Author| Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic floor therapy
When do I need pelvic floor PT? We have answers for you!
Pelvic floor therapy, also called pelvic health physical therapy, is a specialty field within physical therapy that provides treatment for men and women (and kids, too!) to overcome all pelvic floor disorders as well as low back, hip, abdominal and pelvic pain, bladder & bowel disorders, intimacy pain, pregnancy and postpartum recovery and pelvic organ prolapse problems. At Purple Mountain PT we are pelvic floor physical therapists who have been focused on providing pelvic PT for over two decades. If you are interested in connecting to discuss your symptoms, reach out to us here or call 616-516-4334 to speak with us to answer your questions.
Your Therapy May Help with Relaxation of the Pelvic Floor Muscles
One thing that surprises our patients is that the pelvic floor muscles react and respond to both physical and emotional experiences. For example, if you sneeze the muscles contract so you don’t have stress incontinence. If you are frightened the muscles also react and respond to that fear by tensing up. While most people think that pelvic floor muscle dysfunction is the muscles being out of shape and weak, the opposite is often occurring. The pelvic floor muscles often become stiff and tense and benefit from pelvic floor therapy that helps with relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles. To resolve things like stress incontinence, painful intercourse, pelvic organ prolapse and pelvic muscle dysfunction you need comprehensive treatment options that assess and treat your whole body and how it is all working together. Your therapist will explain to you the reasoning behind your treatments. If you are interested in learning more about our pelvic PT, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.
What are the pelvic floor muscles?
The pelvic floor muscles are a series of muscles below your pelvic organs and that line the bones of your pelvis. These muscles support the uterus, bladder and bowel. They also help maintain bowel and bladder continence. The muscles serve an important role in sexual function, as well. These muscles must be able to contract, relax and lengthen. For example, during a bowel movement your muscles will lengthen and relax, but if you are unable to do this you may have pain, incomplete emptying or develop a hemorrhoid or an anal fissure. When you come to Purple Mountain PT, your pelvic floor physical therapist will explain pelvic floor dysfunction to you and will specify your treatment options. Do you have a question about treatment options for pelvic floor dysfunction? Contact us here and let’s chat!
What symptoms might I have that let me know I may benefit from physical therapy to the pelvis?
You would benefit from treatment for your pelvic muscle dysfunction if you have any of the following:
Pelvic and abdominal pain: including constant lower abdomen pressure, tip of penis pain, persistent genital arousal disorder, vulvodynia, tailbone pain and more.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse: symptoms of this can vary and may include a feeling of pelvic heaviness, pelvic pain, bladder and bowel issues, such as urinary stream that isn’t easy and/or incomplete urinary emptying, difficulty emptying your bowel, recurrent urinary tract infection and a bulge in the vagina or anus. Improving pelvic organ prolapse is possible with the right care. Our whole body approach will help you optimize support to your organs and will reduce fascia restrictions that may be contributing to your prolapse.
Bladder and Bowel issues such as stress incontinence, urge incontinence, urinary frequency and urgency, incomplete emptying, lack of urge to urinate, pain with a full bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections, nocturia (getting up at night to pee).
Bowel movement challenges such as constipation, fecal incontinence, anal fissures, lack of urge to defecate, incomplete emptying, rectocele or rectal prolapse.
Painful intimacy: is often a result of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. We can work together to ease these muscles and improve your pain.
Any nerve-like pain, itching, throbbing, sharp pain, or stabbing in the genitals, lower abdomen. These symptoms are common in both men and women.
Pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain, loss of urinary control, vulvar swelling, difficulty walking, symphysis pubic pain (SPD), tailbone pain, SI joint pain, low back pain
Sciatica or Lower back pain, degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, low back muscle spasm
Endometriosis contributes to chronic pelvic pain, which causes pelvic floor dysfunction and hip, abdominal and low back muscle problems also. The women we treat who have endometriosis also usually have myofascial pain that contributes to abdominal and pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, non-relaxing pelvic floor, painful intercourse, bladder and bowel changes.
