Does Chewing Help Constipation?

Does chewing help constipation? Yes it does and there are so many other things our physical therapists offer to help you improve constipation.

We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy and we specialize in treating constipation, pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder problems, intimacy related pain, spine and TMJ disorders for women and men. Many of our patients come to us for lifelong constipation or IBS and are looking for natural ways to help improve their constipation.

In addition to fiber, eating breakfast and eating whole foods, have you ever considered that chewing may help your constipation?

Chewing is an important part of digestion and discussion regarding chewing habits and texture of foods is one component of our specialized physical therapy to help constipation, bladder urgency and frequency, pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Not convinced that chewing really can make a dent in your constipation issues? Consider this study:

Study on adults receiving lower limb skeletal traction. They were hospitalized and immobile. As a result, they had high rates of constipation. In the study researchers divided them into 3 groups: Group A received chewing gum. Group B received abdominal massage Group C was a control group and received usual care which was to encourage drinking more fluid, eating fiber and moving in the bed actively or having someone else passively move you.

Chewing gum was chewed 3 times a day for 30 minutes

Abdominal massage was performed twice daily for 15 minutes

Did they find a statistically significant benefit for chewing gum or abdominal massage? Yes, both were beneficial. For the statisticians reading this, statistical significance was found with a P value of p=0.034.

Constipation rates with usual care: 39%

Constipation rates with abdominal massage group 37.3% (statistically significant)

Constipation rates with chewing gum group 23.7% (statistically significant)

Researchers conclusion:
Abdominal massage and chewing gum are non-invasive and convenient ways to stimulate bowel movement and prevent constipation, including in inactive people. Chewing gum is more effective than abdominal massage in reducing incidence of constipation and both should be considered as accessible and easy to implement interventions.

-Nezakati, Aram, et al. Acta Medica Mediterranea 34.6 (2018): 1787-1792.

Our Patients Come To Us Wanting to Get Off of Linzess or Other Pharma Medications To Help Their Severe Constipation, Abdominal Bloating and Pelvic Floor Issues. We Offer Natural Remedies, Using the Power of Your Body, Through Specialized Physical Therapy To Help Your Constipation.

Our specialist physical therapists work with adults and children who experience bladder, bowel and abdominal-pelvic pain conditions. By including a detailed history of your bowel habits, dietary choices, activity levels, stress levels, sleep quality and other items influencing your digestion and pelvic health, we can support you to implement different habits, such as chewing your food more slowly and thoroughly or trialing chewing gum as one part of your constipation remediation plan. If you are wanting help from our licensed physical therapists, give us a call at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

Personalized and comprehensive pelvic physical therapy treatment methods naturally help your constipation and other pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, such as pelvic organ prolapse, urinary urgency and frequency, pelvic pain and urinary incontinence.

There is a difference when working with one of our licensed, specialist bladder and bowel physical therapists. If you are struggling with constipation or other pelvic, spine or TMJ issues, our PTs are here to help you find a path forward. To learn more, reach out to us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here and we will be in touch! Purple Mountain Physical Therapy is a speciality pelvic health, back, neck and TMJ disorder clinic located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We offer in-person physical therapy as well as telehealth for those who qualify.

We offer comprehensive, natural remedies for constipation that are backed by research. If you would like information about our licensed PT for constipation, contact us here. You can also talk with one of our staff members to get your questions answered, call 616.516.4334. We love this work and are here to get you relief from your constipation. Here is a quote from the clinical practice guidelines for physical therapists who treat functional constipation:

“Physical therapists possess the knowledge and skills to manage neuromuscular impairments and functional limitations that may contribute to constipation and its impact on an individual’s activity, participation, and quality of life. Currently, physical therapists manage constipation using a multifaceted approach that typically includes neuromuscular reeducation (often with the use of biofeedback) to retrain pelvic muscle coordination, as well as dietary and fluid recommendations, proper toileting techniques and timely response to bowel urges, abdominal massage to improve colonic, and management of musculoskeletal impairments that may impact bowel health.”

-LaCross, Jennifer A. PT, DPT, PhD(c)¹; Borello-France, Diane PT, PhD²; Marchetti, Gregory F. PT, PhD²; Turner, Rose MLIS³; George, Susan PT, DPT⁴. Physical Therapy Management of Functional Constipation in Adults: A 2021 Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy. Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy 46(3):p E59-E84, July/September 2022.

In addition to adjustments to your daily habits, such as chewing your food to help constipation and digestion, our licensed physical therapists provide many natural and holistic treatments, clinically proven to help constipation.

The physical therapy treatments are holistic, address your entire body, toileting techniques, pelvic floor dysfunction, scar tissue, eating habits and bowel motility. We also teach you what you can do at home to help your constipation, so you don’t have to deal with bothersome constipation everyday. If this sounds intriguing, call (616) 516-4334 to ask about cost and availability or contact us here to have your questions answered.

If you are experiencing constipation and are looking for a natural and holistic approach to help your constipation, such as chewing your food better, treating your pelvic floor muscle tension, or abdominal massage, our licensed physical therapists are here to help you.

You can expect a comprehensive treatment approach that includes numerous physical therapy interventions such as exercises, stretches, self abdominal massage, scar tissue manual therapy, electric stimulation, neural calming, pelvic floor training, toileting posture & mechanics practice, eating and dietary recommendations and more. Physical therapy for constipation can help you feel so much better. To get your questions answered, contact us here or call (616) 516-4334

Our patients tell us that their medical providers have never taught them what we teach them and have not provided them a natural and comprehensive approach for helping their constipation. Our methods include exercise, self abdominal massage, scar tissue treatment, pelvic and spine balancing and treatment, visceral mobilization and instructions on optimizing your bowel habits, techniques for defecating and chewing & diet. If this sounds like it may help you, call us at 616.516.4334 or contact us here to get your questions answered.

How does chewing help my constipation?

Digestion begins in the mouth when you chew and digestive enzymes are released. The process of chewing and swallowing initiates your digestion so your stomach and intestines know they need to begin to work. If you are not thoroughly chewing your food, you are effectively dumping a large hunk of food into your stomach and intestines and relying on these organs to macerate it, break it down, absorb its nutrients and form the unused pieces into stool. Improper chewing is asking too much of the rest of your digestive system. This is especially true if you have a history of chronic constipation because we know that your digestive system is already compromised with constipation.

Does Eating Breakfast Improve Constipation? Yes! Have you heard of the Gastrocolic Reflex?

Yes, eating breakfast with a complete meal that involves chewing, fiber (if tolerated), and a warm drink can help stimulate your gastrocolic reflex, which is the reflex that helps get your digestion started and gets your bowels moving. Chewing and swallowing have an important role in stimulating digestion, particularly at breakfast time because the gastrocolic reflex is most active in the morning. One thing you can do to help your constipation is chew your food better and look at your eating habits. Here’s more information about the gastrocolic reflex:

“The gastrocolic reflex is a physiological reflex that controls the motility of the lower gastrointestinal tract following a meal. As a result of the gastrocolic reflex, the colon has increased motility in response to the stretch of the stomach with the ingestion of food. The gastrocolic reflex allows room for the consumption of more food via control over peristalsis and movement of ingested food distally toward the rectum.”

-Malone JC, Thavamani A. Physiology, Gastrocolic Reflex. [Updated 2022 May 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan

To improve nutrition absorption and constipation our physical therapists recommend that you chew your food to the consistency of apple sauce.

We also provide a complete evaluation for our patients who have constipation and specific constipation remedies and physical therapy constipation treatments that are customized to your body. To ask us about our physical therapy for constipation either in person at our clinic in Grand Rapids, Michigan or via a remote consultation, if you qualify, please contact us here or call 616-516-4334

If Chewing & Breakfast Help Constipation, What Should I Do if I Don’t Have An Appetite in the Morning?

Our patients with chronic constipation, often skip breakfast and do not have an appetite in the morning. One of the many natural recommendations we make to help constipation is to get yourself in the habit of eating a breakfast that involves food that need to be chewed. The process of chewing actually helps stimulate the gut to begin digestion. Foods such as yogurt and hard boiled eggs, which require minimal chewing and do not have fiber are not the ideal choice, for example. A better choice might be whole grain oatmeal with nuts and berries, possibly flax seeds in it. Skipping breakfast is a bad habit that plays into why you are constipated.

Our patients are wanting natural and effective ways to improve their bothersome constipation. Obviously, there is more to resolving constipation than simply chewing your food, which is where our bladder and bowel physical therapy can help you.

If you are interested in learning about our PT to help your constipation, you can call us at 616.516.4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable team members or contact us here with your questions! We are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we have been specialized in this field for many years; we offer in-person treatments or remote consultations for those who qualify.

Once new habits are installed, such as eating breakfast with chewing, learning how to perform abdominal massage, changing toileting mechanics, addressing pelvic floor tension and implementing other natural and low cost remedies such as warm compresses, your constipation improves.

Patients tell us that they develop more of an appetite for breakfast, so it becomes easier to keep this habit going. If you are needing these kinds of recommendations to help your constipation, our physical therapists specialize in helping people just like you who are struggling with constipation.

Chewing is a very important part of helping constipation and there are so many more things our PTs can recommend for you. Our patients tell us that in their PT for constipation they learn more things they can do and they wish they had been aware of these things years ago.

Your path to improve your constipation begins with your evaluation with our doctor of physical therapy, who is a licensed physical therapist. Call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here to learn more. This is a private appointment, upto 55 minutes in length and will include a complete review of the things you have tried to do to help your constipation, your daily bowel habits, any pelvic issues related to your bladder, bowels, intimacy or pain and your medical history, which includes abdominal surgeries

Because chewing helps constipation, chewing is essential for maintaining a healthy gut. Chewing can help reduce or prevent constipation and can help with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease.

Do you have abdominal pain, intestinal bloating or general discomfort related to constipation? Have you ever examined your chewing habits to ensure you are chewing your food very well? Because chewing helps constipation, it is important that you take the time to chew your food to the consistency of apple sauce.

Because kids are prone to constipation, we often recommend they work on chewing their food better to help avoid constipation and to help get their gut moving. Constipation in children is linked to bedwetting, daytime loss of urine and fecal incontinence.

Constipation in children does not show up with the same problems that adults have. In particular, a child who is constipated is likely to experience nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting), enuresis (daytime bladder leaks), and encopresis (stool leaks or smearing). Any child who comes to our physical therapy for urinary incontinence problems will receive a complete assessment of their bowel function and whether they have constipation. Constipation in kids can cause extra large stools, stretches out the rectum, which can disrupt bladder control, sometimes causing the bladder to completely empty at night, leading to bedwetting. Children who do not have daily complete bowel movements or who have bloating or abdominal pains are usually constipated. For these kids we know that chewing food more completely, to the consistency of apple sauce, can help their constipation. We also provide a complete physical therapy program for pediatric bladder and bowel development and control. If your child is experiencing troubles related to bladder or bowel function, our licensed physical therapist specializes in providing treatment that helps them. Call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here to learn more.

Chewing helps constipation and can reduce your bloating, abdominal cramping, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and pelvic floor strain.

In adulthood, constipation tends to manifest differently than in kids. Most adults do not wet the bed, for example. But, a constipated adult may experience pelvic pain, rectal prolapse, other pelvic organ prolapse, tailbone pain, bloating, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and pelvic floor dysfunction. Constipation also leads to your colon being in contact with your body’s waste products for a longer period of time, which increases your likelihood of colon cancer. The problems associated with constipation should be taken seriously and respond very well to our physical therapy methods. We love to work with people who struggle with lifelong constipation, because you are highly motivated and often demonstrate exceptional improvements that cause you to tell us that you are so very happy with your improvements. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy, please call 616-516-4334 or contact us here. You will be able to speak with one of our knowledgeable team members who can answer all of your questions. Once you come to PT, you will find that with your first evaluation you are learning things that can greatly help your constipation.

Can physical therapy, such as abdominal massage, vagus nerve toning and pelvic floor muscle training help my constipation?

Yes, these treatments can help your constipation. Because our licensed PTs specialize in pelvic health, we offer holistic treatments that have helped patients who have Crohn’s disease, IBS, celiac disease, colorectal cancer and other gut related health problems. Our therapies are gentle, safe and natural. Treatment is one-on-one with your PT for up to 55 minutes. For more information about working with us, contact us here or call us at 616-516-4334. This time allows us to provide you whole body care, such as heart rate variability training, diaphragmatic breathing exercises, pelvic floor muscle training, abdominal massage, scar tissue mobilization and vagus nerve toning treatments. Each of these interventions is meant to calm your inflammatory state and promote healthy pelvic floor muscle control. Treatment using abdominal massage in physical therapy for constipation has been around for a number of years and has been shown in case studies to help improve regularity and ease of passing your stools.

“Physical therapy incorporating abdominal massage appeared to be helpful in resolving this patient’s constipation. Unlike medical management of constipation, no known side effects have been identified with abdominal massage.”

-Kendra L Harrington, Esther M Haskvitz, Managing a Patient’s Constipation With Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy, Volume 86, Issue 11, 1 November 2006, Pages 1511–1519.

Does chewing help my microbiome? Yes, it does! Build your gut health one bite at a time!

Chewing food is a truly underappreciated habit that promotes a healthy gut. There is evidence that chewing food to small particles helps enhance digestion and your microbiome. For these reasons, our physical therapists encourage our patients who have constipation to chew their food to the consistency of apple sauce so that they can promote healthier gut microbiome and digestive capabilities.

“differences in chewing behavior and chewing outcome also significantly affected (…) microbial composition and the production of organic acid metabolites, resulting from colonic fermentation, which is increasingly recognized to be important for human health. These digestion/fermentation outcomes were largely related with the chewing time per mouthful, proportion of bolus particles bigger than 2 mm and amount of saliva added to the bolus during chewing. No significant relationships were found with other chewing trajectory and oral physiological measures. These results suggest that modification of chewing may be an effective strategy to control blood glucose levels and to shape gut microbiota and their metabolites, without altering diets”

-Kim, Esther H.-J., Wilson, Arran J., et al. Chewing differences in consumers affect the digestion and colonic fermentation outcomes: in vitro studies. 2022. 9355- 9371. Food & Function. VoL – 13 IS – 18 PB – The Royal Society of Chemistry

The Vagus Nerve is Stimulated when you chew! This is another reason why chewing does help constipation.

The vagus nerve is the main regulator of your parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. This nerve is your 10th cranial nerve and begins in your head. It is a very long nerve and has branches that go down your brainstem, to the neck, thoracic spine/rib cage, and down to the abdomen. The vagus nerve controls most of the muscles in the pharynx and larynx required for swallowing and vocalization. In this way, the vagus nerve impacts gut function from the very moment food enters your mouth! If you would like to receive specialized and gentle treatments by our PTs to stimulate your vagus nerve and also to learn how to do it yourself at home, contact us here or call us at 616.516.4334

The Autonomic Nervous System has two parts: The Fight or Flight Nervous System and The Rest and Digest Nervous System. Your PT program will work to improve the rest & digest portion of your nervous system.

The autonomic nervous system balance and gut-brain connection is a very interesting aspect of how to treat constipation. It turns out that one aspect of constipation is getting the rest and digest portion of your nervous system, which is largely your Vagus Nerve, to function at a higher level. Our physical therapy methods work to balance and enhance your parasympathetic nervous system, by using treatments to get your Vagus Nerve working better. We offer many approaches to helping your vagus nerve function, including chewing, manual therapies to the abdomen or neck, diaphragmatic activation techniques, breathing exercises and heart rate variability training. To work with one of our physical therapists, either in person in Grand Rapids, or via remote consultation, call our office at (616) 516-4334 to see if you qualify or reach out to us here to ask us a question.

When our PTs are promoting chewing your food, abdominal massage and breathing exercises to help your constipation, we are also helping your Vagus Nerve to work for you.

This will facilitate your digestion. When the parasympathetic nervous system (the Vagus Nerve) is more active, your heart rate slows, breathing deepens, blood returns to the digestive tract, and you feel more relaxed. Being in this state, instead of fight or flight, is necessary for the intestines to do their work digesting your food and giving you peristalsis to move the stool along your intestinal track so you can eventually defecate. This is one reason why our patients tell us that their physical therapy appointments are relaxing. If you would like more information about cost and availability, contact us here or call us at 616.516.4334.

More evidence that the gut-brain axis is crucial to your wellbeing:

The bidirectional communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, the so-called “brain–gut axis,” is based on a complex system, including the vagus nerve, but also sympathetic (e.g., via the prevertebral ganglia), endocrine, immune, and humoral links as well as the influence of gut microbiota in order to regulate gastrointestinal homeostasis and to connect emotional and cognitive areas of the brain with gut functions

-Carabotti M, Scirocco A, Maselli MA, Severi C. The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Ann Gastroenterol (2015) 28:203–9.

If you would like to talk with one of our knowledgable staff members about your constipation or pelvic health needs, contact us here or call 616-516-4334.

Because our patients are tired of medical treatments for constipation that don’t work or are expensive or come with side effects, they are looking for natural approaches to help their constipation. Our pelvic physical therapists will provide you a lengthy list of customized treatments and things you can do for yourself to help constipation, including chewing.

There are strong ties between chewing habits and constipation. Chewing more effectively does help constipation, gut microbiome and intestinal health. Our PTs offer you comprehensive methods to further improve your constipation.

Purple Mountain Physical Therapy is a specialty PT clinic located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We treat women, men and kids who have bladder, bowel and pain conditions, including chronic constipation, chronic pelvic pain, TMJ disorders and neck and back pain. Our specialty pediatric PT program specifically helps chronic constipation and improves kids’ self esteem and control for bladder and bowels. We are trained in pediatric specific and developmentally appropriate interventions that are positive, play based and help a child learn the complicated process of controlling their bladder and bowel muscles. Quite often the adults we treat tell us that their bladder problems developed back in childhood. It is our mission to reduce childhood embarrassment related to toileting challenges and to help ease stress amongst parents who so often worry their child may be made fun of by other kids. If you are interested in learning more about our bladder & bowel programs you can speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members at (616)516-4334 or contact us here.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain PT and pelvic health, spine and TMJ specialist. Our team of licensed physical therapists all specialize in treating chronic constipation and are here to help you take control of your body and improve your digestion.

You may be interested in these other articles we’ve written about the services we offer:

Why is My Child’s Poop So Big?

8 Ways Pelvic PT Helps IBS

Why Does My C-Section Scar Hurt Years Later?

Why Can’t I Push Out My Pee?

What is High Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Does Physical Therapy Help Endometriosis?

What Can I Do Naturally to Help My TMJ? 8 Tips That Help!

