Pelvic floor therapy in Sappington, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your self-perception and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from dominating on the field, beginning parenthood, or just getting through 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 Sappington, MO can help you with:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced pain and inflammation
• Enhanced sexual performance and pleasure
• Increased confidence and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in Sappington, MO specializes in creating customized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most safely and effectively. If you are curious in finding out more about pelvic floor therapy or desire to arrange 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 restore control and assurance in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is the soft tissues and joints that form a supportive net-like structure at the base of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base for the organs in the pelvic region, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor protects organs and your spine from outside pressure while helping control several basic functions.

The pelvic floor has numerous functions and roles:

• Helps manage your bladder and bowels by providing you authority over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and avoids them from descending
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports optimal sexual function
• Provides support 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, contributing 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 channels 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 network of muscles and tissues that creates a resilient base, supporting the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing 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 assists 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 supports the organs inside your abdomen (iliococcygeus). The coccygeus connects the side and back bones of your pelvis and works to keep your pelvis stable.

The pelvic floor muscles have important roles. They help in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the right times and play a part 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 have difficulty unwinding and coordinating 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
• Frequently feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Feeling like you need to force out urine or feces
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during sex
• Erectile dysfunction and trouble 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, there is hope with professional physical therapy in Sappington, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you recover the pleasure of engaging 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 frustrated, ashamed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a life sentence. With practical treatment plans customized for you by your Sappington, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim control over your life and experience a pain-free life.

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 Sappington, 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 offer better support for the pelvic organs.
• Improved pelvic floor muscle coordination — Enhancing coordination facilitates essential functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting weaker or stiffer muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can support in lessening or eradicating the pain you endure resulting from 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 childbirth, decreasing the risk of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to giving birth.
• Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and addressing any underlying issues, therapy can improve sexual arousal, orgasm, and general sexual health.
• Education and self-management — Your customized pelvic floor therapy plan won’t just include guided exercises. By offering education and guiding you in tips you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and empowers you to maintain a routine that fosters pelvic floor health.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of experienced pelvic floor therapists in Sappington, MO who can assist you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. While certain cases of pelvic floor dysfunction may necessitate surgical treatment, the majority of patients in Sappington, MO will find lasting and meaningful improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Sappington, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in Sappington, MO will include an assessment of your existing pelvic floor health. The following sessions will focus on implementing your customized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your Sappington, MO physical therapist will spend time to understand you and your symptoms. They will ask about your medical history, lifestyle, and goals. Additionally, they will conduct 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 Sappington, MO may also include an internal examination to more evaluate the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used as an substitute to an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation carried out by your physical therapist will assist in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and support the formulation of an suitable treatment plan to assist you in getting back 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 Sappington, MO will design a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, exercises, and anticipated results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

Improving muscle strength and coordination is essential for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in Sappington, MO include:

• Kegel exercises to loosen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle patterns into routine activities

The exercises your Sappington, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will be different based on your particular situation, but will all be aimed at reconditioning your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may initially start with you reclining on your back and evolve to seated 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 mobilizing techniques (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 employs 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 live feedback on how they engage and release. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and relax the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle integration and mastery.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to mark off – it also gives you entry to expert, research-supported insights that improve your day-to-day life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Adjustments to your diet
• Liquid regulation
• Appropriate posture and safe lifting methods
• Strategies for managing constipation
• Additional recommendations for a more wholesome daily life and lifestyle

Augmenting the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications fosters better pelvic floor function and general well-being.

Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may incorporate therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and more alternatives.

Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in Sappington, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in offering personalized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in Sappington, MO, our practice is focused on the client and getting favorable patient results. We comprehend that pelvic floor dysfunction can present as a sensitive and demanding condition. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.

We also hold the belief in offering evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and advanced technology to shape 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 considering pelvic floor therapy in Sappington, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Sappington, MO area, all dedicated to attaining your optimal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to hinder you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in Sappington, MO have a singular mission: getting you back to the activities you treasure the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it difficult to get through your day, we will personalize our physical therapy treatment plan precisely to you and your ambitions. Schedule an appointment online or contact the nearest location to you to commence your journey with Axes Physical Therapy in Sappington, MO today.