Pelvic floor therapy in St. Ann, 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 returning to a favorite sport, 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 need to feel like your best you again. With research-supported treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in St. Ann, MO can lead to:
- Improved bladder and bowel control
- Reduced discomfort and swelling
- Enhanced sexual performance and pleasure
- Increased confidence and well-being
Axes Physical Therapy in St. Ann, MO specializes in designing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the activities they enjoy most securely and successfully. If you are interested in learning more about pelvic floor therapy or desire to book an appointment with one of our specialists, please contact us online today or contact to the Axes location nearest you. We’re here to help you restore command and confidence in your pelvic health.
How the Pelvic Floor Works
The pelvic floor is a complex of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that constitute 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 external pressure while helping manage several basic functions.
The pelvic floor has numerous functions and roles:
- Helps control your bladder and bowels by giving 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, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and supports vaginal delivery in childbirth
- Assists in blood and lymph 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 joining to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have openings or canals 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 network of muscles and tissues that constructs a strong foundation, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. It works like a reinforcing sling to preserve 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 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 essential roles. They assist in controlling the release of urine and stool by tightening and relaxing at the correct times and play a part in sexual function and pleasure by supporting the organs involved in sexual activity. When the pelvic floor is diminished or becomes too tense, it results in pelvic floor dysfunction.
Causes, Signs, and Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when you experience difficulty unwinding and aligning your pelvic floor muscles for optimal 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 push out waste
- Pelvic discomfort
- 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 can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical ability. While it can affect anyone deeply, there is hope with professional physical therapy in St. Ann, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team committed to helping you regain the pleasure of engaging in the things 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, ashamed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is not the same thing as a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans tailored for you by your St. Ann, MO physical therapist, you can reclaim 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 positive outcomes of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in St. Ann, MO include:
- Improved pelvic floor muscle strength — Strengthening pelvic floor muscles can help 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 trigger points, physical therapy can assist in lessening or eliminating the discomfort you feel due to pelvic floor dysfunction.
- Pre- and postpartum care — Pelvic floor therapy is frequently advised during pregnancy and following childbirth. It can aid in readying the pelvic floor for childbirth, reducing the likelihood of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and promoting recuperation from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with giving birth.
- Sexual health improvement — By targeting particular muscles and tackling any underlying issues, therapy can boost sexual arousal, climax, and general sexual health.
- Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By offering education and teaching you techniques you can try on your own, your Axes physical therapist helps you actively participate in your own care and empowers you to sustain a lifestyle that promotes pelvic floor wellness.
At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in St. Ann, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic health and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate surgical treatment, the majority of patients in St. Ann, MO will likely experience sustained and significant improvement through minimally invasive physical therapy approaches.
What St. Ann, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves
Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in St. Ann, MO will involve an assessment of your current pelvic floor health. The remaining sessions will center around implementing your tailored treatment program.
Assessment and Evaluation
The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. During this phase, your St. Ann, MO physical therapist will spend time to understand you and your symptoms. 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 present condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in St. Ann, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to better assess the strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be used instead of an internal examination.
The assessment and evaluation conducted by your physical therapist will aid in identifying the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and facilitate the formulation of an suitable treatment plan to assist you in resuming the activities you cherish.
Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises
Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in St. Ann, MO will develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will include precise goals, techniques, and anticipated outcomes to guide your therapy.
Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy
Improving physical strength and coordination is crucial for any pelvic floor therapy plan. Exercises that may be included in your physical therapy treatment plan in St. Ann, MO include:
- Kegel exercises to relax and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
- Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor motion
- Flexibility exercises to loosen tight muscles
- Strengthening exercises to strengthen weak muscles
- Functional training to integrate new muscle movements into daily tasks
The exercises your St. Ann, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will vary based on your specific situation, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your current health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may commence with you reclining on your back and progress 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 manipulating 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 employs a device to measure and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you understand how to regulate and harmonize your pelvic floor muscles by giving you instant feedback on how they tighten and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to engage and release the muscles properly, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.
Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications
Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to complete – it also provides you with access to professional, science-backed insights that improve your daily life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:
- Alterations to your eating habits
- Fluid management
- Proper posture and lifting techniques
- Approaches for managing constipation
- Further advice for a better day-to-day life and way of living
Complementing the exercises and techniques employed in pelvic floor therapy with these modifications encourages enhanced pelvic floor function and overall well-being.
Other pelvic floor therapy techniques may include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and other alternatives.
Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in St. Ann, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy, we strongly believe in offering individualized and compassionate treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in St. Ann, MO, our practice places our clients at the center and endeavors to obtain positive 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 greatest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.
We also hold the belief in delivering evidence-based and integrative care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and advanced technology to guide 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 interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in St. Ann, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the St. Ann, MO area, all committed to achieving your optimal pelvic health.
Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your St. Ann, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today
Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to impede you from living your best life. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in St. Ann, MO have a unified mission: getting you back to the activities you value the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your participation in your favorite sport or making it challenging to navigate your day, we will tailor our physical therapy treatment plan precisely to you and your goals. Request an appointment through our website or contact the nearest location to you to start your path with Axes Physical Therapy in St. Ann, MO today.
