Pelvic floor therapy in St. Charles, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your self-esteem and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping you from getting back to a favorite sport, beginning parenthood, 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 St. Charles, MO can lead to:

• Improved bladder and bowel control
• Reduced pain and swelling
• Enhanced sexual performance and satisfaction
• Increased self-assurance and quality of life

Axes Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO specializes in developing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pastimes they love most safely and effectively. If you are curious in gaining more information about pelvic floor therapy or wish to arrange 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 regain control and assurance in your pelvic health.

Understanding the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and tissues 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 outside pressure while helping manage several everyday functions.

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

• Helps regulate your bladder and bowels by providing you authority over the squeezing and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from prolapsing
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports healthy sexual function
• Provides support and alignment to the core and back
• During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymph circulation, helping 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 linking 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).

Picture the pelvic floor as a woven network of muscles and tissues that forms a strong foundation, supporting the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from sagging. It works like a supportive sling to uphold 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 assists 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 sustains 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 aid in regulating the release of urine and stool by contracting and relaxing at the right times and play a part in sexual function and pleasure 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 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
• Regularly feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to force out urine or feces
• Pelvic pain
• 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, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in St. Charles, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team devoted to helping you recover the joy of participating in the activities you cherish most in life.

How Physical Therapy Can Help With Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

If you are suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction, you may feel frustrated, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With pragmatic treatment plans customized for you by your St. Charles, 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, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The advantages of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in St. Charles, 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 supports vitals functioning, such as relaxing and contracting muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less strong or less flexible muscles and addressing painful spots, physical therapy can aid in reducing or eliminating the discomfort you experience 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 childbirth, decreasing the risk of after childbirth pelvic floor dysfunction, and facilitating recovery from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor associated with childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on particular muscles and tackling any hidden issues, therapy can enhance sexual excitement, orgasm, and general sexual satisfaction.
• Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By providing information and instructing you in techniques you can utilize autonomously, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and empowers you to sustain a routine that promotes pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in St. Charles, MO who can help you in enhancing your pelvic well-being and performance. Although certain instances of pelvic floor dysfunction may require operative treatment, the majority of individuals in St. Charles, MO will likely experience sustained and meaningful improvement through non-invasive physical therapy techniques.

What St. Charles, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your first pelvic floor therapy session in St. Charles, MO will include an evaluation of your current pelvic floor health. The following sessions will focus on implementing your tailored treatment plan.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your St. Charles, 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 consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in St. Charles, MO may additionally involve an internal examination to more determine the muscle strength level. Alternatively, biofeedback sensors can be utilized rather than an internal examination.

The assessment and evaluation conducted by your physical therapist will aid in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and enable the formulation 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 St. Charles, MO will design a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs. This plan will include defined goals, techniques, and projected results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to loosen and contract the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to harmonize your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Flexibility exercises to release tight muscles
• Strengthening exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to include new muscle patterns into everyday tasks

The exercises your St. Charles, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your specific 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 reclining on your back and progress 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 mobilization (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 makes use of 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 real-time feedback on how they contract and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to activate and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle coordination and control.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a list of exercises to cross off – it also gives you entry to expert, science-backed insights that improve your everyday life. Your physical therapist may advise you with:

• Alterations to your eating habits
• Liquid management
• Correct body alignment and lifting techniques
• Approaches for addressing constipation
• Additional advice for a more wholesome everyday life and way of living

Complementing the exercises and techniques used in pelvic floor therapy with these adaptations encourages improved pelvic floor function and overall well-being.

Other methods in pelvic floor therapy may involve therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, vaginal dilators, weighted cones, medications, and more alternatives.

Axes Physical Therapy’s Approach to Pelvic Floor Therapy in St. Charles, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy, we firmly believe in delivering individualized and empathetic treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a devoted physical therapist in St. Charles, 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 issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the greatest respect, empathy, and personalized attention.

We also embrace the belief in delivering evidence-based and comprehensive care to our patients. We employ up-to-date research and cutting-edge 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. Charles, MO at Axes Physical Therapy, we are here to help. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the St. Charles, MO area, all committed to realizing your ideal pelvic health.

Call Axes Physical Therapy for Your St. Charles, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Today

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to hinder you from leading your best life. At Axes, our dedicated physio and occupational therapists in St. Charles, 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 challenging to manage 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 embark on your rehabilitation with Axes Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO today.