Physical Therapy Can Stop Bedwetting!

References:

Bonaz B, Sinniger V, Pellissier S. Vagus nerve stimulation: a new promising therapeutic tool in inflammatory bowel disease. J Intern Med (2017) 282:46–63. doi:10.1111/joim.12611

Carabotti M, Scirocco A, Maselli MA, Severi C. The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems. Ann Gastroenterol (2015) 28:203–9.

Kendra L Harrington, Esther M Haskvitz, Managing a Patient’s Constipation With Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy, Volume 86, Issue 11, 1 November 2006, Pages 1511–1519.

LaCross, Jennifer A. PT, DPT, PhD(c)¹; Borello-France, Diane PT, PhD²; Marchetti, Gregory F. PT, PhD²; Turner, Rose MLIS³; George, Susan PT, DPT⁴. Physical Therapy Management of Functional Constipation in Adults Executive Summary: A 2021 Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy. Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy 46(3):p 147-153, July/September 2022.

Lewicky-Gaupp, C., Morgan, D.M., Chey, W.D. et al. Successful Physical Therapy for Constipation Related to Puborectalis Dyssynergia Improves Symptom Severity and Quality of Life. Dis Colon Rectum 51, 1686–1691 (2008).

Malone JC, Thavamani A. Physiology, Gastrocolic Reflex. [Updated 2022 May 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan

Nezakati, Aram, et al. “The comparison of effect of abdominal massage and chewing sugar-free gum on the incidence and severity of constipation in male patients undergoing skeletal traction of lower limbs: A single-blind clinical trial.” Acta Medica Mediterranea 34.6 (2018): 1787-1792.

Zeng Y, Zhang X, Zhou J, Wang X, Jiao R, Liu Z. Efficacy of electroacupuncture compared with transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation for functional constipation: Study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 May;97(19):e0692.

Why Does Sex Hurt After Having A Baby?

Why Does Sex Hurt After Having a Baby?

Moms, this one is for you if intimacy and penetrative sex hurt after having a baby. We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids, Michigan and our licensed physical therapists specialize in treating pregnancy and postpartum conditions including painful sex, also called dyspareunia, vaginismus, pelvic girdle pain, lower back pain, pelvic pain, urinary incontiinence, diastasis recti abdominis and pelvic floor dysfunction. If you are experiencing new onset of pain with intimacy and wondering why sex suddenly hurts now, there can be a lot of reasons, which we detail below.

To learn more about why sex hurts for you after having your baby and our specialized physical therapy for painful sex or for complete postpartum recovery, call us at 616-516-4334 to get your questions answered from one of our knowledgable team members, or contact us here online and we will reach out to you!

Our pelvic floor physical therapists specialize in helping women who experience pain with intimacy and many times the reason why sex hurts after having a baby is because of musculoskeletal problems, such as pelvic floor muscle spasm, tailbone pain, SIJ pain, perineal scar tissue or C-section scar pain.

Your physical therapy begins with a detailed evaluation that will provide you with extensive insights and education for why sex hurts after having your baby. We specialize in helping you overcome all pelvic pain, including when sex hurts.

We offer in-person treatment and remote consultations for those who qualify. Research supports that women should be assessed by a physical therapist after giving birth, so you can be screened for problems, receive valuable education on the specifics of what your body needs to optimize your recovery and to learn corrective exercises to addres your pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) (also called split abdominals) as well as elongated & stretched out abdominals. So many of our patients come to us with no idea why sex hurts after having a baby. One woman this week told us “I have told my doctor about this problem for 17 years and have been blown off! The only thing I have ever been told is to lose weight. That’s not an answer!” If you wonder if our physical therapists can help you understand why sex hurts after giving birth and provide treatment for your painful sex and postpartum recovery, the answer is yes. We help women everyday who have vaginismus, postpartum pelvic pain and painful sex. Because we specialize in this and provide private, 55 minute appointments with your doctor of physical therapy, patients tell us that the level of care they receive with us is far above anything they have ever had. Please call us at 616-516-4334 to get your questions answered from one of our knowledgable team members, or contact us here online and we will reach out to you!

“Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) are 2 examples of musculoskeletal disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth that can have negative physical, social, and psychological consequences…. Evidence shows physical therapy is an effective, low-risk, therapeutic approach for PFD and DRA; however, physical therapists in the United States currently have a peripheral role in providing postpartum care. Lack of awareness, social stigma, and policy barriers prevent women from receiving physical therapist care.

-Claire J C Critchley, PT, DPT, Physical Therapy Is an Important Component of Postpartum Care in the Fourth Trimester, Physical Therapy, Volume 102, Issue 5, May 2022, pzac021,

If you are frustrated by having painful sex or vaginismus and no one has let you know why you are having pain with sex since giving birth and what you can do to help this problem, please know you are not alone! We treat postpartum women everyday whose sex is painful and who feel they’ve been dismissed by their medical provider. Our PTs will provide you with an examination that is different and more detailed so you can get some answers about why sex hurts after having your baby. If you are interested in getting insights into your condition so you can stop this pain with sex, call us at 616-516-4334 or reach out to us here and we will be in touch.

At what point postpartum should you reach out to a pelvic physical therapist?

We recommend that our pregnant patients touch base with us over the phone within two weeks of giving birth.

At that time, we provide a check-in and learn about how their birth went, whether they had a vaginal birth or cesarean and any complications, significant pain issues, bladder, bowel or anal issues. We answer all of their questions and advise on the next few weeks. If at two weeks you are feeling well, but tired, you don’t have pain, you can defecate, urinate and move without pain, then we advise you on basic corrective exercises for home to work on abdominal wall recovery, breathing, posture and pelvic floor rehabilitation. All of this can be done either remotely or in-person. To get your questions answered from one of our knowledgable team members, call 616-516-4334 or conctact us here online and we will reach out to you!

If, however, at one or two weeks postpartum you are having substantial problems with pain, peeing or pooping, we recommend coming to physical therapy straight away to begin treatment.

We commonly work with women who have experienced a traumatic birth injury (including OASIS injury), bladder injury, excess pain, tailbone pain, difficulty defecating, inability to sit, pain with trying to move from sit to stand or other more-than-expected pain problem (such as c-section surgical pain that is more than expected). If you cannot walk or easily move from sit to stand or in and out of bed, have terrible pain, trouble moving, difficulty peeing or pooping, we would want you to come to physical therapy for an in-person visit. Hopefully, if you are in the fist few weeks of your postpartum recovery and experiencing significant pain or problems functioning, you have reached out to your OB/Gyne or midwife and have been referred to physical therapy. Don’t be surprised, though, if they never mention physical therapy and simply tell you “good luck with that pain!” Unfortunately, we hear that happening all the time. Most of the women find us on their own, googling and frustrated by their pain or problems. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy for painful sex or for complete postpartum recovery, call us at 616-516-4334 to get your questions answered from one of our knowledgable team members, or contact us here online and we will reach out to you!

If you are struggling with painful sex and confused about why does sex hurt after having a baby, we can provide you answers.

Should sex hurt at six months after giving a baby? The answer is no, it should not hurt and if you are having pain with sex when six months postpartum we recommend you call us to receive a comprehensive pelvic physical therapy evaluation to determine if you have musculoskeletal issues contributing to your pain.

If sex hurts after giving birth and you are beyond 8 to 10 weeks postpartum and you are not already going to pelvic health PT, we recommend you get started. Common reasons why sex hurts after giving birth are that your pelvic floor muscles are tensed up, your pelvis is misaligned, your hip muscles are not allowing ease of penetration, lower back pain is influencing your pelvic floor, the tailbone suffered an injury or you have scarring either from tearing the perineum, an episiotomy or a cesarean surgery. Our licensed physical therapists specialize in giving you a compassionate and thorough examination of your entire body, not just your pelvic floor, to see what’s going on causing pain with sex or vaginismus. Our postpartum recovery program and painful sex treatment is private, thorough and will empower you to feel strong and painfree again. You can talk to fone of our knowledgable team members by calling us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here online and we will reach out to you!

37.5% of women experience painful sex six months after giving birth. Sex shouldn’t hurt! Physical therapy can help you and will give you answers to why sex hurts for you after giving birth.

Research has found that about 3 in 10 women can have pain with sex (dyspareunia) before pregnancy. To these women, I want you to know that physical therapy with our specialist PTs can help you. Research finds that at six months postpartum painful sex rates are higher, 37.5%. Fortunately, for 17% of women for whom sex hurts six months after giving birth, by 12 months their pain is back to where it was before having their baby. But, this means that 20.5% of women have persistent pain with sex at their baby’s birthday. Ladies, this is treatable! There is help! It is your pelvic floor muscles, low back, abdomen, scar tissue, hips, SIJ and tailbone that is causing this pain and our pelvic PTs specialize in this. Here is what the research finds regarding how many women find that sex hurts after having a baby:

“The proportion of women reporting dyspareunia (painful sex) at 6 months was significantly higher than those who experienced it pre-pregnancy (37.5% versus 29.3%, p < 0.001). Contrastingly, this was significantly lower than pre-pregnancy levels at 12 months postpartum (20.5% versus 29.3% p < 0.001).”

-O’Malley, D., Higgins, A., Begley, C. et al. Prevalence of and risk factors associated with sexual health issues in primiparous women at 6 and 12 months postpartum; a longitudinal prospective cohort study (the MAMMI study). BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18, 196 (2018)

To determine why does sex hurt after having a baby, we will assess and treat you comprehensively. The causes and types of pain with sex vary. For example, some women have pain with deep penetration, while other women experience pain at the entrance (introitus or vaginal opening). Some women have pain with arousal, other women have pain the day after sex. Our PTs will help you understand why it hurts to have sex since you had your baby.

Where it hurts and when it hurts in the process of the intimacy can vary. Our PTs treat all varieties of pain that occurs with sex, including dyspareunia, vaginismus, tailbone pain, deep thrust pain, pain at the entrance/introitus, pain with orgasm, pain with arousal, burning pain, pinched nerve pain, bladder pain after having sex, feeling of having a bladder infection after sex but you don’t have an infection. This is not how it should be. It is not “normal” for sex to hurt after having a baby. Get proper treatment, it will help you feel better, recover your intimate relationship and ease your thoughts and worries about this problem. To get answers for why does it hurt to have sex after having your baby, you can begin the process by talking to one of our knowledgable team members at 616-516-4334 or conctact us here online and we will reach out to you!

If you are interested in learning more about our postpartum recovery program and whole-body treatment to help painful sex, diastasis recti abdominis, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic floor dysfunction, core muscle recovery, back pain, tailbone pain, stress urinary incontinence or other issues, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here online and we will reach out to you.

To determine why sex hurts after having your baby, our licensed physical therapists check for many problems that contribute to pain with sex and are also fully treatable with the help of our postpartum physical therapists. Some of the things we evaluation & treat include:

Pelvic floor problems, including weakness, tension and stiffness
Low back pain, stiffness, movement or pinched nerves
Pubic bone misalignment, symphysis pubis dysfunction
Abdominal wall elongation or diastasis recti abdominis,
Postural changes from head to toe, as these can alter the load on the pelvic floor, rendering these muscles tight so penetrative sex hurts.
Shallow breathing & rib cage alterations (because this can tense up the pelvic floor and contribute to painful sex),
SIJ dysfunction
Hip problems, including labral tears, gluteal weakness, piriformis syndrome and obturator internus tension. The hips are part of the pelvis and can be a cause of pain with sex.
Tailbone misalignment, tension or stiffness
Scar tissue from perineal tearing, episiotomy or C-section surgery
Bladder dysfunction such as urinary incontinenence, overactive bladder, frequency and urgency, pain, waking up at night a lot to pee (nocturia) or difficulty starting your urine stream
Bowel dysfunction including hemorrhoids, constipation, painful defecation, incomplete emptying.
Pelvic organ prolapse and associated pressure, pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, myofascial tension
Myofascial restrictions head to toe.

We begin treatment at the very first appointment, which is a private, one-on-one 55 minute evaluation. You are welcome to bring your partner. Because we provide a whole body assessment of posture, core muscle strength, neck and back issues, your hips, glutes and thighs, we have a lot to cover in this first appointment. Depending on your symptoms and comfort level, this first appointment may include a gentle internal examination that assesses every pelvic floor muscle, your nerves and fascia. We also check for prolapse, pelvic floor strength, perineal scar tissue, tailbone mobility and more. Women tell us that our compassionate and trauma informed methods relieve their stress, fear and anxiety and give them answers and hope. You will leave your first visit with meaningful insights and education about your body, so you can begin to understand why it hurts to have sex since giving birth. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy for painful sex or for complete postpartum recovery, call us at 616-516-4334 to get your questions answered from one of our knowledgable team members, or contact us here online and we will reach out to you!

All of these issues can contribute to why sex hurts after giving a baby. The good news is that these are fully treatable with the skilled help of our licensed physical therapists.

We love to work with pregnant and postpartum women. It is a joy for us to see you get back to feeling great. We women know that the changes to our body during pregnancy are almost unbelievable to experience. For many of us, the pains, postural changes and pelvic floor and core muscle weakness that pregnancy caused persist after giving birth. Time passes and we find ourselves at 6 months postpartum experiencing pain with sex and wondering if it will just go away. We also have that quiet voice in our head that worries that sex will always hurt or be a diminished experience for the rest of our lives. Neither of these is true. Please, get the help of our specialist PTs who can give you a roadmap forward and answers that not only explain to you what is going on, but alleviate your pain and lift your fear and worry. You deserve this care. If you are interested in learning more about our postpartum recovery program and whole-body treatment to help painful sex, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here online and we will reach out to you. All of our team members with whom you will speak are knowledgable about our physical therapy and have talked with countless women just like you. changes our bodies so much and pushing a baby out of our pelvis does a number on our pelvic bones, hips, SIJ and pelvic floor muscles and tissues.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy and specialist pregnancy and postpartum physical therapist. We are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and offer in-person care or remote consultations for those who qualify. All of our PTs are specialists in the field of pelvic health, pelvic pain, TMJ disorders, neck and back pain. We treat adults and children.

You may be alone and wondering why does sex hurt for your after having your baby? There are so many things that can help you, reach out to us today to speak with one of our knowledgable team members who can answer your questions about cost, availability and what to expect.

You may be interested in reading these other articles we’ve written about the treatment we offer:

Physical Therapy Resolves Vaginismus and Dyspareunia

Are you looking for Painful Sex Treatment in Grand Rapids?

Exercise in Pregnancy: A Physical Therapists Perspective

Tips to Fix Incontinence Naturally

Does Physical Therapy Help Endometriosis?

Vulvar Pain and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction go together.

References for why does sex hurt after having a baby:

Alligood-Percoco NR, Kjerulff KH, Repke JT. Risk Factors for Dyspareunia After First Childbirth. Obstet Gynecol. 2016 Sep;128(3):512-518. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000001590. PMID: 27500349; PMCID: PMC4993626.

Claire J C Critchley, PT, DPT, Physical Therapy Is an Important Component of Postpartum Care in the Fourth Trimester, Physical Therapy, Volume 102, Issue 5, May 202.

O’Malley, D., Higgins, A., Begley, C. et al. Prevalence of and risk factors associated with sexual health issues in primiparous women at 6 and 12 months postpartum; a longitudinal prospective cohort study (the MAMMI study). BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18, 196 (2018)

Simonds, Adrienne H. PT, PhD¹; Abraham, Karen PT, PhD²; Spitznagle, Theresa PT, DPT, WCS³. Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pelvic Girdle Pain in the Postpartum Population. Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy: January/March 2022 – Volume 46 – Issue 1 – p E1-E38

Stuge, Britt MSc, PT^*; Lærum, Even PhD^†; Kirkesola, Gitle PT^‡; Vøllestad, Nina PhD^*. The Efficacy of a Treatment Program Focusing on Specific Stabilizing Exercises for Pelvic Girdle Pain After Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Spine: February 15, 2004 – Volume 29 – Issue 4 – p 351-359

Does Physical Therapy Help Endometriosis?

If you have pain from endometriosis and are wondering if physical therapy helps endometriosis, the answer is yes! Read on to learn how we can help your endometriosis pain!

We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, a specialty pelvic health and TMJ disorder pain clinic in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our licensed physical therapists have advanced training and extensive experience providing physical therapy to help endometriosis related pain. There are so many benefits you can experience with physical therapy, it truly can improve your quality of life. If you are suffering with endometriosis related pain that is making it hard for you to function, to go to work consistently, to attend college, to engage in an intimate relationship and to be active, happy and upbeat, we have helped women just like you get back to feeling like themselves again.

If you would like to learn more about our specialized physical therapy to help endometriosis related pain, function, intimacy issues, bladder and bowel problems call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here and we will reach out to you! There is physical therapy treatment available that can help your endometriosis pain and improve your ability to function and enjoy life.

Physical therapy does help endometriosis pain by working on muscle spasms, joint stiffness, irritated nerves, faulty posture, guarded and restricted joints, altered movement patterns, scar tissue and abdominal visceral restrictions, overactive bladder and bowel and pelvic floor muscle spasms.

When you work with our doctors of physical therapy you can expect us to provide you with whole body care that includes a variety of therapeutic measures customized to your findings and designed to work on:

Improving nerve pain, muscle pain, postural guarding, pelvic floor dysfunction, stiffness in your movement patterns, shallow breathing, scar tissue and so much more. If you are wondering if we may be able to help your endometriosis pain, please call our office at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members or contact us here and we will reach out.
Treating pelvic floor muscle spasms and stopping the constant muscular pain associated with these muscle spasms. Pelvic floor dysfunction is a huge driver of chronic pelvic pain such as tailbone pain, SIJ pain, vaginal pain & pressure and abdominal pain.
Improving your ability to have pain free intercourse and to stop vaginal and vulvar pain.
Improving your scar tissue, so your organs (viscera) can slide and glide without pinching and pulling. The lack of normal viscer mobility causes a signal to the spinal cord and brain and, therefore, contributes to chronic pain and central sensitization. We work with very gentle therapeutic hands-on methods that included specialized abdominal massage and visceral mobilization to help this problem.
Improving your spine and hip mobility, so your joints and low back hurt less and move better.
Activating the calming portion of your autonomic nervous system, your parasympathetic nervous system. Our licensed PTs who specialize in treating endometriosis give you multiple techniques to help your Vagus Nerve, which calms your fight or flight, to work better for you.
Getting you moving and physically active, in a safe and purposeful manner. We know that exercise can boost mood, reduce inflammation and provide benefits a the molecular and endocrine (hormone) level. Yet, our patients don’t know what exercises to do, they also have faulty movement patterns, their posture is guarded, they lack full range of motion of their hips and back and they need the skilled guidance of our physical therapists to teach them which exercises would best help me.