Interstitial Cystitis to help treat your pain, urgency, frequency and pelvic floor dysfunction
Childhood bladder and bowel troubles, such as constipation, loss of urinary control, recurrent urinary tract infections, difficulty with potty training
Your Pelvic Treatment Explained
At Purple Mountain PT we provide you a safe, discreet and comfortable location to receive your therapy. We have private treatment rooms and you will have each appointment with the same pelvic floor physical therapist, so you can develop trust and have continuity of care. Together we will review your symptoms, such as troubles with bladder and bowel, stress incontinence, pelvic pain or painful intercourse. To best examine whether you have pelvic floor dysfunction and determine if you are able to accomplish contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, with your permission, we may perform an internal exam. We educate you about your pelvic muscles, nerves and fascia and what we are finding. You will learn whether your pelvic floor dysfunction would improve with relaxation of your pelvic floor muscles or with strengthening these muscles. We also include assessment and treatment to your spine, abdominal wall, hips and thighs. Physical therapy for your pelvic floor symptoms is treatment that is meant to help you feel better and function at a higher level, without pain or problems. If you would like to learn more about our pelvic therapy treatment, please call 616-516-4334 or reach out to us here.
Our Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Includes Manual Therapy
We use a variety of manual therapy methods and exercise based treatments to get you feeling better. Our pelvic floor physical therapists have extensive post-graduate training in manual therapy techniques and this is what sets us apart from others. These methods help with relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and improves your ability to use these muscles, including with contracting and relaxing the pelvic muscles, such as with kegel exercises. Our patients consistently tell us that the treatment, including their internal exam, is beneficial and more detailed than anything they’ve ever experienced.
Your manual therapy treatment options may include:
- Visceral mobilization, which is a very gentle and helpful treatment to your abdomen. If you experience constipation, uterine cramping, overactive bladder, diastasis recti abdominis or any pelvic pain, you will appreciate the visceral mobilization and how it can help alleviate your problems.
- Scar tissue treatment: scar tissue from surgeries or adhesions from endometriosis can contribute to pain, bladder and bowel problems and pelvic floor dysfunction.
- Fascial mobilization: Your fascia is a network of tissue that connects your entire body. Fascia in your feet and neck may be impairing your pelvic floor. Therefore, we will assess and treat anywhere you need. We utilize myofascial release to further ease the tension and strain in your entire system and to improve blood flow and muscle firing.
- Trigger point release and specific massage methods to reduce your pelvic floor tension, hips, thighs, low back or thoracic spine muscle issues.
- Joint mobilization to optimize the ability of your spine, hips, knees and feet to move through complete range of motion.
Your Pelvic Floor PT Can Also Include Exercise
Movement, optimal postural alignment and joint mobility with proper firing patterns of all of your core muscles is necessary to reduce pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms. We will work on your breathing and coordination of all of your core muscles, including your pelvic muscles, hip and low back. We also help to improve your ability to manage your intraabdominal pressure and ability to lift and transfer load/weight through your pelvis, abdomen and spine. Our patients often incorrectly assume that they will be completing kegel exercises as part of their treatment for pelvic muscle dysfunction. If you would benefit from kegels, we will complete these, but often the kegels are not helpful for some types of pelvic floor dysfunction. We use a variety of specific exercise-based treatments to teach your body how to work more effectively and to promote either relaxation of your pelvic floor muscles or strengthening of these muscles. Our goal is to reduce pain, urinary incontinence, abdominal weakness, diastasis recti abdominis, prolapse symptoms, non-optimal posture and more. If you would like to learn more, contact us here.
You Know You Need Pelvic Floor Therapy When Things Either Don’t Feel Right or Don’t Work Right.
The men and women we treat usually suspect that something isn’t “right down there.” Whether you experience pain, stress incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, muscle dysfunction or painful intimacy, you know intuitively that something isn’t right. When this is the case, reach out to us to discuss your symptoms and learn about your treatment options. The men and women we work with tell us that the symptoms of their pelvic floor muscles, such as pain, urinary frequency, anal fissures or pelvic organ prolapse, improve with our care. We have a lot of resources on our website regarding pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor PT, pelvic PT for pregnancy and postpartum recovery, and pelvic pain, such as vaginismus and dyspareunia. We’ve also written another article about pelvic pain that may be of interest.
Purple Mountain Physical Therapy is a specialty pelvic health clinic located in Grand Rapids, MI that treats men and women as well as kids. We offer expert care for pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder, bowel or intimacy related problems. Many of our patients come to us frustrated due to chronic pain, whether it is hip pain, back pain or pelvic pain (such as abdominal pain, pubic, SI joint or deep inside), stress incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and pelvic floor disorders. We have advanced training and experience helping individuals overcome chronic pain and all pelvic floor disorders. There is not a formula to overcome pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse, stress incontinence and muscle dysfunction. Instead, we provide whole body, customized care to help you overcome these problems. Our patients tell us finding our treatment has been the most important thing they’ve done to help their pain! We are honored to help you. 616-516-4334 or contact us here.
Peace,
