Our Virginia physical therapy clinic offers women relief from postpartum pelvic pain. When you worrying about your health as you get older, or you get concerned that your pelvic floor muscles aren’t as strong as they should be, then I’m the person you need to come and see.
Pelvic floor physical therapy specifically targets the pelvic floor muscles, to work together while concentrating on the low back and pelvis as a whole. Imagine your pelvic floor as a network of muscles that extends from your tailbone in the back to your pubic bone in the front.
Men’s pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, prostate, and bowel, while women’s pelvic floor muscles support the uterus (womb), bladder, and colon. The rectum and urethra pass through the pelvic floor in both men and women in order to move bodily contents from inside to outside the body. If you are thinking what’s the point of strengthening these pelvic floor muscles, then don’t fret, no one is too old to start looking for help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. There are many benefits to strengthening these muscles, so let’s take a look into them.
Virginia physical therapy for the pelvic floor?
The low back, pelvis, abdomen, and pelvic floor muscles are the main areas of focus in pelvic floor therapy. Each patient receives physical therapy for the pelvic floor in a one-on-one, customized, and private treatment setting. The focus will be placed on raising awareness of the pelvic floor by physical therapists who specialize in pelvic health.
While other treatment plans may assist you in strengthening the muscles, some will help you address your symptoms by assisting the muscles to relax and lengthen. Physical therapy for pelvic health is a first-line, minimally invasive, low-risk treatment for many diagnoses.
Helping with the Bowels
Physical therapy is beneficial for those who experience postpartum pain or strain during bowel movements as well as those who suffer from fecal or stool incontinence (leakage).
- Prolapse of the Pelvic Organ
When the bladder, uterus, or rectum prolapse through the vaginal wall, it is referred to as pelvic organ prolapse. This can occur during childbirth, improper lifting techniques combined with lifting heavy objects, and prolonged straining during bowel movements.
For pelvic organ prolapse or postpartum pain, physical therapy (PT) is beneficial if you:
- a bulge that you can feel or see through your vagina.
- deal with leaks of urine or have trouble urinating or defecating.
- during your daily activities, you don’t feel quite right.
- feel pressured or different during sex.
Through the coordination of the muscles in the pelvic floor and the strengthening of the core muscles, physical therapy provides a lot of patients with long-term relief and gives them pelvic pain relief. Exercises, posture adjustments, and breathing techniques for your abdominal muscles and lower back are all part of physical therapy for pelvic organ prolapse.
Standard ab exercises might exacerbate your symptoms because they increase pressure on your pelvic floor and abdomen. A physical therapist’s advice can help you choose the right exercises to avoid exacerbating your symptoms.
When pelvic organ prolapse is mild to moderate, physical therapy in Virginia is effective. If your prolapse is severe, your doctor might advise surgery. The best results and your best feeling come from physical therapy before and after surgery.
- Constipation
Constipation is a common condition characterized by having fewer than three bowel movements per week, feeling as though you cannot completely empty your bowels, and straining during bowel movements.
Dietary adjustments, stool softeners, or laxatives are common constipation treatments. However, they don’t always work. Through soft tissue techniques (specialized massage), toileting mechanics, education, and exercises, your physical therapist can assist you in managing constipation.
- Pain During Intercourse
There are many conditions that could cause pain during sex, so getting a doctor’s opinion can be helpful. A physical therapist can conduct an evaluation and develop a treatment plan for pelvic pain relief if your doctor is unable to identify the cause of the pain.
The physical therapist will also refer you to a doctor if they believe it is necessary if you live in a state where you have direct access, which means you can go directly to a physical therapist. Although women are more likely than men to experience painful intercourse, it is possible for men to as well.
Physical therapy for the pelvic floor may significantly lessen or even eliminate sexual pain giving you pelvic pain relief. Women and men can resume enjoying pleasurable, pain-free sex with the aid of gentle, safe techniques for pelvic pain relief. Pain during sex is frequently caused by a complex network of interconnected muscles, joints, tissues, bones, skin, and nerves.
Physical therapy for the pelvic floor breaks the cycle of pain and unravels it. It balances, relaxes, stretches, and tones pelvic muscles by increasing blood flow to the pelvis, reducing pain sensitivity, and releasing pinched nerves.
Physical therapy for the pelvic floor can help you if you experience these symptoms.
- General Pelvic Pain
Numerous factors can contribute to pelvic pain. Pelvic floor therapy can be helpful for genital or rectal pain. Depending on your symptoms, pelvic floor physical therapy may include manual therapy, electrical stimulation, biofeedback, behavioral education, and exercise programs.
A first-line, minimally invasive treatment option for pelvic floor dysfunctions, including generalized, persistent pelvic pain, is this strong evidence-based support.
Pelvic floor dysfunction is eventually brought on by the pelvic floor muscles become stretched during childbirth, weakening with age, or becoming overactive with stress. Numerous disorders of the pelvic floor, such as pelvic pain, are caused by strained connective tissues.
Pelvic floor treatments through our Virginia physical therapy clinic will help with repairs to muscle and connective tissue damage that contributes to pain by restoring normal pelvic muscle strength, power, endurance, resting tone, or a combination of these.
Visit our Virginia Physical Therapy Clinic for Help with the Bladder
Urinary leakage (incontinence), frequency, urgency, pain, difficulty stopping or starting urinating, and trouble completely emptying the bladder can all be helped by pelvic floor therapy.
Unwanted urine leakage at any time of day or night is known as urinary incontinence. Your physical therapist will create a customized treatment plan to assist you in taking control of your symptoms and minimizing the need for medication and even surgery.
Your physical therapist, who is an expert in movement, uses hands-on care, instruction, and recommended exercise therapy to enhance your quality of life and reduce postpartum pain. In order to help you better control your bladder, your physical therapist teaches you how to sense the movement in your pelvic floor muscles through tensing and releasing movements.
These are some typical justifications for patients to book a physical therapy in Virginia appointment.
- If you laugh, run, or lift something, you may urinate a little.
- If your feet swell or your back hurts, you may be pregnant or have just had a baby.
- Sometimes or all the time, having sex hurts.
- It’s endometriosis you have.
- There is a pain in your back, hips, buttocks (sacroiliac), or tailbone.
Nancy Branberg
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