Source: -Ricci E, Viganò P, Cipriani S, Chiaffarino F, Bianchi S, Rebonato G, Parazzini F. Physical activity and endometriosis risk in women with infertility or pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Oct;95(40):e4957.

Calming your bladder so you don’t experience bladder pain, urinary urgency and frequency and urinary incontinence.
Optimizing your bowels so you have less pain when passing a bowel movement, you experience improvement in constipation, reduction in diarrhea and your pelvic floor muscles learn how to lengthen and relax to allow for easing of passing stool.

If you would like more information about our treatment to help endometriosis related pain, please reach out to us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

A special note to acknowledge that physical therapy can help endometriosis related painful sex. If you are wondering why sex hurts and if anything can be done about it, we help women every day who experience painful intimacy. There is hope!

Helping painful intimacy is one common aspect of endometriosis related pain and other pelvic pain conditions (such as vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, pudendal neuralgia, high tone pelvic floor, pelvic floor muscle spasm, tailbone pain) that our specialized physical therapists treat. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive treatment to help pelvic pain. The treatment can be directed externally to your abdomen, low back, hips, inner thighs or internally (with your permission) to the pelvic region, nerves, pelvic floor muscles and connective tissue.

If you are wondering why sex hurts, we can provide you answers. So often our patients tell us that no one has ever provided them with the level of education and insights into what is going on with their body that we offer.

Painful sex is very common with endometriosis and physical therapy can ease your pain. Our staff members who answer our phones are very familiar with our physical therapy treatment for endometriosis. To get your questions answered contact us here and we will be in touch or call us at 616-516-4334.

There are many musculoskeletal causes for painful sex, which is caused dyspareunia, that are very treatable by our pelvic physical therapists. If you have endometriosis and painful sex, physical therapy does help your pain!

Sometimes the pain is from nerves that are irritated and we can work to gently decrease your nerve irritation.
Other times the issue is related to muscle spasms in the pelvic floor. Our PTs will provide you a detailed assessment of your pelvic floor muscles, by checking layer by layer each muscle and also by checking your superficial and deep pelvic floor muscles. No other specialist provides this level of detail.
To alleviate your pain with sex we can include mobilization of your connective tissue in and around your abdomen, thighs and pelvic floor; this includes in the area of the pudendal and pelvic nerves and their surrounding muscles and fascia.
We also include myofascial trigger point release and pelvic floor muscle retraining. We work to improve your hip mobility, tailbone, SI joint and lumbopelvic mobility.
We provide gentle care to your bladder, uterus and lower abdominal area because sometimes that is causing painful sex.
Our PTs will assess and treat your hips and usually we discover tension in hip muscles and loss of hip range of motion that can also cause dyspareunia. We will treat this.
We teach you how to breath and to work on opening your vaginal region and relaxing your pelvic floor to allow for penetration.
We include instruction in home program for working towards your goal of penetrative intimacy and we also provide counsel on how to restore pleasure and work towards a healthy sexual relationship again. Because your pelvic area has been associated with pain for so long, we have found that all of these things combined help unravel the causes of pelvic pain and help you to get back towards a pleasurable intimate relationship. Our patients have come to us with gratitude at how this has helped their marriages, their self esteem and their sense of being a woman. We approach this care with sensitivity and compassion and you can expect to find both physical and psychological relief when working with our PTs who understand your predicament in a way that allows you to discreetly and openly discuss your situation. We have private treatment rooms and invite partners to appointments.

We have worked with countless other women who have endometriosis and helped them get back to intimacy. If you would like more information about our PT for endometriosis, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

If your endometriosis causes you to feel like your nerves are burning, our physical therapy for endometriosis can help your pain.

Does your endometriosis sometimes feel like you are on fire in your deep pelvis, lower back, legs or abdomen?

It is very common that patients tell us that they have burning pain. It can be located in a wide variety of places throughout their body, not just their abdomen. The burning nerve pain may be abdominal, located in the pelvic region (vagina, perineum, pelvic floor, tailbone, SIJ, etc.) lower back, neck, in your hips, thighs or lower down your legs. Our patients describe sensation such as tingling, numbness, stabbing pain, sharp pain, burning, and “crawling” or “vibrating” sensations that may be anywhere from their neck to their toes. Some patients also experience headaches that may not directly be caused by endometriosis, but can be related to the muscle guarding, postural guarding and generalized muscle tension that endometriosis pain causes. The physical therapy you receive at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy to help your endometriosis pain is comprehensive and will treat your whole body; you will work with your same doctor of physical therapy at every visit, in a compassionate, therapeutic setting. Call 616-516-4334 or contact us here to learn more.

Additionally, if your lower back, hips, neck or pelvis are stiff and having muscle spasms, your nerves can become inflamed.

Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition and, unfortunately, this inflammation can cause disruption and irritation of your nerves. Finally, when the adhesions and endometriosis lesions are present they may be located in an area that involves a nerve. For all of these reasons, and others, nerve pain is common with endometriosis. Our PTs specialize in endometriosis treatment, chronic pelvic pain, low back pain, neck pain and TMJ disorders. From your first phone call with our staff, you will experience compassionate care and understand that there is help for your endometriosis pain. Call 616-516-4334 or contact us here to learn more.

Fortunately, our licensed physical therapists have specific training and experience working with women who have endometriosis to help calm down their nerve pain.

Your physical therapy begins with an evaluation where we discuss your goals, symptoms and concerns. In the evaluation, we gently assess the many nerves in your mid and lower back, pelvis and abdomen that can be contributing to burning pain. If we find an area where you have muscle spasms, scar tissue (from ablation surgery or laparoscopy) or joint stiffness (like low back pain) causing your pinched nerves, we will begin gentle treatment to help the inflammation of the nerve to begin to improve. This treatment will include a variety of hands-on manual therapies such as myofascial release, gentle visceral mobilization, scar tissue release, joint mobilization, pelvic balancing and stretches to your mid and lower back, hips, pelvic floor and thighs. We also include corrective exercises such as whole body vibration, postural balancing, fascia flow movements, core muscle coordination & strength and pelvic floor exercises. If you are curious about our treatment to help endometriosis related pain, please reach out to us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

Physical therapy also helps endometriosis related pain by including exercises movement pattern retraining and postural correction to improve your spine and pelvic posture, enhance movement patterns, stretch tight muscles, joints and fascia and strengthen weaker muscles.

While the benefits of movement and exercise are generally recognized by most people, for people who have endometriosis there is an inability to move without pain which can lead to a hesitation and avoidance of movement and exacerbation of pain, deconditioning, muscle guarding & spasms and endometriosis postural changes. For our patients who have endometriosis, our licensed physical therapists observe hunched posture, stiffness in their hips and spine, shallow breathing, weakness in the glutes, tension throughout the abdominal wall and generalized reduction in quality of movement patterns. Our patients also tell us that they don’t know which exercises would help them and which ones should be avoided. Call 616-516-4334 to learn how you can begin to work with one of our doctors of physical therapy to get a customized program that helps you to move, exercise and have less pain. Alternatively, contact us here. and we will be in touch.

When you work with one of our PTs to help your endometriosis pain, we customize an exercise program based on your specific findings, your pain triggers and your goals.

In PT we will complete therapeutic, corrective exercises, under the watchful eye of your physical therapist who is always by your side to instruct your movement patterns and coordination of your muscles and breathing. We also provide you with a customized self care home program that gives you tools and a clear roadmap for what would be most helpful for your body to help your endometriosis pain and deconditioning. Research has supported that physical activity and exercise are anti-inflammatory, can reduce pain, improve posture and provide molecular and hormonal level benefits. Our PTs love to work with women who have endometriosis so we can help you feel better. If you are suffering in the darkness of endometriosis that is slowing you down and preventing you from enjoying life to the fullest, we are here to help you. Call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable team members or contact us here.

“After 8 weeks of performing the exercise regimen, there was a statistically significant decrease in the patients’ pain intensity and thoracic kyphosis angle program in compared with pre treatment. [Conclusion] Ultimately it was proven that eight weeks of an exercise program is very effective in decreasing pain and postural abnormalities associated with endometriosis.”

-Awad E, Ahmed HAH, Yousef A, Abbas R. Efficacy of exercise on pelvic pain and posture associated with endometriosis: within subject design. J Phys Ther Sci. 2017 Dec;29(12):2112-2115.

If you have endometriosis, you likely also experience other pain related conditions, such as migraines, chronic TMJ pain, interstitial cystitis or myofascial pain syndrome. Our PT program will treat these problems, as well.

By providing whole body care that works to calm down all of your pain, you will notice that your function improves. You will experience less overall pain and improved confidence with being active in life. We have helped patients who have endometriosis to get back to running, to start exercise programs, to be able to return to college, to be functioning and out of bed and to be experiencing pain free intimacy, including penetrative sex. If you are wanting to work with our physical therapists, we offer in-person treatment in Grand Rapids, Michigan or remote consultations for those who qualify. Our program for helping people with endometriosis is specialized and from your first phone call with our staff, you will detect an attentive level of taking care of you with specialized physical therapy for endometriosis. Call 616-516-4334 or contact us here to learn more.

Research looking at the impact of chronic pain on your quality of life is very clear that endometriosis related pain effects so many aspects of your life.

Our physical therapists understand this and will work with you to create a pathway forward so you can function at a higher level, defecate, not be bothered by your bladder, become intimate again and simply feel more hopeful about your ability to provide for your family

“Chronic pain (related to endometriosis) is negatively associated with almost all (12/14) aspects of daily life investigated, including standing, walking, sitting, defecation, sleep, sports activities, family and domestic responsibilities, sexuality, social functioning, professional life, mood, and joy of life.”

-Leuenberger J, Kohl Schwartz AS, Geraedts K, Haeberlin F, Eberhard M, von Orellie S, Imesch P, Leeners B. Living with endometriosis: Comorbid pain disorders, characteristics of pain and relevance for daily life. Eur J Pain. 2022 May;26(5):1021-1038.

Fortunately, at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy we specialize in treating chronic pain, including TMJ disorders, interstitial cystitis, bladder pain syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, pudendal neuralgia, chronic low back pain, dyspareunia (painful sex) and other chronic pelvic and spine conditions.

Our whole body approach to helping endometriosis related pain will fully treat all of your pain. We cannot ignore your other pain conditions because these also keep your nervous system activated and cause muscle guarding, tension and postural changes that perpetuate the type of pain you experience with endometriosis.

Working with our PTs, you will receive a private, one-on-one appointment with your doctor of physical therapy.

Each appointment is up to 55 minutes long and, in contrast to others who do not specialize in helping endometriosis pain, we provide whole body treatment, never leave your side and include manual therapies, visceral mobilization, neural calming, corrective exercise, pain neuroscience education, dietary recommendations and more. We don’t use lesser trained staff, such as aides, to monitor you during exercise, because we need to be right by your side to teach you how to effectively coordinate your movements, breath, calm your pelvic floor and get your hips, ribcage, neck and spine in the optimal position. We also help your abdomen to move so you have less muscle guarding and cramping. It takes attention to detail to best help you and we will be with you every second of the way. If you have questions about our physical therapy for endometriosis, including cost and availability inquiries, contact us here or call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable team members.

A special note to our patients and readers who have endometriosis! You are strong. We know it. You might not believe it because you have been tested beyond compare, but we see you for who you are: a person with a lot to offer this world who is being challenged in ways that most don’t understand. We understand you. We are here for you to provide you physical therapy for your endometriosis pain and to help you feel better.

For the women we treat who have endometriosis, when you come to us we see a very strong person who has endured more than most. You may come to us with your vibrancy diminished, your energy levels low, your mood in a low place and your body hurting. And, we also see someone who is persevering, who is looking for relief, who has uncommon strength. It is our goal in physical therapy to partner with you to find a path forward so you can function again. We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids Michigan. All of our PTs have advanced training specific to providing physical therapy to help endometriosis pain, to calm muscle spasms and guarding, to alleviate bladder and bowel disorders, to help you be intimate without pain, to provide you with pain neuroscience education, calming measures for your nervous system and exercises and lifestyle interventions at home to improve your function. We love this work, especially working with women who have endometriosis; we have a heart for helping you and a mind devoted to keeping up with the research related to endometriosis and how to help your chronic pain.

If you want to start feeling better and get treatment for your endometriosis pain, you have found the right place. We offer in person care and also remote consultations for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to talk about your needs and answer your questions

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy and specialist in treating pelvic pain, TMJ pain, neck and back pain. All of our physical therapists are fully trained in advanced treatments for endometriosis pain. We love this work and consider it an honor to help you.

You may be interested in reading these other articles:

Are you looking for Painful Sex Treatment in Grand Rapids?

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Overactive Bladder in Grand Rapids

5 Tips To Ease Pelvic Pain that Won’t Go Away!

Tailbone pain and How Pelvic Floor PT Can Help You! Plus Some Self-Care Tips!

Vulvar Pain and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction go together.

Interstitial Cystitis Treatment in Grand Rapids!

Physical Therapy for Lichen Sclerosus

References:

Arendt-Nielsen L, Morlion B, Perrot S, Dahan A, Dickenson A, Kress HG, et al. Assessment and manifestation of central sensitisation across different
chronic pain conditions. Eur J Pain. (2018) 22:216–41.

Awad E, Ahmed HAH, Yousef A, Abbas R. Efficacy of exercise on pelvic pain and posture associated with endometriosis: within subject design. J Phys Ther Sci. 2017 Dec;29(12):2112-2115.

Leuenberger J, Kohl Schwartz AS, Geraedts K, Haeberlin F, Eberhard M, von Orellie S, Imesch P, Leeners B. Living with endometriosis: Comorbid pain disorders, characteristics of pain and relevance for daily life. Eur J Pain. 2022 May;26(5):1021-1038. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1926.

Maddern J, Grundy L, Castro J, Brierley SM. Pain in Endometriosis. Front Cell Neurosci. 2020 Oct 6;14:590823.

McNamara HC, Frawley HC, Donoghue JF, Readman E, Healey M, Ellett L, Reddington C, Hicks LJ, Harlow K, Rogers PAW, Cheng C. Peripheral, Central, and Cross Sensitization in Endometriosis-Associated Pain and Comorbid Pain Syndromes. Front Reprod Health. 2021 Sep 1;3:729642.

Ricci E, Viganò P, Cipriani S, Chiaffarino F, Bianchi S, Rebonato G, Parazzini F. Physical activity and endometriosis risk in women with infertility or pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Oct;95(40):e4957.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Bladder Problems. What’s Going On?

Author | Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT pelvic health, back pain, neck pain and TMJ disorder specialist physical therapist. Experienced with treating people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & bladder problems or pelvic floor dysfunction.

Can Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Contribute to Bladder Problems or Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

If you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and also are experiencing some bladder problems and pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, you may be wondering if the two issues are associated. As an experienced pelvic health physical therapist for 25 years, I have treated people who have EDS and also have bladder problems and pelvic floor dysfunction, prolapse, pelvic congestion syndrome, bladder control problems, lower back and neck pain and hip problems (such as hip labral tears, hip pain, gluteal tendinopathy). There has been research, that we will show here, that people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome experience higher rates of urinary problems and pelvic pain. Fortunately, our physical therapists specialize in helping people who have EDS to gain urinary control and reduce back, hip and pelvic pain. If you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and are experiencing bladder problems or pain, seeing a highly qualified pelvic physical therapist can help restore bladder function and reduce pain. We provide treatment that is customized to your needs and abilities and is safe and effective for people who have EDS. For more information about our in-person physical therapy at Purple Mountain PT in Grand Rapids, Michigan or remote consultations, call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our staff members or contact us here.

All of our licensed physical therapists here at Purple Mountain PT have experience helping people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and also have pelvic or lower back pain, bladder problems, neck or TMJ pain.

Because bladder problems and pelvic pain are common with individuals who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, our pelvic PTs have training and experience in designing effective treatment programs to help optimize bladder function and reduce pelvic, back, neck, jaw and hip pains that are common with the hypermobility and other connective tissue issues with people with EDS. Below I detail some of the bladder and pelvic floor issues that research has found for people who have EDS. I also will review some of the methods that our licensed physical therapists use. If you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and are experiencing pelvic, back, hip, neck or TMJ issues and would like more information about our in-person treatment or remote consultations, call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our staff members or contact us here.

Do you feel like with your Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome you are the only one dealing with bladder problems? You are not alone! EDS can contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder problems.

We know that people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome have been found to have many bladder and pelvic symptoms, including chronic pelvic pain, bladder control problems and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Research published this year (2022) asked more than 1300 people who have EDS if they experience pelvic prolapse, pain, bladder problems or sexual issues. The respondents reported the following genitourinary problems:

60% report stress urinary incontinence
54% urinary urgency incontinence
24% fecal incontinence
21% pelvic organ prolapse.
71% pelvic pain, especially dysmenorrhea, back pain and muscle and joint pain.
Nearly 50% have sexual dysfunction with 36% reporting painful sex (dyspareunia)

Kciuk O, Li Q, Huszti E, McDermott CD. Pelvic floor symptoms in cisgender women with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: an international survey study. Int Urogynecol J. 2022 Jun 25. doi: 10.1007/s00192-022-05273-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35751670.

Our licensed physical therapists treat all of the bladder problems, prolapse and sexual-related difficulties noted in this Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome study and many others, actually.

We are fully experienced in the specialty fields of pelvic health (for men, women and children) and TMJ disorder physical therapy (also women, men & children). Our PTs are also experienced orthopedic physical therapists who have treated every “common” ortho condition you can imagine anywhere in the body, including the feet, knees, shoulders, elbows. When a person who has EDS comes to us for treatment for their pelvic condition, back, neck or jaw, we include treatment to these other areas, if needed, to help your primary issues. If you are experiencing pelvic, back, hip, neck or TMJ issues and would like more information about the in-person treatment or remote consultations, call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our staff members or contact us here.

In addition to focused pelvic treatment that may include manual therapy & exercises to the abdomen, pelvis, low back and hips, patients who have EDS benefit from comprehensive, whole-body treatment.

By addressing posture, overall strength, movement patterns, muscle imbalances, stability, balance, pelvic floor dysfunction, SI joint alignment and other things, we customize a treatment plan for each patient who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, your movement patterns and weakness contribute to incontinence, pelvic pain, overactive bladder, prolapse or other pelvic symptoms; it is our hope to personalize the treatment for you to get you functioning as well as possible, within the context of your EDS. Our goal is to address the many contributions to your pain, prolapse, pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence or other issues so you can function at a higher level, experience better bladder function and learn how to protect your muscles, pelvic floor, pelvic organs and joints in the process. If you have questions about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or submit your questions here.

Many of our patients have already tried other therapies, medical interventions, alternative treatments or personal efforts and still struggle with bladder issues or pelvic pain. Because we specialize in helping people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and bladder or pain problems, we are able to provide care that is effective, comprehensive and different than other approaches.

It is our goal to get you relief from pain and bothersome bladder problems by providing comprehensive physical therapy treatment that differs from what you have tried. Our treatment plan for people who have Ehlers-Danlos related bladder and pain problems includes a variety of whole body interventions that are customized to each person’s needs. To effectively address pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic or back pain or bladder problems, we partner with you to create a treatment plan that includes manual therapy, corrective exercise, postural training, body mechanics instruction, bladder control therapies, balance exercises, pelvic floor exercises or any other methods you may need. For individuals who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome we often find a high amount of muscular trigger points causing pain. Our manual therapy techniques or dry needling can be effective approaches to helping ease trigger points and their pain.

Our pelvic physical therapy program for people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome takes into consideration the special accommodations or needs that a person who has EDS may require in a physical therapy program.

We provide postural support and use methods to ensure your joints are not strained during therapy. Our PTs also recognize that you may experience more fatigue with exercise and are able to create movement retraining programs that are better tolerated for your body. Some of our patients who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome also have POTS (positional orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and our PTs will modify and customize your treatment program to a level that your orthostatic intolerance can tolerate. If you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and are looking for a solution to your pelvic condition and would like to work with a physical therapist who is knowledgeable and experienced both with working with people who have EDS and who have pelvic floor dysfunction (bladder, prolapse, pain, fecal issues), we offer in-person treatment or remote consultations. Call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our staff members or contact us here and get your questions answered.

71% of people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome reported pelvic pain

This study specifically found a high rate of back pain, joint pain, muscle pain and menstrual cramps for people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Chronic pelvic pain is one thing that our PTs specialize in treating, including in people with hypermobility, pelvic floor laxity, pelvic organ prolapse and chronic back and hip pain. We treat all of the pain conditions mentioned in the research and many others, such as endometriosis related pain, persistent genital arousal disorder, chronic SIJ pain, tailbone pain, Pudendal neuralgia, vaginismus, vulvodynia, chronic c-section scar pain and others. For some patients the pain is related to pelvic organ prolapse, which is also common amongst people who have Ehlers-Danlos. Our treatment is designed to improve your pain, prolapse, pelvic floor muscular support, posture and other issues. To ask us a question about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or submit your questions here.

Common areas of pain that we treat for people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome include chronic low back pain, chronic pelvic pain, SI joint pain, tailbone pain, hip pain, neck and TMJ pain.

The spine, hips and pelvis undergo tremendous forces with daily activities. For individuals who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome there is often excess strain occurring through these joints, nerves, connective tissue and muscles. By treating your whole body, reducing muscular trigger points, enhancing deep core muscle stabilization and pelvic floor muscle function, optimizing your postural alignment to the best of your ability and retraining movement patters, our physical therapists develop treatment plans for individuals who have EDS that can reduce your pain and enhance your bladder and bowel function. If you are interested in speaking with one of our knowledgeable staff members about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or submit your questions here.

Treatment may be directed to your head, TM joint (jaw), neck, rib cage, shoulders, the low back, hips, knees or feet.

Bladder problems and pain problems need treatment that goes well beyond simply treating the pelvic floor muscles. To best improve the incontinence, urgency and frequency or pelvic pain that a person who has EDS is experiencing, we must include whole body treatment. We use stability exercises and hands-on manual therapy to retrain your core muscles, including the pelvic floor muscles (that attach to the coccyx and influence tailbone, SIJ and lower back pain). Often the SI joint is not aligned or functioning properly for our patients who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; this SIJ dysfunction can contribute to bladder problems, including incontinence and overactive bladder (urinary frequency and urgency), which is why we always check and treat the SI joint for all of our patients who have EDS. To ask us a question about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or submit your questions here.

For our patients with Ehlers-Danlos who have chronic pelvic pain, we have found benefit from a combined manual therapy approach with stabilization, strengthening and movement-based retraining.

By combining therapeutic hands-on treatments (to your neck, back, abdomen, hips, thighs and other areas with muscle guarding and myofascial pain) with corrective therapeutic exercise care, we are able to help you alleviate your pelvic, back and other pains. Because pelvic floor dysfunction is a special area of focus for us, we include treatment to the pelvic floor muscles, which has typically been overlooked by other treatment methods. People who have back pain, hip pain, tailbone pain or SIJ pain also have pelvic floor dysfunction. Research supports that people who have EDS typically also have weakness. If someone has pelvic pain, we need to improve strength and also need to reduce trigger points, muscle guarding and imbalanced or hypermobile joints. We do this with specific corrective exercises and hands-on manual therapy, adapted according to your tolerance if you have POTS. The whole-body, comprehensive care we provide to pelvic pain patients who have EDS offers you a path forward. Our PTs pledge to provide you personalized care that meets your needs and is customized to our findings for you. If you have questions about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or if interested in scheduling an appointment, you can contact us here.

60% of the people who have EDS reported stress urinary incontinence, a leakage of urine problem that benefits from pelvic PT.

Improving stress incontinence, which is the type of leakage that occurs when you laugh, cough or sneeze, can be frustrating, without the support of a pelvic PT who specializes in this. Many patients come to us and have tried solving this problem on their own, without success. People who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, hypermobility type, benefit from the personalized training and focus from our licensed physical therapists to learn how to more effectively control their bladder, stabilize their movements and manage the intra-abdominal pressure that is generated with their daily movements and exercises. If you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and are experiencing pelvic issues such as SIJ pain, lower back pain, pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, frequency or other bladder issues, our PTs can help you. If you are like many of our patients, you are tired of dealing with these problems and looking for a solution. You have found a place that is devoted to helping people just like you. To get your questions answered or speak with one of our knowledgeable staff, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or contact us here.

When wondering if Ehlers-Danlos can cause bladder problems and pelvic floor dysfunction, 60% stress incontinence and 54% urinary urgency incontinence rates are higher than typical and indicate there can be an EDS component contributing to bladder problems. Fortunately, physical therapy helps this.

Our PTs will work with you to identify what is going on with your bladder. Just because you have EDS does not mean you are stuck with bladder control issues. Effective, holistic pelvic physical therapy, as described here, is helpful to improve bladder function. Your problem may involve a number of issues (incontinence, nocturia, overactive bladder, pain, urge incontinence, retention, poor stream, etc.). We specialize in helping people restore functional bladder problems of all types. Each type of bladder problem needs different treatment methods and we will give you what your bladder and body need, addressing your EDS and working to improve bladder function, pelvic floor dysfunction, core muscle deficiencies, posture or anything else. Because EDS involves a defect in the collagen proteins that provide strength and flexibility to your connective tissues, we take this in to consideration when designing a treatment program for you. If you have a hypermobile urethra or bladder, our PTs provide you natural treatments and options to support this hypermobility so that you are less likely to experience stress incontinence. If you have questions about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or submit your questions here.

Our PTs work one-on-one with you, never leaving you to exercise on your own. We continually are instructing you and coaching you towards improved engagement of the necessary deep core and postural muscles with the pelvic floor to control urine better.

You can expect treatment that may be exercise based with some hands-on treatments. Patients come to us with many questions and a deep desire to solve their problem. If this sounds like you, please call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members and get your questions answered, or submit them here.

Fortunately, we know that pelvic floor physical therapy can alleviate incontinence, painful sex, prolapse symptoms and overall pain.

Because there is a strong amount of bladder problems, such as incontinence or urgency and frequency, with pelvic floor dysfunction in people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, our PTs are experienced in seeing these problems and helping you improve.

We treat all of our patients, including those who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, with one-on-one, private appointments that include pelvic floor muscle retraining, strengthening of your core, postural correction and gentle hands-on manual therapy. We teach you what exercises to do at home, with very specific instructions for how to perform them safely. We take into consideration the unique needs of people who have EDS and partner with you to ensure your therapy is meeting your expectations. Physical therapy can improve bladder function, including issues such as incontinence, overactive bladder or incomplete emptying. At Purple Mountain PT, this is our specialization and our experienced physical therapists are ready to help you. We offer in-person or remote consultations, for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to talk to one of our staff members or contact us here.

54% of the people in the EDS study reported urinary urge incontinence

Our clinical experience indicates that some people who have EDS experience the pelvic floor muscles going into high tone and stiffness to compensate for hypermobility. This extra activity of the pelvic floor muscles can cause the bladder to perceive that you need to urinate and, over time, urinary urgency, frequency or urge incontinence can develop. Our physical therapy program to help this problem is comprehensive and effective. If you have questions about our physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or other conditions, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with a knowledgeable staff member or contact us here.

This 54% rate of urge urinary incontinence for people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is much higher than the general population, where published rates range from approximately 7-12% of people.

Our PTs love to help urinary urgency, frequency and urge incontinence. Often people who have this condition also are getting up at night to urinate, which causes sleep disruptions. Our treatments for this include a variety of methods to retrain your bladder, so it can calm down, fill up and store urine without giving you urgency and urge incontinence. The treatment for this is largely hands-on care, like everything else we do it is whole-body treatment. We will assess your EDS and determine if you have hypermobility, postural issues or movement patterns that are contributing to your bladder frequency and urgency and urge incontinence and include care for this, as well. We offer in-person or remote consultations, for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to talk to one of our staff members or contact us here.

Why pelvic physical therapy is a safe, natural treatment for your bladder problems, pelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Looking at the rates of genitourinary symptoms in people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome can be discouraging, especially if you are reading this article and find yourself one of the many people who have these symptoms. You are not stuck with these problems just because you have EDS. We can improve your muscular control, joint stability, strength, postural alignment and other factors that cause bladder problems and pelvic floor dysfunction. Physical therapy has always been a natural option for recovery and offers a number of benefits. If you are interested in receiving support from Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, our licensed physical therapists specialize in helping adults and children, including people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Our focus areas include pelvic health conditions, spine (neck or back), chronic pelvic pain or TMJ disorders. We offer in-person or remote consultations, for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to talk to one of our staff members or contact us here.

If I have Ehlers-Danlos, why pelvic floor physical therapy can help you, including bladder issues.

We know that Ehlers-Danlos can contribute to you experiencing a number of bladder problems, including leakage or urgency and frequency. When these problems have been ongoing, the pelvic floor muscles persist in their dysfunction. Pelvic PT is here to help.

Unlike surgery or pharmaceuticals, our physical therapists work with you using safe, natural and effective treatments that enhance your function and give you some control over your body.
Whole-body treatment methods are can benefit a person who has hypermobility, weakness, postural misalignments, improper breathing patterns and more.
Bladder control for individuals with Ehlers-Danlos may involve stress incontinence, urinary urgency and frequency, incomplete emptying, recurrent urinary tract infections or other issues (constant urge, bladder pain, for example). We have treatment programs to help each of these bladder problems. These are adapted and customized according to each person’s needs, tolerance and findings, including if you have EDS.
Our physical therapists help bring clarity, education on optimal bladder habits and methods to keep your bladder and pelvic floor happy and healthy. Patients tell us that PT has given them hope and helped them function at a higher level again. Often people who have EDS feel at a loss for how to change their bladder problems, pelvic organ prolapse or pelvic floor dysfunction. Our licensed physical therapists create a focused, pragmatic and effective treatment plan for you.

Our physical therapists help people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder problems.

Our goal for individuals who come to us and have EDS, bladder problems, chronic pelvic pain or TMJ pain is to provide you safe, effective, whole body physical therapy treatment to reduce pain, improve your quality of life and optimize the bladder’s function. This includes the bladder’s ability to fill up, store urine without leaking and effectively contract to freely empty urine. One important aspect of our treatment model is that we provide one-on-one treatments, up to 55 minutes each visit, with your doctor of physical therapy. This allows you to establish a trusted relationship with your provider and to advance your program each week. We offer in-person or remote consultations, for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to talk to one of our staff members or contact us here.

Because Bladder Problems and Pelvic Floor dysfunction are higher for individuals who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, we believe that pelvic PT should be the standard of care for you. In an ideal world, the medical community would routinely recommend physical therapy for bladder and pelvic floor dysfunction for people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Many people find out about our physical therapy on their own. Some people google and find us, other people have friends and family tell them about us, others find us on Instagram (@purplemountainpt) or Facebook. Even when patients are referred to pelvic physical therapy, the research has found a lot of you choose not to go. We get it. We understand you might be scared or anxious to go to pelvic PT. Our physical therapists offer trauma-informed and compassionate care and we will work with you to devise a plan together. Patients tell us they wish they had found us sooner, because the treatment has helped them so much. We are the natural, safe, solution that enhances your bladder control, builds strength, improves posture, resolves pelvic floor dysfunction, alleviates pain and gives you hope. Suffering with these private, embarrassing pelvic floor problems is not your highest quality of life. We are here to help you. If you would like more information about our in-person physical therapy (in Grand Rapids) or our remote consultations, call us at 616-516-4334 or submit your questions here.

If you tired of leaking urine, chronic pelvic pain, prolapse or urge incontinence and you have EDS, our PTs are here to help you.

We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, a speciality pelvic health and TM joint PT clinic located in Grand Rapids, MI. We offer in-person treatment and remote consultations. You don’t need to suffer with these pelvic problems, there is high quality, safe and effective treatment from one of our physical therapists. Our team of PTs is devoted to pelvic health, including helping people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. We can help you improve bladder dysfunction, including overactive bladder, stress incontinence, urge incontinence, nocturia, difficulty emptying, poor stream and bladder pain. Nothing makes us happier than helping you to feel better and more confident how to manage your Ehlers-Danlos for lifelong wellbeing. We will educate you, teach you, coach you, improve your strength, address your movement patterns and provide you with comprehensive care that is safe and effective for your particular needs. Getting started is easy. Just call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff and get your questions answered. Or submit an inquiry here.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy and specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction, neck, back and TMJ disorders. All of our physical therapists have advanced post-graduate training to help individuals who have EDS.

Additional articles that may be of interest:

What is High Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Tips to Fix Incontinence Naturally

TMJ Disorder Treatment in Grand Rapids

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Overactive Bladder in Grand Rapids

Why Does My Child Keep Wetting Their Pants?

References:

Arunkalaivanan AS, Morrison A, Jha S, Blann A. Prevalence of urinary and faecal incontinence among female members of the hypermobility syndrome association (HMSA). J Obstet Gynaecol J Inst Obstet Gynaecol. 2009;29(2):126–128. 10.1080/01443610802664747.

Chan C, Krahe A, Lee YT, Nicholson LL. Prevalence and frequency of self-perceived systemic features in people with joint hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type. Clin Rheumatol. 2018;38:503–511. 10.1007/s10067-018-4296-7

Coussens M, Lapauw B, Banica T, De Wandele I, Pacey V, Rombaut L, Malfait F, Calders P. Muscle Strength, Muscle Mass and Physical Impairment in Women with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2022 Mar 1;22(1):5-14. PMID: 35234154; PMCID: PMC8919651.

Gilliam E, Hoffman JD, Yeh G. Urogenital and pelvic complications in the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and associated hypermobility spectrum disorders: A scoping review. Clin Genet. 2020 Jan;97(1):168-178. doi: 10.1111/cge.13624. Epub 2019 Sep 1. PMID: 31420870; PMCID: PMC6917879.

Knoepp LR, McDermott KC, Muñoz A, Blomquist JL, Handa VL. Joint hypermobility, obstetrical outcomes, and pelvic floor disorders. Int Urogynecol J. 2013;24(5):735–740. 10.1007/s00192-012-1913-x.

Kohn A, Chang C. The Relationship Between Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2020 Jun;58(3):273-297. doi: 10.1007/s12016-019-08755-8. PMID: 31267471.

Le Huec JC, Aunoble S, Philippe L, Nicolas P. Pelvic parameters: origin and significance. Eur Spine J. 2011 Sep;20 Suppl 5(Suppl 5):564-71. doi: 10.1007/s00586-011-1940-1. Epub 2011 Aug 10. PMID: 21830079; PMCID: PMC3175921.

Mastoroudes H, Giarenis I, Cardozo L, et al. Lower urinary tract symptoms in women with benign joint hypermobility syndrome: a case–control study. Int Urogynecol J. 2013;24(9):1553–1558. 10.1007/s00192-013-2065-3.

Milsom & M. Gyhagen (2019) The prevalence of urinary incontinence, Climacteric, 22:3, 217-222, DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2018.1543263

Mou T, Warner K, Brown O, Yeh C, Beestrum M, Kenton K, Emi Bretschneider C. Prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse among US racial populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based screening studies. Neurourol Urodyn. 2021 Jun;40(5):1098-1106. doi: 10.1002/nau.24672. Epub 2021 Apr 9. PMID: 33834519.

Roeder, M., Thiel, S., Baumann, F. et al. Increased augmentation index in patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 20, 417 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-020-01684-x

Rombaut L, Malfait F, De Wandele I, Taes Y, Thijs Y, De Paepe A, Calders P. Muscle mass, muscle strength, functional performance, and physical impairment in women with the hypermobility type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012 Oct;64(10):1584-92. doi: 10.1002/acr.21726. PMID: 22556148.

Scheper MC, Nicholson LL, Adams RD, Tofts L, Pacey V. The natural history of children with joint hypermobility syndrome and Ehlers–Danlos hypermobility type: a longitudinal cohort study. Rheumatology. 2017;56(12):2073–2083. 10.1093/rheumatology/kex148.

Ying Sheng, Janet S. Carpenter, James A. Ashton-Miller, Janis M. Miller. (2022) Mechanisms of pelvic floor muscle training for managing urinary incontinence in women: a scoping review. BMC Women’s Health 22:1.

Tips to Fix Incontinence Naturally

Author| Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT pelvic health physical therapist specializing in treating adults with urinary incontinence.

What can I do at home to improve urinary incontinence? Some tips for you to help fix your incontinence naturally.

Our physical therapists provide every patient extensive education and self care training to help their urinary incontinence. Here we detail some general tips that are recommended in some guidelines and through our clinical practice with treating urinary incontinence. We recommend you work with your PT to figure out what is best for you. Because you are not our patient, these tips to fix incontinence naturally are for educational purposes only and serve as a talking point with your provider. If you are interested in working with one of our licensed physical therapists, call us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members or submit your questions here.

Monitor your bladder symptoms: Pay attention to what is going on. Notice your urinary frequency, flow of urine, how often you wake at night to urinate and any changes in your status. See your provider when things change or if you have any concerning symptoms (pain, burning, difficulty emptying, blood, etc.)
Drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated. With urinary incontinence, it is helpful to stay properly hydrated. Some people avoid drinking water or other beverages due to fear of leaking, but this concentrates your urine and denies your bladder the chance to fill up, which is helpful for bladder function.
Try drinking your water all at once, instead of sipping all day long. Sometimes sipping water all day long, can exacerbate urinary incontinence. Instead, for some people, it is helpful to drink a large glass of water all at once. This also helps your bladder to learn how to fill up and hold urine.
Avoid fluids that irritate your bladder or worsen urinary incontinence. Each person is different, but common culprits include alcohol, carbonated beverages and caffeine.
Don’t push your pee out. Urinating in a relax manner, either standing or sitting, optimizes your bladder function and avoids straining the pelvic floor muscles. Rushing or pushing out your urine can worsen pelvic floor muscle function and exacerbate urinary incontinence.
Be certain to fully empty your bladder. Take all the time you need to empty. Some men benefit from gently milking the urethra to get all of the urine out of the urethra. For some men, this helps reduce post-void dribbling.
If you experience urinary frequency and urgency, use techniques to calm these bladder spasms. Things like diaphragmatic breathing, gentle pelvic floor muscle contractions followed by relaxing them, distraction techniques and mental tasks to take you mind off of your bladder can help some men calm bladder spasms.
Urinating every 2 to 4 hours apart is optimal. We prefer that you try to retrain bladder control to hit these benchmarks. Some men cannot hold their urine for 2 hours without experiencing severe bladder spasms; you need pelvic PT to calm this problem. Other men wait too long to urinate and simply overtax the bladder control system because they don’t urinate often enough.
Use the toilet when you feel the urge to defecate. Constipation and holding in stool can worsen bladder control. This is one of our best tips to fix incontinence naturally. Truly, if you have bladder control problems, you need to be certain your bowels are regular. Our pelvic PTs specialize in treating constipation, bladder, bowel and pain related issues. If you are interested in working with us, call 616-516-4334 or submit your questions here.
Eat a healthy diet with enough fiber, fruit and vegetables to keep your bowel movements regular. Fiber doesn’t help everyone, but in America we are generally not eating enough of it. If you have urinary incontinence, you must improve your bowel regularity to help your bladder control.
Talk to your physician about all the medications you are taking, because some of them contribute to bladder control problems.
Remain physically active. We know that more sedentary people have worse control of their urine. The pelvic floor muscles need to be worked throughout the day and being active and moving around helps these muscles. For example, in one study men who were physically active one or more times/week had a 51% lower risk of urinary incontinence. Walking for exercise is one tip we offer to naturally help incontinence. Your pelvic floor and bladder control muscles can benefit from walking. If exercise causes your incontinence, our physical therapy specializes in resolving leakage that is caused by movement, jumping, running or other exercise.
Maintain healthy body weight. Belly fat puts more pressure on the bladder control system, for both men and women. If you have excess weight, working on optimizing your weight can improve your bladder control. One study found that men who were obese had a 220% increased odds of urinary incontinence compared to men who were normal weight.
Stop smoking or vaping. In a large study of over 600 women smoking was found to substantially increase the risk of stress incontinence (involuntary loss of urine).
When lifting, exhale and use good body mechanics If you hold your breath when lifting things, you are applying extra force through your bladder and pelvic floor, making it easier to strain and lose urine.
Improve your posture The optimal alignment of your head, ribcage, low back and pelvis sets you up for better bladder control. If you know that your posture is not good, you may be orienting your bladder, urethra and pelvic floor in a position where it is easier to lose urine. Our physical therapy program addresses postural correction as part of our urinary incontinence recovery physical therapy.
Strengthen your core, hips and whole body If your core, glutes or thighs are not at optimal strength and functioning, then your pelvic floor may go into over-drive to compensate; this is pelvic floor dysfunction and makes it possible to experience urinary incontinence.
Optimize your blood sugar. There is a connection between diabetes and incontinence.
Don’t assume Kegels will help you If you have pelvic floor dysfunction (and you do, if you are having urinary incontinence), sometimes the muscles and bladder control gets worse if you do Kegels. This is why our licensed physical therapists work closely with you to assess and treat your incontinence. Every patient receives a customized and whole-body treatment program and is closely supervised by their physical therapist.
Work to improve your balance. The pelvic floor muscles should be responding when you lose your balance and as you walk and move. We use balance based exercises routinely as part of our pelvic floor rehabilitation programs to comprehensively improve urinary incontinence. If you are interested in working with one of our licensed physical therapists, call us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members or submit your questions here.
Address any pain you experience. Pain can upregulate your system and contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction. Our PTs specialize in treating chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, TM joint pain, neck and back pain. If you would like to work with our PTs or have questions about our treatment, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.
Women going through perimenopause or who are menopausal, consider estrogen. As estrogen declines, urinary incontinence occurs more readily. If you are menopausal, talk to your provider about topical estrogen, if you are a candidate for it.
Work with a pelvic physical therapist at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy. Our PTs provide whole body treatments that truly work to resolve urinary incontinence. If it were easy to solve incontinence, then you would have already figured it out on your own. We find that our patients struggle for a long time with incontinence and when they come to us, they are finally happy to have someone identify what is going on with their body to help this. Instead of just reading these tips to fix incontinence naturally, we believe you would benefit from the support and guidance of our pelvic physical therapists. Our one-on-one physical therapy appointments offer whole-body treatment and solutions for incontinence and go well beyond basic Kegels exercises. In fact, many of our patients do not complete Kegels at all.

If these tips to fix incontinence naturally overwhelm you, take the guesswork out of your problem and work with one of our PTs. Call 616-516-4334 to get your questions answered.

We know that urinary incontinence can be stubborn and difficult to resolve. We provide you a clear treatment program and framework to resolve your incontinence. What’s holding you back from getting started? We’ve been doing this work for years and are here to help! If you are interested in working with one of our licensed physical therapists to receive a solution to your urinary incontinence, call us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members or submit your questions here.

Working with a provider who specializes in this treatment offers you a higher level of customized care and opportunity to solve your incontinence problem. Our PTs offer in-person treatment in Grand Rapids or telehealth visits, for those who qualify. If you have questions about our treatment, cost or availability, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

We hope these tips to fix your incontinence naturally give you a starting point, but working with a pelvic PT truly gives you solutions.

Our pelvic and bladder physical therapy gives you natural, exercise-based and manual therapy treatment methods to resolve urinary incontinence. At Purple Mountain PT, our licensed physical therapists specialize in treating men, women and kids who have bladder, bowel or pain issues. We love to work with you and provide you insights into what is causing your problem and designing a treatment program for incontinence that is natural, without side effects. If you are interested in working with one of our licensed physical therapists to receive a solution to your urinary incontinence, call us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members or submit your questions here.

We offer in-person and telehealth visits, for those who qualify. This work is an honor for us and we are devoted to helping you overcome urinary incontinence. Don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more. 616-516-4334

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy and specialist in pelvic health, neck, back and TM joint physical therapy.

All information is for educational purposes and is not meant to treat you or substitute for working with your own physical therapist or physician.

Since you are looking for tips and natural treatments for urinary incontinence, you may be interested in these other articles we’ve written:

Physical Therapy for Male Incontinence in Grand Rapids

Is There A Connection Between Diabetes and Incontinence?

Endometriosis Physical Therapy Treatment in Grand Rapids

What Can Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Help With?

Does Pelvic Floor Therapy Work for Prolapse?

What is High Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

How Much Bedwetting is Normal?

References for tips to fix incontinence naturally:

Brown, Heidi W., Candace Parker-Autry, and Angela L. Sergeant. “Bladder and Bowel Continence in Older Women.” Challenges in Older Women’s Health. Springer, Cham, 2021. 163-183.

Bump RC, McClish DK. Cigarette smoking and urinary incontinence in women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1992;167:1213–1218.

Engstrom G, Walker-Engstrom ML, Loof L, Leppert J. Prevalence of three lower urinary tract symptoms in men-a population-based study. Fam Pract. 2003;20:7–10

Masterson, Thomas A., et al. “Comprehensive pelvic floor physical therapy program for men with idiopathic chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a prospective study.” Translational andrology and urology 6.5 (2017): 910.

Mobley D, Baum N. Smoking: Its Impact on Urologic Health. Rev Urol. 2015;17(4):220-5. PMID: 26839519; PMCID: PMC4735668.

Nelson RL, Furner SE. Risk factors for the development of fecal and urinary incontinence in Wisconsin nursing home residents. Maturitas. 2005;52:26–31.

Schmidbauer J, Temml C, Schatzl G, et al. Risk factors for urinary incontinence in both sexes. Analysis of a health screening project. Eur Urol. 2001;39:565–570.

Shamliyan TA, Wyman JF, Ping R, Wilt TJ, Kane RL. Male urinary incontinence: prevalence, risk factors, and preventive interventions. Rev Urol. 2009 Summer;11(3):145-65. PMID: 19918340; PMCID: PMC2777062.

Teunissen TA, van den Bosch WJ, van den Hoogen HJ, Lagro-Janssen AL. Prevalence of urinary, fecal and double incontinence in the elderly living at home. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2004;15:10–13. discussion 13.

Van Oyen H, Van Oyen P. Urinary incontinence in Belgium; prevalence, correlates and psychosocial consequences. Acta Clin Belg. 2002;57:207–218

Zhang AY, Strauss GJ, Siminoff LA. Effects of combined pelvic floor muscle exercise and a support group on urinary incontinence and quality of life of postprostatectomy patients. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2007;34:47–53.

Physical Therapy for Lichen Sclerosus

Author | Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT pelvic health physical therapist specialist treating lichen sclerosus, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic pain, bladder, bowel and intimacy related conditions

How can physical therapy help lichen sclerosus?

At Purple Mountain Physical Therapy our licensed PTs have specialized training to offer physical therapy for lichen sclerosus so you can alleviate the pain and associated problems related to intercourse, painful sex, bladder issues or bowel problems. We understand that lichen sclerosus is a private and painful problem and this can cause despair. Our physical therapy for lichen sclerosus is comprehensive, educational and helps calm pain. In this article we detail some of the key features of what our PTs offer you so that you can experience pain relief, comfortable sex, healthy bladder function and normal bowel movements. If you are interested in learning more about our PT for lichen sclerosus, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff.

Physical Therapy for lichen sclerosus will help your scar tissue

Here at Purple Mountain PT, our licensed physical therapists specialize in treating scar tissue. If you peruse our website and Instagram posts you will find information, we have written about treating c-section scars, for example. We work with any scar that a person has and help it to become more mobile and less painful for them. This is true with lichen sclerosus. By using gentle and specific pelvic floor manual therapy methods we will assess your scar tissue, let you know what we are finding and work with you to get this tissue more pliable. Each appointment is private, in a comfortable treatment room and 55 minutes in length. You will work with your same doctor of physical therapy at every appointment; we never bounce you around to someone else and we don’t leave you alone to exercise by yourself. If you are interested in learning more about our lichen sclerosus scar and comprehensive treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

If you have scarring around the clitoris or clitoral hood, our pelvic PT can help you

This is a prime area where we help patients. Quite often the clitoral hood is not able to retract and move. We help you identify if this is a problem and using gentle and effective treatment methods, we will help you improve the extensibility of these tissues. If your clitoral hood cannot move, then intimacy is not nearly as pleasurable or sensitive as it should be. Over the course of PT, you can expect to see visible improvement in your clitoral mobility and, over time, we hope that you experience greater sensation in the clitoral region when you are intimate. If you are interested in learning more about our treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

PT for lichen sclerosus will help your skin and opening of the vaginal canal

The skin of the labia, vulva and vestibule can become fibrotic and tighten up with LS. If the opening of your vaginal canal also becomes restricted, then using tampons, having your annual Gyne exam or trying penetrative sex can be very difficult. “Difficult” is putting it lightly, actually. We’ve worked with women who have severe pain when attempting anything penetrative. We understand your pain and how to help you, very gently, work to improve the restrictions at your vaginal opening and your skin. Our gentle manual therapy methods help to improve the connective tissue of your skin and the tension in your muscles that are contributing to your pelvic pain. To inquire about cost and availability of our pelvic health PTs for your lichen sclerosus or other pelvic health concerns, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Our PT for lichen sclerosus helps make the tissue more elastic and increases blood flow to the tissues

Our PTs specialize in providing treatment to lichen sclerosus, lichen planus and pelvic floor dysfunction. If we had to boil down what we do for our patients, whether they have lichen sclerosus or other pain condition, we would say that we improve blood flow to tissues. We use very gentle manual therapy methods to the thighs, abdomen, hips, low back, mid back and pelvic floor (external and internal, when possible) to increase blood flow to these tissues. Nerves require more than their fair share of blood flow. Fibrotic scar tissue of lichen sclerosus benefits from physical therapy to enhance blood flow so that the tissue can receive nutrition and healing. We also provide gentle stretching and massaging of the scar tissue and teach you how to do this at home. With lichen sclerosus, you need to have a very focused and do-able routine at home to manage this condition. If you simply ignore it for five years you risk the tissues becoming more scarred and fibrotic. Our licensed physical therapists will work with you, providing trauma informed and compassionate care, so that you feel safe, supported and effectively empowered to navigate this condition. If you would like to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members to ask questions about our LS and pelvic floor dysfunction treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Lichen sclerosus physical therapy can help painful sex

People who have lichen sclerosus often experience painful sex. While penetrative sex may hurt and sometimes become impossible, sometimes just touching the area is not enjoyable. The tissue may hurt when touched or may lack sensation. When sex is painful, the lichen sclerosus may be causing scar tissue at the opening of your vagina and, if so, some women experience tearing when penetration is attempted. Medical management of this is very important and using topical steroids is the recommended treatment; without using the steroids as prescribed you risk re-fusing of your scars and continual tearing of the tissue. Physical therapy for lichen sclerosus will address this vaginal stiffness and gently work to get your scarring and tissues to be more pliable. However, in addition to the LS causing the pain, usually there is pelvic floor muscle problems, specifically tension and stiffness, causing pain and we treat that as well. If you are interested in learning more about our treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Physical Therapy helps calm the pain, spasm, pain cycle that lichen sclerosus may cause.

If every time you attempt intimacy, using a tampon, or a gynecologic exam, you have pain, then this pain may cause more muscle spasms and guarding. You end up with a pain-spasm-pain cycle: you have pain from LS, you try to do something like use a tampon and you experience muscle spasm, the pelvic floor muscle spasms cause more pain. Our pelvic PTs work to stop this cycle of pain and to calm down the muscles, nerves, scar tissue and other contributing factors (such as an imbalanced pelvis or abdominal wall scars from a C-section). Our hope is that, with pelvic PT for lichen sclerosus, and with what you are doing at home (that we will teach you), your body becomes more comfortable and able to receive stimuli and will not perceive it as a threat, therefore, you will not go into spasm and pain. If you would like more information about our pelvic health physical therapy program for lichen sclerosus and pelvic pain problems, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Physical Therapy for Lichen Sclerosus helps address pelvic floor dysfunction.

Our PTs treat both lichen sclerosus and lichen planus. The patients who come to us often find us through google searching, Instagram or word of mouth from one of their friends. Usually, they have not been told that they have pelvic floor dysfunction. But, if you have lichen sclerosus and sex has been painful or using a tampon is a challenge, it is very likely you also have pelvic floor muscle issues. In particular, we find that the superficial muscles, located in the vulva and vestibule region near your vaginal opening, become stiff and restricted. We also sometimes find deep pelvic floor muscle tone and tension; these are the levator ani muscles that you may think need Kegels. In fact, usually Kegels make the problem worse. It is only through an evaluation by our physical therapists that you will learn if you need to be doing Kegels or not. We will teach you the exercises that will best help your pelvic pain, lichen sclerosus and pelvic floor dysfunction. If you are interested in learning more about our treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Why your pelvic floor muscles need to relax

The pelvic floor muscles, both the superficial muscles that are near your vaginal opening and the deep muscles lining the base of your pelvis, need to be able to lengthen, relax and have mobility. When someone has lichen sclerosus or lichen planus, it is common that these muscles experience tension, restrictions and stiffness. Physical therapy helps gently improve the flexibility, movement and tone of the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding fascia and nerves. This will help ease your pain. If you have questions about our treatment for lichen sclerosus and pelvic floor dysfunction, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

When you have lichen sclerosus sex may hurt because of scarring and tearing and also because of pelvic floor muscle tension and pain.

You may think that the only reason you have pain with sex is because of LS (lichen sclerosus), but our patients have found that they have painful sex because of several reasons. They may have LS & also have pelvic floor dysfunction. Or they have LS & also have c-section scar pain. Or they have LS & also have perineal scar tearing pain from prior labor and delivery tearing. Or they have LS & they have endometriosis pain. Or they have LS & also have a hip labral tear issue. The point is that our patients come to us looking for comprehensive treatment and often have multiple things going on that are causing painful sex. We will give you answers and a clear physical therapy treatment plan to address all of the things causing your painful sex.

Our patients receive physical therapy for lichen sclerosus, and are often able to get back to comfortable intimacy, including penetrative sex.

The comprehensive, whole-body care that we are known for truly does alleviate pain, bladder control problems, defecatory issues and back, SI joint, tailbone and hip issues. The physical therapy we offer to treat lichen sclerosus and lichen planus includes very gentle treatments to the pelvic floor muscles, either completed externally or internally (or both), depending on what your body is able to handle. We also provide exercise-based care, myofascial mobilization and self-care education and instruction. We work with you to develop a comfortable and safe treatment program. If you would like more information about our treatment for painful sex, vaginismus, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic pain or lichen sclerosus, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Physical Therapy can help Lichen Sclerosus by calming inflammation

For our patients who have lichen sclerosus we want to help you to have a plan to heal autoimmunity, which means we have to reduce inflammation in your body. We work holistically with our patients to develop a comprehensive treatment program to calm down lichen sclerosus. One thing that we help guide is efforts you can make at home to reduce inflammation. We provide you with dietary recommendations, for example. We also help promote optimal digestion and reduce your abdominal wall tension so you can experience better gut health. We work to enhance blood flow through your connective tissue and myofascial tissues so your nerves have optimal blood flow and less nerve pain. In the clinic we use our whole-body vibration machine to get your lymph fluid moving and to help with muscular control. If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Our physical therapy treatment for lichen sclerosus is customized to your whole-body findings.

While lichen sclerosus may be present in the vaginal or anal region, we find that our patients have myofascial and musculoskeletal problems in the abdomen, low back, hips, posture or inner thighs. You can expect us to assess and treat all of these areas so we can optimize all of your systems. This is really important for your care. For example, many of the nerves that go to your pelvis come out of your thoracic or lumbar spine and traverse your abdomen and hips. Therefore, we treat all of these areas so that you experience less pain, dysfunction and inflammation in the pelvic region. If you are interested in receiving whole-body, natural and comprehensive treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

Are you recently diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosus? We encourage you to get an experienced pelvic PT on your team as soon as possible to avoid worsening scar tissue and pelvic pain.

While it is never too late to start pelvic PT treatments for lichen sclerosus (and some of our patients with LS have their first appointment nearly two decades after being diagnosed!), we encourage you to get PT going as early on in the process of your diagnosis as possible. This is because scar tissue, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic pain, bladder or bowel challenges may all be developing and our physical therapists can treat these before they become more severe issues. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy for lichen sclerosus, pelvic pain, painful sex or pelvic floor dysfunction, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334.

We do encourage you to work with a specialist physician who can diagnose and treat your lichen medically and give you clear understanding of the medications you need to use and any other options available to you. This condition does require a devoted self-care routine at home and your physician and pelvic physical therapist will help you determine what you need to be doing.

Why choose Purple Mountain PT for your lichen sclerosus physical therapy treatment?

Purple Mountain PT is a specialty pelvic health and TM joint clinic located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We treat adults and children in-person or via telehealth. Everything we do here is designed to give our patients hope and true relief from their symptoms. We are known for helping people who have already been to other providers and did not experience relief. Our PTs are specially trained in pelvic health conditions, including treating complex pelvic pain problems, lichen sclerosus, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis and more. If you are looking to work with a pelvic PT, our team pledges to provide you with compassionate and comprehensive treatment in a comfortable, private and therapeutic setting. Each appointment is 55 minutes in length and this time allows us to provide you with whole body care that truly addresses all of your needs. If you are interested in learning more about our treatment, contact us here or reach out to us at (616) 516-4334. We pledge to give you our best effort and methods so that you have the greatest opportunity to experience true recovery!

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT specialist in pelvic health physical therapy for more than two decades. She and the team of PTs at Purple Mountain PT have advanced post-doctoral training specific to treating lichen sclerosus and complex pelvic health conditions.

To learn more about our clinic, you may be interested in these articles we’ve written:

Vulvar Pain and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction go together.

5 Tips To Ease Pelvic Pain that Won’t Go Away!

What is High Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Vaginismus and Dyspareunia Treatment in Grand Rapids

Are you looking for Painful Sex Treatment in Grand Rapids?

Is There A Connection Between Diabetes and Incontinence?

Author| Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT pelvic floor specialist

Is there a connection between diabetes and incontinence?

At Purple Mountain PT, we are pelvic floor physical therapists and we help people overcome stress urinary incontinence and any other bladder control problem. Today, we share various details about the connection between diabetes and incontinence. Your blood glucose levels are crucial numbers to know. Just as you should know your blood pressure, you should know your blood glucose levels and be on the look-out for them being too high. We know there is a connection between diabetes and incontinence as well as other diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD); in fact, up to 50% of diabetics experience DBD. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy, or if you have questions about cost and availability, reach out to us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

Type I diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and Prediabetes all have higher rates of incontinence. Diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) affects up to 50% of all diabetic patients and is well-known in the medical field.

There have been numerous studies investigating if there is a connection between diabetes or prediabetes and urinary incontinence and the results have consistently shown that the answer to be yes. Diabetic bladder dysfunction is a condition with a broad range of symptoms. The temporal theory of diabetic bladder dysfunction has identified that problems with bladder function begin one way and as time passes and your diabetes advances, your bladder problems will change. In the early phases of diabetes, the bladder may experience urgency, frequency and urge incontinence. In later phases of diabetic bladder dysfunction, a person experiences a sluggish bladder, causing incomplete emptying, loss of an urge to urinate, difficulty voiding and possibly overflow incontinence (literally your bladder is so full, the urine just overflows). Our licensed physical therapists help people who experience any bladder symptoms across the spectrum of problems that diabetic bladder dysfunction causes. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

Numerous papers have confirmed that incontinence rates are elevated in women with type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetics and people with prediabetes also have higher rates of urinary incontinence. There is some research that suggests that weight loss may reduce incontinence in women with prediabetes. Also, as a pelvic PT, we know that weight loss helps most people who experience incontinence to reduce their unexpected loss of urine, even when you are non-diabetic. This is because excess weight in the abdomen or trunk places greater strain through the genitourinary system and renders it easier to lose control of urine. If you are struggling with fitness and weight, in part because of bladder control issues, and you also have diabetes or prediabetes, we can help you. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

At Purple Mountain PT, we specialize in providing pelvic PT for all bladder function disorders, including diabetic bladder dysfunction, urinary incontinence and painful bladder syndrome

Our licensed physical therapists are specifically trained in rehabilitation for pelvic floor dysfunction, urinary incontinence bladder, bowel and intimacy related pelvic health problems. Our experience includes helping individuals who are prediabetic and diabetic overcome their bladder problems. By providing comprehensive and whole-body therapy to address urinary incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction, we help you get control over your bladder again. Our post-doctoral training specific to bladder function, optimization and control helps individuals resolve urinary incontinence, neurogenic bladder, urgency and frequency, nocturia and interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome), constant urinary urge, incomplete bladder emptying, post-prostatectomy incontinence and other bladder related disorders. If you would like to learn more about our therapy for people who experience diabetes or prediabetes and also have urinary incontinence or other bladder dysfunction, call us at (616) 516-4334 to have your questions answered or contact us here.

What You Can Do if you have Diabetes and Stress or Urge Urinary Incontinence

First, you must be working diligently on optimizing blood glucose levels. We can provide you recommendations on exercise and diet to help you and we also advise you to work with a dietician, functional medicine practitioner and your physician to get the right medical management in place.

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a proven method of resolving stress and urge urinary incontinence, including in people who are prediabetic or diabetic. In most cases, the cause of the incontinence is more than the diabetes and prediabetes. Our PT works to address all the causes that we commonly find in patients. This may include weak core, diastasis recti abdominis, pelvic organ prolapse, improper breathing patterns, deficient glutes and leg strength, pelvic floor weakness, pelvic floor stiffness, pelvic floor high tone or another pelvic floor dysfunction. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

Stress Urinary Incontinence is Associated with Elevated Blood Glucose Levels

Stress Urinary Incontinence affects about half of all women. It may be surprising that it is associated with elevated blood glucose level, but if you think about how diabetes affects everything in your body, it should not be surprising. However, we want to point out that most of our patients who have stress incontinence are not diabetic or prediabetic; there are so many contributions to stress incontinence that have nothing to do with blood glucose. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

In a 2022 study, completed by Ying, et al, they examined stress urinary incontinence rates in 10,771 women and also monitored their blood glucose.

They found that people who experience weekly stress urinary incontinence had blood glucose levels that were consistently higher than the blood glucose levels of people who had less stress incontinence, experience it just monthly (not weekly).

The participants were divided into 3 groups, based on blood glucose:

*<86 mg/dl

*>86 to 98 mg/dl

*>98 mg/dl

What they found was the higher the blood glucose, the more prevalent stress incontinence was.

In fact, the people in the group >98 mg/dl had a 15.2% higher risk of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) being present and also a 12.5% higher risk of the stress urinary incontinence happening more frequently than the people whose blood glucose was <86 mg/dl. This is one more reason to better manage your blood glucose levels. Exercise is one pathway to improving your blood glucose. The more muscle you have in your body, the better your blood glucose can be. Our licensed physical therapists can help you start and develop a safe, effective workout routine if you are diabetic or prediabetic and if you have any bladder issues, including incontinence. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

Stress incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine when you laugh, cough, sneeze, jump or otherwise perform an action or movement that strains your bladder and causes unwanted leakage of urine.

In women, stress incontinence is known to be multifactorial in nature, so don’t assume you have diabetes or prediabetes if you experience stress incontinence. Contributions to developing stress incontinence include:

The anatomy of the bladder and urethra render it more difficult for women to generate force closure pressure to stop the involuntary loss of urine
The urethral closure mechanism often is defective, even when your bladder (detrusor muscle) is not contracting. Thus, your bladder muscle may be appropriately quiet, but your urethra is open, instead of closed and you leak urine.
The loss of support of the urethra or neuromuscular defects in the urethra are thought to contribute to stress incontinence.
Pelvic floor dysfunction characterized by insufficient strength, length, timing and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles when necessary to stop the loss of urine.
Diabetes and prediabetes are risk factors for developing stress urinary incontinence.
Pregnancy and number of pregnancies is a risk factor for developing stress incontinence.
Girth of your abdomen is a risk factor for developing incontinence.

If you have urinary incontinence and would like to get care from our licensed physical therapists who specialize in pelvic health and resolving urinary incontinence, we are here to help you. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

The connection between diabetes and incontinence is clear when you look at the rates of incontinence within the diabetic community.

Just a glance at the rates of incontinence within the diabetic community across 3 studies illustrates the point:

50.5% of women who were diabetic reported urinary incontinence.
38% of American women who have diabetes mellitus were found to have urinary incontinence.
28.8% of Norwegian women who are diabetic were found to also experience stress incontinence.

In diabetics, stress incontinence has a higher rate of problems than other types of incontinence (urge incontinence, for example). We also know that people can experience stress incontinence and have normal blood sugar levels. So, while there is a connection between diabetes and incontinence, you should not assume that if you are having incontinence, that you have elevated blood glucose levels. We work with people who have incontinence, whether you have diabetes or excellent blood sugar control. If you would like to ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

23% of diabetics have reduced detrusor (bladder muscle) contractility, consistent with diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD).

A person who experiences diabetic cystopathy has a gradual change in the urinary patterns and development of a decreased need to urinate. When the bladder muscle doesn’t contract and generate a signal that you need to urinate, you may go long hours without feeling an urge to urinate. When this is the case, a person may experience trouble starting their urinary stream or keeping the urine flowing to fully empty their bladder. The natural reflexes that should be occurring to allow for healthy urination are sluggish and urinary retention occurs. If a person is not emptying their bladder regularly, they may develop overflow urinary incontinence, another connection between diabetes and incontinence. If you are experiencing bladder control issues that you suspect are related to your prediabetes or diabetes, we are here to help you. Feel free to reach out and ask questions about our services, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

The Unique Risks that Women Experience Related to Blood Glucose

As women progress through perimenopause, their hormones change and insulin resistance tends to occur. Women who have PCOS are also found to have insulin resistance and high blood sugar. Unfortunately, diabetes effects women in ways that are truly dangerous.

How’s Your Glycemic Control? Ask your doctor for bloodwork

Worsening glycemic control is associated with an increased risk for stress incontinence for women with relatively controlled diabetes. For those either below the diagnostic threshold or with poorly controlled diabetes, the risk may be driven by other factors. Further prospective investigation of HbA1c as a modifiable risk factor may motivate measures to improve continence in women with diabetes.

-Quote from Wang, Rui BA et al Diabetes, Glycemic Control, and Urinary Incontinence in Women, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: September/October 2015 – Volume 21 – Issue 5 – p 293-297

See your doctor and ask for blood work, at the minimum, for Hemoglobin A1C and fasting blood glucose.

This is the minimum blood work, because a comprehensive panel should also look into your triglycerides, cholesterol and fasting insulin. You may also benefit from labs to look into your female hormone levels and thyroid levels. We also recommend that you discuss your urinary incontinence with your medical provider, especially because there is a connection between diabetes and incontinence.

We also help people who experience pelvic pain, including diabetic neuropathy

At Purple Mountain PT we are known for helping individuals overcome complex pelvic pain conditions. We recognize that individuals who have diabetes or prediabetes may also experience chronic pelvic pain as a result of the changes that can occur in the nerves of the pelvis. Our licensed physical therapists have experience and training specific to rehabilitating the neuroanatomy of the abdomen and pelvis. We have written about our PT for pelvic pain here and welcome you to call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here for more information.

If You Are Interested in Improving Your Urinary Incontinence and Blood Glucose Levels, we are Here to Help!

Our licensed physical therapists have advanced training specific to exercise rehabilitation for urinary incontinence, blood glucose optimization and bone health. As pelvic floor physical therapists, we commonly help women overcome bladder control problems at all stages of their life. We know there is a connection between diabetes and incontinence. We also know there is a strong connection between bladder problems, including urinary incontinence and a weak core, pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, hip and gluteal deficiencies, improper breathing patterns, postural mal-alignment and more. If we can help you to build more muscle, to strengthen your entire core and to optimize your posture and breathing strategies, your incontinence and diabetes can both improve. We work in partnership with you to identify the numerous causes of your incontinence and help you to resolve these. If you are looking for expert help for your urinary incontinence, blood sugar control problems, bone health, back pain, hip pain or postpartum recovery, call us at (616) 516-4334 to get your questions answered or reach out to us here and we will be happy to connect!

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT

Founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy. Specialist in pelvic floor dysfunction, voiding dysfunction, bowel disorders, pregnancy and postpartum recovery, intimacy pain, TM joint disorders, perimenopause and menopause health, bone health, neck, back and hip problems.

Citations:

Birnbaum H, Leong S, Kabra A. Lifetime medical costs for women: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stress urinary incontinence. Womens Health Issues. 2003 Nov-Dec;13(6):204-13. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2003.07.001. PMID: 14675789.

Brown, J. S., Wessells, H., Chancellor, M. B., Howards, S. S., Stamm, W. E., Stapleton, A. E., Steers, W. D., Van Den Eeden, S. K., and McVary, K. T. (2005). Urologic complications of diabetes. Diabetes Care 28, 177–185

Daneshgari, F., Liu, G., Birder, L., Hanna-Mitchell, A. T., & Chacko, S. (2009). Diabetic bladder dysfunction: current translational knowledge. The Journal of urology, 182(6 Suppl), S18–S26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2009.08.070

Fedele, D. (2005). Therapy insight: sexual and bladder dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus. Nat. Clin. Pract. Urol. 2, 282–290

Golbidi, Saeid, and Ismail Laher. “Bladder dysfunction in diabetes mellitus.” Frontiers in pharmacology vol. 1 136. 16 Nov. 2010, doi:10.3389/fphar.2010.00136

Klee Nicole S., McCarthy Cameron G., Lewis Steven, McKenzie Jaine L., Vincent Julie E., Webb R. Clinton Urothelial Senescence in the Pathophysiology of Diabetic Bladder Dysfunction—A Novel Hypothesis. Frontiers in Surgery VOL. 5, 2018.

Manning, J., Korda, A., Benness, C., and Solomon, M. (2003). The association of obstructive defecation, lower urinary tract dysfunction and the benign joint hypermobility syndrome: a case control study. Int. Urogynecol. J. Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 14, 128–132.

Moore, K. N., Saltmarche, B., and Query, A. (2003). Urinary incontinence. Non-surgical management by family physicians. Canadian Family Physician 49, 602–610.

Phelan S, Grodstein F, Brown JS. Clinical research in diabetes and urinary incontinence: what we know and need to know. J Urol. 2009;182(6 Suppl):S14-S17. doi:10.1016/j.juro.2009.07.087

Van Poppel, H., Stessens, R., Van Damme, B., Carton, H., and Baert, L. (1998). Diabetic cystopathy: neuropathological examination of urinary bladder biopsies. Eur. Urol. 15, 128–131

Wang, Rui BA; Lefevre, Roger MD; Hacker, Michele R. ScD, MSPH; Golen, Toni H. MD Diabetes, Glycemic Control, and Urinary Incontinence in Women, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: September/October 2015 – Volume 21 – Issue 5 – p 293-297

Ying, Youyou BS^∗; Xu, Linlin BS^∗; Huang, Ruofei BS^∗; Chen, Tianxi BS^†; Wang, Xinghong BS^‡; Li, Ke BS^∗; Tang, Lixia BS^∗ Relationship Between Blood Glucose Level and Prevalence and Frequency of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: May 2022 – Volume 28 – Issue 5 – p 304-310 doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000001112

Yoshimura, N., Chancellor, M. B., Andersson, K. E., and Christ, G. J. (2005). Recent advances in understanding the biology of diabetes-associated bladder complications and novel therapy. BJU Int. 95, 733–738

When Do I Need Pelvic Floor PT?

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,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT

Should My C-section Scar Still Hurt?

Author| Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT specialist in pregnancy and postpartum recovery and c-section scars that hurt.

Should My C-section Scar Still Hurt?

At Purple Mountain PT our patients often ask, “should my c-section scar still hurt?” We are pelvic floor physical therapists specializing in pregnancy and postpartum recovery and we have a special place in our heart for moms who birth via cesarean delivery. We offer a treatment program to optimize your postpartum recovery, take the guesswork out of what you should and should not be doing and to promote effective C-section scar healing and abdominal muscle recovery. A cesarean birth is a painful medical procedure, because it is major surgery. After any major surgery, it is best to work with a licensed physical therapist who specializes in treatment plans and rehabilitation for your particular condition. If your c-section scar still hurts after you would reasonably expect it to be fine, please reach out to get the support and treatment you need. Also, if in the early days of healing, you experience more pain than would be expected, get started with physical therapy right away. If you would like to learn more about our program to help alleviate scar pain for women after cesarean section, contact us here.

About 7 in 100 Women will have chronic C-section scar pain. The good news is that PT can help alleviate this pain.

A cesarean delivery is major surgery and you should be supported with the help of a licensed physical therapist on your c-section recovery journey. Your incision site may be the visible signs of your surgery, but your c-section scar tissue goes much deeper than the layers of skin, muscle and connective tissue. Most of us expect that this painful medical surgery will not be a cake-walk in the early days. But, very few of our patients were told they have a 7% chance of having chronic scar tissue pain after cesarean delivery. This is unacceptable and, we think, women should know that this is a risk factor following cesarean section and that physical therapy can help your pain. If you would like to learn more about our treatment to help alleviate scar pain for women after cesarean section, contact us here.

A C-Section That Has Healed Nicely Should have the Following:

Your C-section scar should not hurt you, at rest or when moving
You should move freely without pulling or pinching. The layers of skin, connective tissue, muscle, fascia and organ should move easily.
The scar should be able to move freely all directions, without restrictions.
It should not pucker anywhere along its length
The abdominal muscles should contract, relax and be able to maintain non-bloated appearance
You should be able to wear pants and all clothing touching it without pain.

Will Physical Therapy Help My Scar Tissue and Postpartum Recovery?

Yes. Our licensed physical therapists help women following their pregnancy and we treat all types of scars, including painful scars, c-section shelf scars, scars with adhesions, scars that underwent revision surgery and tunneling scars. We take the guesswork and uncertainty out of your c-section recovery so you’re not confused when looking at the jumbled layers of skin that are in your incision site. If your c-section scar hurts, it is telling you that something is not right and your healing process would benefit from a licensed physical therapist to develop a treatment plan to ease c-section scar pain. To answer your questions about treatment for c-section scars, contact us here.

C-sections that hurt more than expected in the first 24 hours have a greater risk of long term pain.

For some people, the first 24 hours post-cesarean are miserable. Unfortunately, data suggests that women who experience higher than expected pain levels in the first 24 hours have a higher risk of developing chronic pain from their c-section scar. Your surgeon may have done everything right, but a nerve can get sewn in just-the-wrong-way to cause ongoing pain. Or, perhaps your body experiences high pain levels following any trauma, like a cesarean birth. If you have higher than expected pain levels in the early days of your recovery, don’t delay starting physical therapy.

Your scar tissue is healing and laying down from the very first days after your surgery. If you are having more pain than expected, skilled PT can provide gentle movement based and hands-on based manual therapies to promote more effective healing and calm down your pain. At Purple Mountain PT, our postpartum physical therapists partner with you and provide whole body care that is helps calm down your pain, improve your abdominal wall integrity and strength, restore posture, resolve pelvic floor dysfunction and improve your overall fitness and ability to function. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy for postpartum recovery, including c-section scar recovery, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

What does a physical therapy treatment plan include for the healing process following cesarean delivery?

We always want to resolve any pain. If your c-section scar hurts, we will alleviate this. We are also fully trained in orthopedic physical therapy and treat all neck, back, hip, leg and feet pain.

Our treatment plans will help you resolve your pain so you can move without difficulty and have greater confidence in your body. We use a variety of treatments to help ease your pain. These will combine exercise with manual therapy. The exercises include a variety of things to enhance strength, muscular coordination, pelvic floor muscle activation, to reduce trigger points and balance your pelvis, abdomen and low back. We also include manual therapies such as specialized joint mobilization, pelvic balancing exercises, manual therapy to address muscle stiffness, scar tissue adhesions, trigger point release or visceral restrictions. If you have questions about your c-section scar, contact us here.

All scars are treated, including c-section scar tissue as well as any scar from prior surgeries or injuries.

Sometimes women who had a cesarean birth are surprised to learn that vaginal deliveries can also result in scars, located in the perineal area whether from episiotomy or tearing. We can help all types of scars by using our hands-on scar mobilization techniques, visceral mobilization and fascial release.

Our manual therapy methods also help with endometriosis related adhesions and pain. We specialize in helping people overcome chronic pelvic pain, including endometriosis. If you had a c-section and also have endometriosis we would recommend getting PT as soon as possible to optimize your visceral mobility, scar tissue healing process and bowel/bladder function. If you have endometriosis and also a c-section and would like to learn more about our treatment for both conditions, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

Abdominal muscle and tissue recovery is part of your treatment plan to help alleviate c-section scar pain and improve your ability to function.

We include diastasis recti abdominis and abdominal wall elongation recovery into your treatment plan to address your scar tissue. Our patients tell us that our diastasis recovery program lifts their confidence and demystifies what they should be doing to restore their abdominal wall appearance and function. Following pregnancy, your abdominal muscles are elongated and often impaired. Additionally, the linea alba connective tissue can have trouble transferring load as your move through daily movement. Part of your treatment plan will include specific and detailed assessment of the integrity of your abdominal wall to determine if you have a diastasis recti abdominis, ongoing abdominal wall elongation (from the pregnancy) and impaired abdominal muscle activity. If you wonder if you have a diastasis recti abdominis, or what is going on with your “c-section shelf” or have general questions about your c-section scar call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

We customize an exercise rehabilitation program to improve your strength. Postpartum moms need to retrain their muscles and body!

To alleviate c-section scar pain, any pelvic girdle or low back pain, neck and TM joint pain, our licensed physical therapists provide whole body care. By properly assessing you and providing private, one-on-one appointments that are upto 55 minutes in length, we give you the time necessary to effectively treat your symptoms. We will also help you improve your hip and glute strength, restore your pelvic floor function and more. If you have questions about our treatment plan for postpartum recovery following cesarean section so you can optimize your healing process, please contact us here or call 616-516-4334 to learn more.

C-section recovery research found postpartum PT with a pregnancy, postpartum and pelvic health licensed PT gets you feeling better.

Do you want less pain, the ability to exercise and higher satisfaction with your c-section recovery? What’s holding you back?

Physical therapists who specialize in pregnancy and postpartum recovery have been saying for years that all women should be provided with physical therapy after giving birth. Research has shown that postpartum women who receive physical therapy have less pain and better ability to exercise. Being pain-free and physical fit are crucial for our quality of life, the ability to take care of others, to being in a good mood and to having the energy that being a mom demands. If you are interested in our postpartum PT program, call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here to have your questions answered.

Which group of women would you want to be in? All of these women had cesarean delivery, they were divided into two groups:

Group 1: These C-section moms completed postpartum physical therapy and were able to get back to exercise, completed a core retraining program (abdominal muscles, low back and more), had less pain and expressed higher satisfaction.

Group 2: These C-section moms did not complete postpartum physical therapy and they had more pain, were less able to exercise, were uncertain about how to get their core to recover and felt overall less satisfaction in their healing process and postpartum recovery.

It’s an easy choice, really. Of course, we all want to be part of Group 1! All you have to do is call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here to start your postpartum recovery program. This research found that postpartum physical therapy twice a week for six weeks resulted in less pain, higher ability to exercise and higher patient satisfaction. Why wouldn’t you prioritize this for yourself?

Each of us deserves to not have pain, to move and exercise and to feel good about our postpartum recovery.

If you are going through your c-section recovery, our treatment plans will ease your mind and provide you with customized rehabilitation that takes the confusion out of your healing process. Our treatment plans are based on your specific evaluation findings and customized to your body. If you have c-section scar pain, or any pain in your postpartum period, our pelvic physical therapy program will help you resolve pain, improve strength, restore your pelvic floor muscles and get back to the things you love. At Purple Mountain PT we implement the measures that this research found helps you: core retraining, safe and structured stretches, hands-on treatments, education in what to be doing at home. If you have questions about our treatment plan for postpartum recovery following cesarean section so you can optimize your healing process, please contact us here or call 616-516-4334 to learn more.

Our physical therapy provides you scar massage and visceral mobilization to help all of your scar tissue slides and glides better. Scar massage can help collagen remodel in a beneficial way!

Our patients tell us that the hands-on treatments they received eased their c-section scar pain, improved the appearance of their abdomen, alleviated pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms and generally helped them to feel better. We are licensed physical therapists with post-graduate training specific to pregnancy and postpartum recovery, pelvic health and orthopedic physical therapy. We help women who had cesarean section deliveries or vaginal births. You can expect to receive a variety of specialized manual therapy techniques that ease tension, help adhesions, promote normal organ mobility, improve blood flow, resolve muscular trigger points, enhance joint motion and restore postural alignment. If you labored and tried for a vaginal delivery before ultimately having a cesarean delivery, please understand that your body went through a lot of stress and strain, both vaginally to the pelvic floor and ultimately with your major surgery. For c-section scars that hurt, you can expect care directed to your whole-body, because everything is connected and tension, restrictions or tightness in one area can impair the mobility of the layers of tissue in your c-section scar that hurts or is adhered.

If you want a healthy, mobile, unrestricted scar so that you can run, push, pull, lift and move without feeling the scar, give us a call at 616-516-4334 or contact us here. We treat EVERY scar (whether it is cesarean, laparotomy, vaginal birth, hernia, hip surgery, robotic or other scar) to get the scar moving optimally and so that your c-section scar won’t hurt.

Your C-section Scar may be contributing to your bladder control problems.

Cesarean delivery requires an incision site that is very close to your bladder. You will lay down scar tissue right near your bladder. Sometimes this scar tissue causes impairment with bladder filling or emptying or can disrupt the pelvic floor muscles and how they function. You may develop urinary frequency, urgency, urge incontinence, stress incontinence, difficulty emptying or lots of waking up at night to urinate. For women who had vaginal deliveries, it is well known that pelvic floor dysfunction, episiotomies or perineal tearing can also contribute to bladder control troubles when postpartum. Our postpartum recovery treatment plan includes care for your bladder, as well. If you had a c-section and now also have bladder symptoms, such as painful filling of your bladder, urinary urgency and frequency or incontinence, to learn more about our treatment call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

Your C-section scar may be contributing to your Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Because the abdomen, pelvic organs and pelvic floor are so intimately connected, any disruption to the integrity of one of these areas can impair the others. Therefore, it is possible your C-section scar is impairing the support of your pelvis and contributing to prolapse. With pelvic organ prolapse we always work to optimize all of the support structures for your organs and vagina. Scar tissue and scar pain can both lead to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and impairments in the support of the pelvic organs. For any patient who underwent cesarean or vaginal delivery, we always assess your pelvic floor muscles, organ support structures and look for signs and symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse. Rest assured, there are many things we include in our treatment plan that help improve pelvic pressure, urinary incontinence, c-section scars that hurt, scar tissue adhesions and pelvic organ prolapse symptoms.

Many of our patients live in fear of prolapse. Someone vaguely told them that they have a prolapse, which can be scary to hear, but did not advise them on what to do about it. We will clear your mind and give you a detailed treatment plan to address your prolapse. This is our life’s work and we are happy to share it to help you. Call us at 616-516-4334 to learn more or contact us here.

If your c-section scar hurts, we are here to help you!

We’ve detailed some of the considerations we include in our postpartum recovery treatment plan following cesarean delivery and many of these also apply to vaginal birth. The early days of recovering from this painful medical procedure should be effectively managed with high quality support from your surgeon and associated medical professionals. As you progress through your postpartum recovery, you should expect your c-section scar to begin to hurt less and eventually to have no pain. Our licensed physical therapists have post-graduate training in manual therapy methods to help all types of scars. For anyone who has a c-section scar that hurts on an ongoing basis, please know that it is never too late to get help for this from one of our physical therapists. Chronic c-section scar pain is not something to be ignored. We find many women put themselves on the backburner, prioritizing their children and other people’s needs over their own needs. We also find that women tell us they are frustrated, exhausted and feel ignored when they raise complaints of their c-section scar hurting. A frustrated, tired and ignored mom is not in the best moods and not up for all the things that may be required of her. If you are feeling this way, please reach out to us because we can help you. At Purple Mountain PT, we specialize in postpartum recovery, including cesarean birth healing and vaginal delivery rehabilitation. We provide treatment both in person at our clinic in Grand Rapids, Michigan and virtually via telehealth. Contact us here to learn more about our postpartum recovery treatment plan or call us at (616) 516-4334. We help women who are in pain every day and we can help you, also. We’ve written about PT for pain here and you may be interested to read that information.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT

The Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy published the research that showed that 6 weeks of PT following cesarean section improved pain and ability to exercise. The article is titled: Physical Therapy in addition to standard of care improves patient satisfaction and recovery post-cesarean section.

Bladder Physical Therapy Near Grand Rapids

If you are looking for Bladder Physical Therapy near Grand Rapids, you have found the right place.

Are you tired of bladder problems? Frustrated and uncertain about what is going on and how to get it better? Have you tried kegels or other at-home solutions and find this problem just doesn’t change? If this sounds like you, we have natural, effective bladder physical therapy solutions to your issues. We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, a specialty pelvic health, bladder, bowel, pelvic pain and TM joint physical therapy clinic in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our PTs offer in-person and remote consultations to men, women and kids who have bladder or bowel problems. If you are interested to learn more about our PT, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or submit your questions here.

Our patients travel from all over Michigan and surrounding states to receive their treatment with us because we have been doing this for years and our comprehensive and advanced treatment methods work.

We enjoy helping people overcome all bladder problems. When you work with our physical therapists for your bladder PT, you will receive care from providers devoted to understanding how to treat simple to complex bladder conditions. We have advanced post-doctoral training specific to the needs of pediatric, women’s health and men’s bladder condition. Each population has unique needs to solve their bladder problems and our PTs will customize your treatment based on what you require. If you are interested to learn more about our PT, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or submit your questions here.

Bladder Physical Therapy is Natural and Works to Improve Your Strength, Bladder Function, Posture, Core Engagement, Breathing and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Some of our patients have tried medications for things like overactive bladder and they don’t like the idea of being on a medication; especially one that is costly, may cause memory issues or leads to constant dry mouth or constipation. Other patients are considering surgery to provide a bladder lift, but they know that surgery is a big deal and may not provide lasting results. Our patients come to us looking for natural, effective solutions for their problem and most of them understand that physical therapy offers this. Reach out to us here if you would like to learn more.

In contast to medical options, bladder physical therapy uses natural, non-invasive methods to bring your bladder problem back to a state of homeostasis.

Our natural remedies for bladder incontinence, pain, frequency and urgency and other problems give you long-term results and use the power of your own body to resolve your problems. The treatment we provide addresses your muscles, fascia, breathing, nervous system, spine and bladder control center to help you. Most of our patients leave appointments and tell us they feel so much better and more hopeful. This work is rewarding for us. If you’d like to connect with our team, call 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

We use pelvic floor muscle training, corrective exercise, movement & posture retraining, manual therapies (to your spine, hips, thighs, abdomen or pelvic floor), heart rate variability training, bladder calming techniques and more to improve your bladder control and function.

If you are interested in natural treatmens for your bladder problems and would like to work with our pelvic PTs for bladder physical therapy treatment (offered in-person in Grand Rapids, with telehealth or a remote consultation for those who quality), call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or reach out to us here.

Our Bladder Physical Therapists in Grand Rapids or via Telehealth will Provide You Comprehensive, Whole-Body Treatments Designed to Restore Bladder Function and Control.

The whole-body care that we offer is more comprehensive than our patients have received elsewhere. Because of our advanced training, we understand that the bladder functions within the system of you entire body and treating your entire spine, abdomen, hips, movement patterns, bladder, nervous system and strength is important to recover bladder function. If you are tired of your bladder problems and are wanting a natural solution, that improves your overall health, strength, back pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction, our bladder physical therapy offers you this. Getting started is easy: just call our office to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members. During that conversation, we like to learn a bit about what is going on with your bladder to determine if our bladder physical therapy could help you. We also like to answer your questions and explain what to expect in PT. We offer in-person bladder physical therapy, telehealth visits or remote consultations for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to have this conversation or submit your questions here.

What Kinds of Bladder Issues does Pelvic Floor Bladder Physical Therapy Help?

Our pelvic PTs treat all ranges and types of bladder problems from simple to complex. Because we specialize in bladder physical therapy, we have advanced training beyond our doctoral degrees that allows us to provide comprehensive and helpful bladder physical therapy treatments so we can help restore your bladder function. While some patients come to us with more straight-forward issues such as stress urinary incontinence, many of our patients have combined issues of stress incontinence with urinary frequency and urgency and low back pain. Our PTs can help you. Reach out to us here or call 616-516-4334 to learn more.

The bladder should be able to quietly fill up and hold urine until it reaches a point of needing to empty, contract to empty when you are using the toilet and be quiet, without pain between urinations.

Our patients have problems somewhere along that bladder filling, holding, emptying journey. If you are interested to learn more about our PT, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or reach out to us here. If you are wondering what kind of bladder conditions we treat, here is an abbreviated list:

Nocturia, a problem of waking at night to pee.

Urinary urgency and frequency

Interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome)

Endometriosis-related bladder problems

Stress urinary incontinence (leakage with laugh, cough, movement, jumping or sneez

Post-partum bladder control problems and overactive bladder symptoms.

Pelvic organ prolapse that contributes to bladder problems, such as incontinence, split stream, recurrent urinary tract infections

Recurrent urinary tract infections, especially when related to pelvic floor dysfunction

Post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence. Or following prostate radiation treatments

Constant urge to urinate, lower abdominal pain or bladder spasms.

Neurogenic bladder and difficulty starting their urinary stream

The kids we treat often have constipation, bedwetting or daytime loss of urine (enuresis).

Does Bladder Physical Therapy Work?

Yes. There is high quality evidence from a Cochrane Review, the leading organization that looks at all published research and summarizes the findings, that bladder physical therapy that includes pelvic floor muscle training (which our PTs teach you!) helps stress urinary incontinence and other types of urinary incontinence. Our experience has found that creating the proper treatment program that includes whole-body movement retraining and addresses pelvic floor muscle dysfunction is important to getting you results. This is why we use exercise, balance retraining, postural correction, biofeedback, hands-on treatments and more to get you results. If you are interested to learn more about our PT, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or submit your questions here.

So, You Offer Bladder Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids or with a Remote Consultation? I’ve never head of this type of PT, what makes you different than other physical therapists?

Our physical therapists specificially specialize in treating pelvic health conditions for women, men and kids. We have advanced training and considerable experience in this field. We treat bladder, bowel, prolapse, pregnancy and postpartum problems, chronic pelvic pain, SIJ pain, coccy pain (tailbone), endometriosis, Pudendal neuralgia, sciatica, all bladder problems, prostate related bladder issues and more. We are also fully trained and experienced orthopedic physical therapists, which provides us the ability to give you whole-body care. The pelvic floor muscles line the base of the pelvis and are impacted by all spine and leg movements, which is why we work on your whole body to improve bladder conditions. For more information about our bladder physical therapy, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or reach out to us here.

What we do is commonly called “pelvic floor physical therapy” and the speciality that our PTs have at Purple Mountain PT may be called by a number of terms, such as:

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists
Pelvic Health Physical Therapists
Bladder Physical Therapists
Pelvic Physical Therapist
Women’s Health Physical Therapist
Specialists in Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pediatric Bladder and Bowel Physical Therapist

All of these labels simply let you know that we are Doctors of Physical Therapy who have completed advanced post-doctoral training specific to pelvic health, which involves bladder, bowel, intimacy, pain and prolapse related issues.

At Purple Mountain PT because we specialize in bladder physical therapy in-person in Grand Rapids, via telehealth or a remote consultation, we offer difficult-to-find expertise and treatment methods to help your bladder. Our clinic provides you a private, comfortable place to receive your one-on-one treatments with your PT. Every visit is upto 55 minutes in length and may include a combination of nervous system calming, pelvic floor therapy, exercises, manual therapy, alignment corrections or other therapeutic methods. As pelvic health physical therapy specialists, we have knowledge about all the areas of the body. This is because the pelvic floor, bladder and bowel have connections to the hips, spine, thighs, calves and feet, shoulder blades, diaphragm, rib cage and thoracic spine. Therefore, a bladder physical therapist is truly an expertly trained orthopedic physical therapist who knows the specifics of how to help your bladder. If you are interested to learn more about our bladder physical therapy treatment, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or ask a question here.

Bladder physical therapy will help optimize your bladder’s ability to fill up, hold urine without leaking, empty and have no pain!

Our patients come to us with problems related to any portion of the bladder function. Common complaints we treat include

Stress urinary incontinence: the involuntary loss of urine when laughing, coughing, sneezing or exercising
Urge urinary incontinence: the involuntary loss of urine because you cannot get to the bathroom soon enough
Mixed urinary incontinence: you have loss of urine that might involve both stress and urge incontinence
Insensible urinary incontinence: Loss of urine simply happens, not necessary related to any activities or having a full bladder
Urinary retention: you cannot empty your bladder at all. Or you can only partially empty your bladder. You may need to self catheterize
Urinary frequency: You need to urinate more often than every 2-4 hours
Urinary urgency: You experience sudden urges to urinate and cannot hold it long
Nocturia: A person wakes up at night to urinate. This disrupts sleep.
Painful urination: You feel pain anywhere in your abdomen or pelvis before, during or after peeing.
Frequent urinary tract infections: You keep getting infections and don’t know why. We find you may have incomplete emptying of your bladder that is related to dysfunctional voiding and pelvic floor dysfunction
Slow urinary stream: you hear other people’s urinations in a public restroom and you are jealous, it sounds so much stronger than yours. Your stream may stop and start.
Straining to urinate: You must push your urine out, it won’t come on its own.
Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome: You have a combination of pain and urinary frequency and urgency.
E hlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) related bladder problems
Diabetic bladder.

As Pelvic Health Physical Therapy specialists, we offer insights and treatment techniques that are natural and help you recover bladder function, including resolving bladder pain, incontinence, overactive bladder or other bladder problems.

Our pelvic physical therapists partner with you to identify how we can best optimize your bladder function and to provide you care that is holisitic, compassionate and designed to address your goals and ease your frustration about your bladder.

If you are wondering how does bladder physical therapy help your problem, the easiest way to explain it is that we help restore your bladder and pelvic floor muscles’ ability to function. We do this using a variety of hands-on treatment directed anywhere from your neck to your toes such as myofascial release, trigger point release, muscle balancing, pelvic and low back gentle mobilizations, hip alignment, visceral mobilization and therapeutic massage. We may combine these manual therapy techniques with exercise based treatments designed to optimize the coordination and timing of your bladder control, to improve pelvic floor dysfunction and address strength or flexibility imbalances. We also provide instructions on how to optimize your bladder function at home. This may include fluid intake, posture, toileting methods, constipation mitigation or other advice to improve your control. If you are interested to learn more about our bladder physical therapy treatment, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or contact us here.

Our evaluation and treatment is holistic and designed to address all contributing factors in your bladder dysfunction. These may include

Pelvic floor dysfunction: including high tone pelvic floor, weakness, tightness
Impaired timing and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles
Improper breathing mechanics that strain the bladder
Low back and hip contributions to your bladder condition
Postural contributions to your bladder condtiion
Fascia restrictions in viscerosomatic convergence areas related to your bladder. These include your thoracic spine, lower back, hips, thighs and abdominal wall.
Scar tissue that is impairing your bladder. This may be related to prior pelvic surgeries, endometriosis, pregnancy or postpartum injuries or trauma.
Food sensitivities
Bowel contributions: an unhealthy bowel can set off a bladder and disrupt optimal bladder control. This is true of everyone, but for children constipation impairs bladder control possibly more than adults. For our patients who have diarrhea, IBS, constipation or other bowel condition, we would like to partner with you to address this.
Non-optimal habits with exercise/fitness/running/jumping that overload the pelvic floor and overwhelm your bladder control system

Your goals and needs are at the center of our treatment. We will partner with you and create a pelvic physical therapy plan customized to your body’s needs.

Our patients tell us that this has been the most important thing they have done for themselves. I founded Purple Mountain Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids to provide bladder physical therapy to our community and beyond. Having worked in this field for 25 years, most of them in Chicago, I have experience working with some of the top medical centers that treat bladder problems; these include Northwestern, Rush and Loyola. My goal is to provide patients with compassionate, effective bladder physical therapy treatment in Grand Rapids or via telehealth that is holistic, effective and compassionate. If you wonder if bladder physical therapy could help you, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or ask a question here.

Bladder physical therapy that includes pelvic floor muscle training has been found to improve your quality of life and to improve your bladder symptoms!

As part of our focus on pelvic health, bladder problems and pelvic pain, we are active in professional societies and are mindful of what the research has found, so we can offer you treatment that is effective. One thing that has consistently been found to help bladder problems is pelvic floor muscle training exercises. This type of exercises goes well beyond the widely mis-understood concept of a Kegel exercise and includes focused instruction of how to properly coordinate the pelvic floor muscles within your entire bladder control system. Our PTs include pelvic floor muscle training treatment that incorporates postural correction, diaphragmatic breathing, core muscle strength, hip & low back treatment, coordination of the pelvic floor muscles with the rest of the bladder control system and more. The treatment we provide is consistent with research that has found that bladder physical therapy, from a pelvic health PT specialist, can improve symptom severity and quality of life. If you are interested to learn more about our bladder physical therapy treatment, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or submit your questions here.

People who have urinary urgency and frequency benefit from the treatment we offer to improve hip strength

Bladder control problems are not straight-forward to resolve. Our PTs have devoted our careers to learning about bladder function and best ways to reduce issues. We have included strengthening of your low back, hips and abdominals into the treatment program for some people, depending of their symptoms and findings. Research has found that urinary urgency and frequency problems also involve weakness of the hip muscles, specifically hip abduction and external rotation. Our PTs have included strength training exercises for these muscles for years and our clinical experience has found that these are one (of many) thing to be addressed to help urinary frequency and urgency. If you are interested to learn more about our bladder physical therapy treatment, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or submit your questions here.

We understand that sometimes the idea of starting a pelvic physical therapy is overwhelming and you don’t know what to expect. We’re here to take the anxiety out of this.

Our clinic provides you a private, welcoming place to receive your care. We focus on pelvic health and TM joint disorders, so everything has been set up here for your comfort, discretion and privacy. Our PTs enjoy getting to know you and will help you to reach your goals. We begin treatment with an evaluation, which includes you sharing your history and symptoms and an assessment of relevant areas that may be contributing to your bladder issues. This may include your posture, overall strength, pelvic floor muscle function, breathing, abdominal wall integrity (such as scars, elongation from pregnancy, diastasis recti abdominis), fascia in your thoracic spine, low back, hips, thighs, or other areas specific to your symptoms. To learn more about our bladder physical therapy treatment, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or reach out to us here.

We treat women, men and kids who have bladder problems. And our treatment methods are specific to each person’s needs. We do NOT simply apply “women’s health” bladder physical therapy treatment to a child or a man. Our pelvic physical therapists are trained the specific needs of children, men and women.

Women’s bladder needs are unique. We understand pelvic organ prolapse, pregnancy and postpartum recovery, recurrent urinary tract infections and female specific challenges across the lifespan.

Our pelvic PTs enjoy working with women throughout the lifespan and have post-graduate training and many years’ experience helping women through their college years, pregnancy & postpartum recovery, peri-menopause and menopause years. Our needs change throughout our lifespan and our PTs offer you what you need for bladder control and other pelvic or TM joint problems at all stages of life. You will receive customized treatment that addresses your unique needs. We know that bladder control problems are a risk factor for women needing assisted living in her elderly years. If you are having incontinence in your younger years, it is important to get that addressed. Why wait for it to worsen? Help is available today. Call 616-516-4334 to chat with one of our team members or contact us here.

Male bladder needs are different than female. Your anatomy is different and while everyone is different, males tends towards pelvic floor, hip and low back stiffness and tension that can cause urinary urgency, frequency, pelvic pain or other bladder issues.

Our male-specific training and experience gives men effective bladder physical therapy that is directed to the unique needs of male anatomy and bladder function. We work with men at all ages and address all bladder problems that men experience, including tip of penis or testicular pain, constant urge to urinate, post-void dribbling, incontinence, urgency and frequency, chronic prostatitis and post-prostatectomy bladder training. For more informationn about our bladder physical therapy treatment in Grand Rapids Michigan or via remote consult, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or contact us here.

Pediatric bladder needs require specific training for kiddos. We offer that!

Pediatric bladder patients often benefit external treatment methods and exercises that may help them practice and learn how to listen to the signal of their body, address underlying constipation and direct their mindfulness to feeling when they need to urinate. We use positive, encouraging methods with all of our patients and find our developmentally appropriate methods for little ones creates an uplifting and encouraging experience for them. If you are interested to learn more about our bladder physical therapy treatment, call us today at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff or submit your questions here.

Bladder physical therapy won’t work if we don’t treat the many things contributing to your symptoms.

At Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, we are devoted to improving pelvic pain and bladder problems, so you get results. That’s why we offer whole body care and treatments that are compassionate, trauma-informed and effective. I have established Purple Mountain PT with your needs in mind. This is why every appointment is private, one-on-one with your licensed physical therapist upto 55 minutes in length. Our clinical experience has taught us that we must give you a full, complete treatment at each visit to get you the results. We never have you work with a lesser trained person and we do not leave you to exercise on your own during an appointment. We are by your side, correcting your movement patterns, cuing your muscular coordination and helping you get the most out of each visit. If you are interested in working with experienced pelvic PTs who focus on providing bladder physical therapy, we are located in Grand Rapids and offer in-person care or remote consults.

If you are interested in learning more, call our office at 616.516.4334. We are located at 847 Parchment Drive SE Grand Rapids, Michigan; this is near the I-96 and Cascade Road exit. We have convenient parking and a warm, welcoming staff. We are here to serve you and meet your needs.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT physical therapist and founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy. We are specialists in providing bladder physical therapy to men, women and children in Grand Rapids or via remote consultation. For more information about our bladder physical therapy treatments, call us today at 616-516-4334 or submit your questions here.

Does Chewing Help Constipation?

Does Chewing Help Constipation?

Does chewing help constipation? Yes it does and there are so many other things our physical therapists offer to help you improve constipation.

In addition to fiber, eating breakfast and eating whole foods, have you ever considered that chewing may help your constipation?

Our Patients Come To Us Wanting to Get Off of Linzess or Other Pharma Medications To Help Their Severe Constipation, Abdominal Bloating and Pelvic Floor Issues. We Offer Natural Remedies, Using the Power of Your Body, Through Specialized Physical Therapy To Help Your Constipation.

Personalized and comprehensive pelvic physical therapy treatment methods naturally help your constipation and other pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, such as pelvic organ prolapse, urinary urgency and frequency, pelvic pain and urinary incontinence.

In addition to adjustments to your daily habits, such as chewing your food to help constipation and digestion, our licensed physical therapists provide many natural and holistic treatments, clinically proven to help constipation.

If you are experiencing constipation and are looking for a natural and holistic approach to help your constipation, such as chewing your food better, treating your pelvic floor muscle tension, or abdominal massage, our licensed physical therapists are here to help you.

How does chewing help my constipation?

Does Eating Breakfast Improve Constipation? Yes! Have you heard of the Gastrocolic Reflex?

To improve nutrition absorption and constipation our physical therapists recommend that you chew your food to the consistency of apple sauce.

If Chewing & Breakfast Help Constipation, What Should I Do if I Don’t Have An Appetite in the Morning?

Our patients are wanting natural and effective ways to improve their bothersome constipation. Obviously, there is more to resolving constipation than simply chewing your food, which is where our bladder and bowel physical therapy can help you.

Once new habits are installed, such as eating breakfast with chewing, learning how to perform abdominal massage, changing toileting mechanics, addressing pelvic floor tension and implementing other natural and low cost remedies such as warm compresses, your constipation improves.

Chewing is a very important part of helping constipation and there are so many more things our PTs can recommend for you. Our patients tell us that in their PT for constipation they learn more things they can do and they wish they had been aware of these things years ago.

Because chewing helps constipation, chewing is essential for maintaining a healthy gut. Chewing can help reduce or prevent constipation and can help with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease.

Because kids are prone to constipation, we often recommend they work on chewing their food better to help avoid constipation and to help get their gut moving. Constipation in children is linked to bedwetting, daytime loss of urine and fecal incontinence.

Chewing helps constipation and can reduce your bloating, abdominal cramping, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and pelvic floor strain.

Can physical therapy, such as abdominal massage, vagus nerve toning and pelvic floor muscle training help my constipation?

Does chewing help my microbiome? Yes, it does! Build your gut health one bite at a time!

The Vagus Nerve is Stimulated when you chew! This is another reason why chewing does help constipation.

The Autonomic Nervous System has two parts: The Fight or Flight Nervous System and The Rest and Digest Nervous System. Your PT program will work to improve the rest & digest portion of your nervous system.

When our PTs are promoting chewing your food, abdominal massage and breathing exercises to help your constipation, we are also helping your Vagus Nerve to work for you.

More evidence that the gut-brain axis is crucial to your wellbeing:

If you would like to talk with one of our knowledgable staff members about your constipation or pelvic health needs, contact us here or call 616-516-4334.

There are strong ties between chewing habits and constipation. Chewing more effectively does help constipation, gut microbiome and intestinal health. Our PTs offer you comprehensive methods to further improve your constipation.

Peace,

You may be interested in these other articles we’ve written about the services we offer:

References:

Why Does Sex Hurt After Having A Baby?

Why Does Sex Hurt After Having a Baby?

Your physical therapy begins with a detailed evaluation that will provide you with extensive insights and education for why sex hurts after having your baby. We specialize in helping you overcome all pelvic pain, including when sex hurts.

At what point postpartum should you reach out to a pelvic physical therapist?

We recommend that our pregnant patients touch base with us over the phone within two weeks of giving birth.

If, however, at one or two weeks postpartum you are having substantial problems with pain, peeing or pooping, we recommend coming to physical therapy straight away to begin treatment.

If you are struggling with painful sex and confused about why does sex hurt after having a baby, we can provide you answers.

37.5% of women experience painful sex six months after giving birth. Sex shouldn’t hurt! Physical therapy can help you and will give you answers to why sex hurts for you after giving birth.

To determine why sex hurts after having your baby, our licensed physical therapists check for many problems that contribute to pain with sex and are also fully treatable with the help of our postpartum physical therapists. Some of the things we evaluation & treat include:

All of these issues can contribute to why sex hurts after giving a baby. The good news is that these are fully treatable with the skilled help of our licensed physical therapists.

Peace,

You may be alone and wondering why does sex hurt for your after having your baby? There are so many things that can help you, reach out to us today to speak with one of our knowledgable team members who can answer your questions about cost, availability and what to expect.

You may be interested in reading these other articles we’ve written about the treatment we offer:

Our TMJ Disorder and Pain Treatment:

Our pediatric bladder and bowel physical therapy services:

Our male pelvic health physical therapy services:

References for why does sex hurt after having a baby:

Does Physical Therapy Help Endometriosis?

If you have pain from endometriosis and are wondering if physical therapy helps endometriosis, the answer is yes! Read on to learn how we can help your endometriosis pain!

Physical therapy does help endometriosis pain by working on muscle spasms, joint stiffness, irritated nerves, faulty posture, guarded and restricted joints, altered movement patterns, scar tissue and abdominal visceral restrictions, overactive bladder and bowel and pelvic floor muscle spasms.

If you would like more information about our treatment to help endometriosis related pain, please reach out to us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

A special note to acknowledge that physical therapy can help endometriosis related painful sex. If you are wondering why sex hurts and if anything can be done about it, we help women every day who experience painful intimacy. There is hope!

If you are wondering why sex hurts, we can provide you answers. So often our patients tell us that no one has ever provided them with the level of education and insights into what is going on with their body that we offer.

There are many musculoskeletal causes for painful sex, which is caused dyspareunia, that are very treatable by our pelvic physical therapists. If you have endometriosis and painful sex, physical therapy does help your pain!

We have worked with countless other women who have endometriosis and helped them get back to intimacy. If you would like more information about our PT for endometriosis, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

If your endometriosis causes you to feel like your nerves are burning, our physical therapy for endometriosis can help your pain.

Does your endometriosis sometimes feel like you are on fire in your deep pelvis, lower back, legs or abdomen?

Additionally, if your lower back, hips, neck or pelvis are stiff and having muscle spasms, your nerves can become inflamed.

Fortunately, our licensed physical therapists have specific training and experience working with women who have endometriosis to help calm down their nerve pain.

Physical therapy also helps endometriosis related pain by including exercises movement pattern retraining and postural correction to improve your spine and pelvic posture, enhance movement patterns, stretch tight muscles, joints and fascia and strengthen weaker muscles.

When you work with one of our PTs to help your endometriosis pain, we customize an exercise program based on your specific findings, your pain triggers and your goals.

If you have endometriosis, you likely also experience other pain related conditions, such as migraines, chronic TMJ pain, interstitial cystitis or myofascial pain syndrome. Our PT program will treat these problems, as well.

Research looking at the impact of chronic pain on your quality of life is very clear that endometriosis related pain effects so many aspects of your life.

Working with our PTs, you will receive a private, one-on-one appointment with your doctor of physical therapy.

If you want to start feeling better and get treatment for your endometriosis pain, you have found the right place. We offer in person care and also remote consultations for those who qualify. Call 616-516-4334 to talk about your needs and answer your questions

Peace,

You may be interested in reading these other articles:

References:

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Bladder Problems. What’s Going On?

Author | Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT pelvic health, back pain, neck pain and TMJ disorder specialist physical therapist. Experienced with treating people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & bladder problems or pelvic floor dysfunction.

Can Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Contribute to Bladder Problems or Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

All of our licensed physical therapists here at Purple Mountain PT have experience helping people who have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and also have pelvic or lower back pain, bladder problems, neck or TMJ pain.

Do you feel like with your Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome you are the only one dealing with bladder problems? You are not alone! EDS can contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder problems.

We know that people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome have been found to have many bladder and pelvic symptoms, including chronic pelvic pain, bladder control problems and pelvic floor dysfunction.

60% report stress urinary incontinence

54% urinary urgency incontinence

24% fecal incontinence

21% pelvic organ prolapse.

71% pelvic pain, especially dysmenorrhea, back pain and muscle and joint pain.

Nearly 50% have sexual dysfunction with 36% reporting painful sex (dyspareunia)

Our licensed physical therapists treat all of the bladder problems, prolapse and sexual-related difficulties noted in this Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome study and many others, actually.