the pursuits you hold dear 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 not the same thing as a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans customized 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 strengthen, 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 assist 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 promotes essential 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 aid in diminishing or eliminating the discomfort you endure caused by 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 delivery, reducing the likelihood of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to giving birth.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and dealing with any subsurface issues, therapy can boost sexual arousal, climax, and overall sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Your customized pelvic floor therapy plan will not just consist of supervised exercises. By providing information and instructing you in tips you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you take an active role in your own care and empowers you to maintain a way of life that fosters pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of skilled pelvic floor therapists in Saint Paul, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. Although some cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate operative correction, the majority of patients in Saint Paul, MO will find long-lasting and significant improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy methods.

What Saint Paul, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Saint Paul, MO will comprise an evaluation of your current pelvic floor health. The following sessions will emphasize implementing your tailored treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial assessment. During this phase, your Saint Paul, MO physical therapist will spend 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 determine your current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Saint Paul, MO may also include an internal examination to more evaluate the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be utilized as an substitute 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 development of an effective treatment plan to help you in getting back to the activities you enjoy.

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 tailored to your needs. This plan will incorporate precise goals, techniques, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

Improving strength and coordination is vital 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 relax and engage the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to coordinate your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to release tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to develop weak muscles
• Functional training to integrate new muscle actions into routine tasks

The exercises your Saint Paul, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your unique situation, but will all be aimed at rehabilitating your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your existing health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may initially start with you lying flat 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 mobilization (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 makes use of a device to gauge 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 tighten and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and relax the muscles appropriately, optimizing your muscle alignment and control.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a collection of exercises to complete – it also gives you access to skilled, science-backed insights that enhance your everyday life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:

• Alterations to your diet
• Fluid management
• Proper body alignment and safe lifting methods
• Tactics for dealing with constipation
• Further advice for a more wholesome daily life and lifestyle

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in delivering customized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a dedicated physical therapist in Saint Paul, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting beneficial patient results. We realize that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a challenging and demanding issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the utmost respect, compassion, and tailored attention.

We also embrace the belief in providing evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and state-of-the-art technology to shape our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we present 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 interested in trying 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 devoted to achieving your optimal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your Saint Paul, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to impede you from being your favorite version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in Saint Paul, MO have a unified mission: getting you back to the activities you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing your playing in your favorite sport or making it demanding to manage your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your aspirations. Schedule an appointment through our website or reach out to the most convenient location to you to commence your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Saint Paul, MO today.