Pelvic Health Rehabilitation

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What is the pelvic floor?

All individuals have a pelvic floor, which consist of muscles, connective tissue and nerves that support the pelvic organs, assist in bowel and bladder control as well as contribute to sexual function. The pelvic floor muscles are located between the tailbone and the pubic bone.

Several symptoms may be a sign that you a have pelvic floor dysfunction. If you have any of these symptoms, you should tell your healthcare provider or schedule with our Pelvic Health Specialist.

  • Frequently needing to use the bathroom
  • Difficulty using the bathroom such as difficulty initiating urination or straining during bowel movements
  • Leaking of urine or stool
  • Pain with urination
  • Pain with intercourse
  • Low back pain without known cause
  • Ongoing pain in pelvic region, genitals, or rectum with or without bowel movement

What is the pelvic floor?

The short answer is that many people of varying ages, gender and activity level could benefit from a pelvic health assessment.
Pelvic Dysfunctions are more common than people think. Approximately 25 million individuals suffer from pelvic floor dysfunctions, many of which never seek medical care due to embarrassment and/or belief that it is “Normal”.

However, anything outside of normal function is NOT NORMAL. Yes, with aging the body slows, however leakage, difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement and/or pain is not a normal under any circumstances.
We often think that aging and pregnancy are the causes, however these are not the only population of individuals with pelvic floor dysfunction.

For example, Female Athletes specifically, are almost 3x more likely to suffer from a pelvic floor dysfunction compared to sedentary females. Athletes of all genders who participate in sports that involve high loads or high impacts such as CrossFit, weightlifting, running, gymnastics, ect, can potentially result in pelvic floor dysfunction. This is often due to the demands of the activity and increased inter-abdominal pressure due poor breathing coordination which results in increased pressure placed on the pelvic floor musculature. Overtime, this can result in leakage or other pelvic floor dysfunctions.

Who would benefit from Pelvic Health Physical Therapy?

The short answer is that many people of varying ages, gender and activity level could benefit from a pelvic health assessment.
Pelvic Dysfunctions are more common than people think. Approximately 25 million individuals suffer from pelvic floor dysfunctions, many of which never seek medical care due to embarrassment and/or belief that it is “Normal”.

However, anything outside of normal function is NOT NORMAL. Yes, with aging the body slows, however leakage, difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement and/or pain is not a normal under any circumstances.
We often think that aging and pregnancy are the causes, however these are not the only population of individuals with pelvic floor dysfunction. For example, Female Athletes specifically, are almost 3x more likely to suffer from a pelvic floor dysfunction compared to sedentary females.

Athletes of all genders who participate in sports that involve high loads or high impacts such as CrossFit, weightlifting, running, gymnastics, ect, can potentially result in pelvic floor dysfunction. This is often due to the demands of the activity and increased inter-abdominal pressure due poor breathing coordination which results in increased pressure placed on the pelvic floor musculature. Overtime, this can result in leakage or other pelvic floor dysfunctions.

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What does Pelvic Health Physical Therapy entail?

Pelvic Health Physical Therapy is an assessment and treatment of the pelvic floor musculature. Your pelvic health Physical Therapist is trained in a specialized kind of physical therapy that helps to treat the cause and symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. During your Pelvic Health Evaluation, you and your Physical Therapist will begin with a conversation to inquire more about your symptoms. The Physical Therapist will perform a traditional physical therapy evaluation to assess your movement, strength, and overall function.

Based on your individual situation, the PT may also choose to also perform an external and/or internal assessment of the pelvic floor musculature. These assessment helps the Physical Therapist make a treatment plan that best suits your needs. However, your Physical Therapist will not perform these assessments without first having a discussion with you and obtaining your consent.

Who do we treat?

We treat all individuals equally regardless of gender, race or age. Parent or Guardian is required to attend sessions for individuals under 18 years of age.

What do we treat?

An individual may be referred to pelvic floor physical therapy for a variety of reasons such as:

  • Fecal or urinary Incontinence (leakage)
  • Difficulty with urination or bowel movements
  • Constipation
  • Acute or chronic pelvic pain
  • Pain with intercourse
  • Vaginismus
  • Endometriosis
  • Painful ejaculation
  • Premature ejaculation
  • Uterine or rectal prolapse
  • Prostatitis
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Pain post confirmation surgery
  • Post abdominal surgery
  • Interstitial cystitis
  • Post Partum

This is not an all inclusive list of pelvic floor dysfunctions, there are many other treatable disorders. If you are concerned about your pelvic floor, contact our pelvic health specialist for an assessment.

How do we help?

The Goal of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy is to ease your symptoms so that you can get back to life.
Your Pelvic Health Physical Therapist may use several techniques to assist in your recovery to include but not limited to the following: