I bet you didn’t know physical therapists could help with your Pelvic Floor! Here’s how:
1. PELVIC MUSCLE RETRAINING:
Physical therapists are known to treat bone, muscle, joints, ligaments, and tendon issues. Did you know that the pelvic floor consists of these same issues? Just like a muscle in, let’s say, your hip or arm can become weak if you do not exercise it, your pelvic floor muscles can become weak too!
2. PEE MANAGEMENT (URINARY INCONTINENCE):
Ok, that was a reach….but urinary incontinence is one of the top issues is a pelvic floor physical therapist can help with. As mentioned above, the pelvic floor muscles play an important role in allowing you to go to the bathroom.
This can mean the muscles allow you to “hold it” when going to the bathroom is inappropriate. The muscles also allow you to relax enough to empty your bladder fully when it is the right time. If your pelvic floor is too tight or too weak, urinary incontinence may result.
It has been found that 25% of young women, 44-57% of middle-aged and post-menopausal women, and 75% of older women experience urinary incontinence at some point- YOU ARE NOT ALONE! (Urinary Incontinence New Hope, 2012)
3. PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE:
The pelvic floor plays an important role in lifting the internal organs and keeping them in place, especially during daily activities. If the pelvic floor and core muscles are is damaged or weak (childbirth, aging), pelvic organ prolapse may occur.
Your pelvic floor physical therapist may have some great suggestions of little things that you can do throughout the day to help with this issue.
4. PELVIC PAIN:
Many people experience pelvic pain and suffer in silence because they do not know who to talk to about these issues. Pain with sex is not normal and needs to be investigated by someone who has been trained to treat the pelvic floor muscles. Just like if you were to have a tight hamstring, the pelvic floor muscles could become overly tight, and this becomes dysfunctional if it causes pain and interferes with daily life.
Luckily, your pelvic floor physical therapist has many ideas for treatment and knows how to target this specific muscle group!
If you have any specific questions, please give me a call!
