Your pelvic floor muscles are crucial to your health. These muscles support your pelvic organs, including the bladder, bowel, and uterus. They also maintain your sexual health and prevent organ prolapse.
Unfortunately, certain conditions, like pregnancy and trauma, can affect your pelvic floor. Consequently, you may develop issues like urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and sexual dysfunction. These issues can affect your well-being. They can cause discomfort and embarrassment, which is why you need pelvic floor therapy.
Pelvic floor therapy is simply physiotherapy that improves your pelvic floor. This article explores this therapy and how it can help restore pelvic floor function.
What Conditions Does Pelvic Floor Therapy Treat?
Pelvic floor therapy focuses on assessing and treating the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding structures. This specialized form of physiotherapy can help you with various pelvic floor disorders, such as:
Urinary Incontinence
This is when you leak urine involuntarily. You may experience urinary incontinence when coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising. Weak or overactive pelvic floor muscles can cause this condition. Nerve damage, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause can also increase your risk of urinary incontinence.
Pelvic Pain
Pain or discomfort in your lower abdomen, pelvis, or genitals is usually pelvic pain. You may experience this pain if you have muscle spasms, nerve irritation, or inflammation. Infection and endometriosis are other factors that contribute to pelvic pain.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
The pelvic organs include the bladder, uterus, and rectum. When any or more of these organs slip out of position and bulge into your vagina or anus, you have pelvic organ prolapse. This condition often occurs due to damaged pelvic floor muscles, childbirth, pregnancy, and aging.
Sexual Dysfunction
Difficulty with sexual arousal, orgasm, or satisfaction is usually due to pelvic floor problems. This may cause pain, tightness, and dryness. You may also experience a lack of sensation in your pelvic area.
Benefits of Pelvic Floor Therapy
Pelvic floor therapy can help you in the following ways;
- Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. This physiotherapy can improve your muscle coordination and control.
- Relaxing your pelvic floor muscles and releasing any tension
- Improving your blood circulation to reduce pain and inflammation
- Educating you on how to care for your pelvic floor. You will also learn about preventing or managing your symptoms.
Pelvic Floor Therapy Techniques
Your physiotherapist can use several techniques to rehabilitate your pelvic floor and relieve your symptoms. The best technique for you will depend on your condition and goals. Usually, your physiotherapist will create a tailored treatment plan for you.
Common pelvic floor therapy techniques include;
Manual Therapy
This technique requires a hands-on approach. Your physiotherapist will use their hands to manipulate your pelvic floor muscles. Manual therapy treatment may include massage, stretching, and mobilization. This treatment helps to improve mobility and function.
Biofeedback
Your physiotherapist will use a device to measure your pelvic floor activity. This device will display the results on a screen, helping you target the right muscles. Biofeedback is often used with pelvic floor exercises to determine how muscles contract and relax. You can also use it to learn how to control your muscles better.
Biofeedback is an excellent physiotherapy technique because it can help you improve your muscle awareness, coordination, and strength.
Electrical Stimulation
This is when your physiotherapist uses a device to deliver mild electrical currents to your pelvic floor muscles. This treatment technique is safe. Electrical stimulation can stimulate your muscles and reduce your pain. It can also help you regulate your bladder and bowel functions.
Exercises
Pelvic floor exercises specifically target your pelvic floor muscles. Your physiotherapist will teach you how to do specific exercises. These exercises can strengthen or relax your pelvic floor muscles.
Your physiotherapist may also recommend other exercises to improve your core stability, posture, and breathing.
Education
Your physiotherapist will educate you on how to care for your pelvic floor and manage your symptoms. You will also learn lifestyle modifications to reduce stress, improve your nutrition, and improve your pelvic floor health.
What to Expect from a Pelvic Floor Therapy Session
You might wonder what to expect from pelvic floor therapy. When you visit your physiotherapist, you can expect these:
Before Your First Session
You will undergo a thorough examination before starting a pelvic floor therapy program. During the examination, your physiotherapist will ask about your medical history, symptoms, goals, and expectations.
You may also undergo a physical examination of your pelvic floor. Feel free to discuss any discomfort you feel with your physiotherapist. Physiotherapy in Barrie, ON, ensures you are comfortable during the examination.
Your physiotherapist will then create a tailored treatment plan based on your examination results. Your physiotherapist will discuss the plan with you and answer all your questions.
During Your First Session
You will follow the recommended treatment plan during your session with your physiotherapist. Usually, the plan will consist of exercises, modalities, and techniques to improve your health. The plan is progressive and will address your condition step by step.
After Your First Session
Pelvic floor therapy does not end in one session. You will have follow-up sessions for the best results. Your physiotherapist will also monitor your response and adjust your treatment accordingly. They will also give you home exercises and instructions to follow between sessions.
The frequency and duration of your sessions will depend on your condition, progress, and goals.
Conclusion
This article has explored what happens during pelvic floor therapy. Pelvic therapy Barrie focuses on improving your health and well-being. The Concept of Movement Physiotherapy, Barrie, ON professionals understand how delicate pelvic floor issues are. Therefore, they create a safe environment for discussing your health concerns.
Pelvic floor therapy can prevent and treat sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse. You can visit your physiotherapist in Barrie for a consultation if you have pelvic floor concerns.