Pelvic floor therapy in Wildwood, MO. Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t just cause pain; it can affect your sense of self and independence. If pelvic floor dysfunction is preventing you from returning to a favorite activity, beginning parenthood, or just getting through a day with the same confidence and comfort as before, pelvic floor physical therapy could be what you require to regain your lifestyle. With evidence-backed treatment plans, pelvic floor therapy in Wildwood, MO can lead to:

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

Axes Physical Therapy in Wildwood, MO specializes in designing personalized treatment plans that gets pelvic floor patients back to the pursuits they enjoy most securely and effectively. If you are curious in learning 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 reclaim command and confidence in your pelvic health.

How the Pelvic Floor Works

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and fibers that constitute a supportive hammock-like structure at the bottom of the pelvis. It acts like a “floor” or a base for the organs in your pelvis, including the bladder, uterus, urethra, and rectum. The pelvic floor protects organs and your spine from external pressure while helping control several basic functions.

The pelvic floor has several functions and roles:

• Helps manage your bladder and bowels by providing you command over the contraction and relaxing of muscles
• Supports organs in the pelvis and stops them from descending
• Resists belly pressure from lifting, coughing, or other activities
• Supports optimal sexual function
• Provides stability and posture to the core and back
• During pregnancy, stretches to accommodate a growing fetus and assists in childbirth
• Assists in blood and lymphatic circulation, contributing to sustain 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 connecting to the hip bones on each side. These muscles have openings or passages for the urethra (through which urine is passed), the vagina, and the anus (through which stool is passed).

Think of the pelvic floor as a woven mesh of muscles and tissues that forms a strong base, holding the pelvic organs in place and avoiding them from dropping down. It works like a supportive sling to preserve 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 poo (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 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 right times and contribute in sexual function and satisfaction 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 relaxing and coordinating 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
• Often feeling the need to use the bathroom
• Sensation of needing to strain urine or feces
• Pelvic aches
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Erectile dysfunction and difficulty 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, it’s important to remember that proven, evidence-backed treatment plans exist with professional physical therapy in Wildwood, MO. At Axes, we offer an entire team devoted to assisting 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 disappointed, embarrassed, or hopeless. But a diagnosis is far from a permanent condition. With practical treatment plans tailored for you by your Wildwood, MO physical therapist, you can regain control over your life and enjoy a comfortable existence.

Pelvic floor therapy involves exercises that can strengthen, improve flexibility of, or coordinate the pelvic muscles. The benefits of physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction in Wildwood, 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 vitals functioning, such as the ability to relax and contract the muscles during urination, bowel movements, and sexual activity.
• Pain management — By targeting less resilient or less flexible muscles and addressing sensitive areas, physical therapy can aid in lessening or eliminating 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 aid in readying the pelvic floor for labor, decreasing the chance of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and helping healing from changes and trauma to the pelvic floor related to childbirth.
• Sexual health improvement — By focusing on specific muscles and addressing any subsurface issues, therapy can boost sexual excitement, climax, and general sexual gratification.
• Education and self-management — Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just checking exorcises off of a list. By offering education and teaching you approaches you can utilize at home, your Axes physical therapist helps you engage actively in your own care and empowers you to maintain a lifestyle that promotes pelvic floor wellness.

At Axes Physical Therapy, we have a team of knowledgeable pelvic floor therapists in Wildwood, MO who can support you in improving your pelvic well-being and function. Although some instances of pelvic floor dysfunction might necessitate surgical correction, the majority of patients in Wildwood, MO will experience long-lasting and substantial improvement through less invasive physical therapy techniques.

What Wildwood, MO Pelvic Floor Therapy Involves

Your initial pelvic floor therapy session in Wildwood, MO will involve an examination of your current pelvic floor health. The subsequent sessions will center around implementing your customized treatment program.

Assessment and Evaluation

The journey of pelvic floor therapy begins with an initial evaluation. In this appointment, your Wildwood, 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 evaluate your current condition. With your consent, a pre-pelvic floor therapy assessment in Wildwood, MO may also include an internal examination to further determine the 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 help in determining the potential causes of your pelvic floor dysfunction and facilitate the development of an effective treatment plan to help you in resuming the activities you love.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Treatments and Exercises

Upon reviewing the findings from your assessment and evaluation, your pelvic floor therapist in Wildwood, MO will design a personalized treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan will incorporate precise goals, techniques, and anticipated results to guide your therapy.

Exercises for Pelvic Floor Therapy

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

• Kegel exercises to release and tighten the pelvic floor muscles
• Diaphragmatic breathing to coordinate your breath with your pelvic floor motion
• Stretching exercises to increase flexibility in tight muscles
• Resistance exercises to strengthen weak muscles
• Functional training to incorporate new muscle patterns into everyday activities

The exercises your Wildwood, MO physical therapist prescribes for your pelvic floor dysfunction will change based on your specific situation, but will all be aimed at retraining your body and muscles for optimal health. Depending on your present health and level of pelvic floor dysfunction, exercises may begin with you lying flat 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 decompression (freeing up compressed nerves), joint mobilization (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 gauge and display the activity of your pelvic floor muscles on a screen. It help you learn how to control and align your pelvic floor muscles by giving you real-time feedback on how they engage and relax. This feedback helps you better understand understand how to contract and release the muscles correctly, optimizing your muscle coordination and command.

Behavioral and Lifestyle Modifications

Physical therapy isn’t just a catalog of exercises to mark off – it also offers you entrée to expert, science-backed insights that enhance your everyday life. Your physical therapist may suggest you with:

• Changes to your eating habits
• Fluid management
• Appropriate posture and safe lifting methods
• Strategies for managing constipation
• Further advice for a better everyday life and way of living

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

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy, we wholeheartedly believe in offering customized and caring treatment to our patients. Owned and operated by a committed physical therapist in Wildwood, MO, our practice puts our clients at the center and endeavors to achieve beneficial patient results. We understand that pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest as a sensitive and difficult issue. That’s why we approach every patient with the highest respect, compassion, and personalized attention.

We also hold the belief in offering evidence-based and holistic care to our patients. We utilize up-to-date research and advanced technology to shape our treatment plans and methodologies. In addition, we offer 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 interested in trying pelvic floor therapy in Wildwood, MO, trust in Axes. We have several convenient physical therapy locations in the Wildwood, MO area, all dedicated to realizing your optimal pelvic health.

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

Don’t let pelvic floor dysfunction to keep you from being the best version of yourself. At Axes, our dedicated physical and occupational therapists in Wildwood, MO have a unified mission: returning you to the things you cherish the most. Whether pelvic floor dysfunction is keeping your playing in your favorite sport or making it challenging to get through your day, we will customize our physical therapy treatment plan exclusively to you and your goals. Schedule an appointment online or contact the nearest location to you to commence your recovery with Axes Physical Therapy in Wildwood, MO today.