Does Pelvic Pain Make You Feeling Powerless?
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Could Change Your Life. Have you been living with pain or discomfort in your pelvic area? You are not alone. This is a common ailment many people suffer from daily. Dealing with pelvic pain may be humiliating, not to mention very frustrating if you don’t know what’s causing it.
The unfortunate truth of the matter is that pelvic pain and discomfort will limit your daily activities. This condition has the potential to disrupt your daily routines and prohibit you from performing any of the duties or activities that you like doing on a regular basis.
There is, thankfully, a solution to the difficulties you’re having. Pelvic floor therapy helps to alleviate symptoms of pelvic dysfunction as well as enhance muscular strength. Pelvic floor rehab seeks to address current discomfort while preventing it from recurring or increasing in the future.
Our innovative care strategies at Exercise Sport Physical Therapy will help you find quick relief. To find relief, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our pelvic health physical therapists in Overland Park, KS!
About pelvic floor rehabilitation
Your pelvic floor has a very big job for such a small portion of your body! It supports the bladder, colon, urethra, bowel, and/or uterus. It also is directly involved in the optimal function of your back, hips, and knees. Addressing the pelvic floor is key to full recovery of many common orthopedic issues of the pelvis, back, hip and knee.
Whether you have suffered for years or have a new problem, our goal is to help you fully recover and give you tools that empower you to manage your problem long term. We truly “care more” and will provide you with the discretion and support you need to feel better and ‘get your body back’! Your initial test findings will determine “the why” of your pelvic health problem. We do not just want to make your symptoms better, but actually help you solve the problem. Your care plan will be tailored specifically to you, based on the initial findings and your goals.
A personalized care plan will then be created to meet the exact requirements to address your problem. Pelvic floor rehab may include a combination of therapeutic exercises (muscle strength and endurance, motor control, flexibility, relaxation, body awareness, cardio fitness ) , soft tissue techniques (massage), lifestyle modifications (diet, exercise), patient education and counseling. We will implement a plan to include whatever is needed for your specific condition that will be required to ease discomfort, lessen symptoms, and perhaps heal the illness.
What is pelvic floor physical therapy?
First, a bit about two very common misperceptions about pelvic floor physical therapy. It is not only about ‘doing kegels’, and is not for’ women only’. A very common misperception is that pelvic floor rehabilitation is only about “doing Kegels”. Women often self prescribe a daily dose of kegel exercises, which actually may be making their issue worse! Pelvic floor rehabilitation is a type of physical therapy that involves much more than kegels, and has been demonstrated to help with a wide range of pelvic pain-related issues.
While many people believe that this type of therapy is exclusive for women , it is actually beneficial to men too!
Pelvic diseases can be treated with physical therapy in a number of ways. Pelvic therapy, for example, can be used to examine and improve painful urinary leaks, prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal issues, as well as infertility issues, post-surgical scarring and function.
A few less frequent problems that can be addressed include: pelvic organ prolapse (the falling down or slipping of a body part from its usual position), dyspareunia (pain that occurs just before, during or after intercourse), diastasis recti (Belly sticks out because the space between your left and right belly muscles has widened. You might call it a “dome” or “pooch”) and pudendal neuralgia (pain, discomfort, or numbness in your pelvis or genitals -like from sitting on a bike seat).
Common conditions pelvic floor rehabilitation can help relieve:
- Urinary Symptoms (leaks or inability to fully empty the bladder)
- Dyspareunia (pain during sex )
- Prolapse (the sensation that the organs are “dropping” or have “fallen”)
- Constipation (less than 3 bowel movements per week)
- Orthopedic Pelvic Pain Conditions (hip, knee, SI joint, back)
- Gut & Bowel Health (Fecal incontinence or constipation)
- Diastasis Recti (widening or gap in the middle of your abdomen, may create a pooch or dome in males or females)
- Post surgical Scarring ( C-Section, prostatectomy, gallbladder)
- Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
- Male Pelvic Health (constipation, post-prostatectomy, pudendal neuralgia, diastasis recti)
- Fitness related activities during Pregnancy and Postpartum Care
Our Pelvic Health physical therapists specialize in treating pelvic pain, urinary and bowel symptoms, and any other pelvic floor dysfunction in both men and women.
More common pelvic conditions that physical therapy treats include:
Pain following abdominal surgery
If you are recovering from a recent surgical operation (for instance gallbladder, appendix, C-Section) pelvic floor rehab will help to break up scar tissue, improve stamina, and regain the range of motion and facilitate the function and coordination of key muscles in your abdomen/pelvic region.
Urinary incontinence/bladder dysfunction/constipation
Pelvic floor rehabilitation will concentrate on developing the muscle control strategies necessary for the muscles under your bladder to control and eliminate urine incontinence symptoms, bladder difficulties, and constipation.
A physical therapist will help you determine the source of your urinary incontinence problem and address it rather than merely treating the symptoms.
Constipation is generally described as having fewer than three bowel movements a week. Pelvic floor rehabilitation can loosen and relax the muscles in your pelvic and anal areas, which can help relieve and eliminate constipation.
Dyspareunia
Pain with intercourse is commonly referred to as “dyspareunia.” According to Healthline, dyspareunia can be defined as:
“Dyspareunia is the term for recurring pain in the genital area or within the pelvis during sexual intercourse. The pain can be sharp or intense. It can occur before, during, or after sexual intercourse.”
Our pelvic health physical therapist will work with you to figure out the “why” and create a plan of action that teaches you how to relax the muscles in your pelvic area, which can help relieve and eliminate pain with intercourse.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a prevalent disease that affects many individuals. It can damage bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the pelvic region. Thankfully, physical therapy can help.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation, in addition to strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, can help relieve the pain and bloating associated with endometriosis.
Postpartum pelvic pain
Pelvic floor damage is frequent in new moms as a result of strained muscles and/or connective tissue after giving birth. Pelvic floor healing, in addition to mending any injured muscles or tissues, or scaring results in a reduction in any discomfort the patient may be experiencing. New moms may experience problems with urinary leakage, back-hip-knee pain, persistent belly pooch, diastasis recti, painful intercourse, or inability to get back into a fitness routine to name a few. Our therapists can help moms “get their body back” and get back to doing the things they love to do!
Are you ready to learn more about pelvic floor treatment?
In certain circumstances, our therapeutic procedures will aid in the alleviation and rehabilitation of patients who have been battling issues for years.
Our physical therapy clinic in Overland Park, KS is fully prepared to diagnose and treat all forms of pelvic discomfort.
Make an appointment with us today if your pelvic pain is limiting your activities. You deserve to live life according to your terms, without the constant plague of discomfort and limitations.