Ready to Start Feeling Like Yourself Again? Our Women’s Health Program Can Get You There!
Are you experiencing pain related to your pelvic floor? Pain and other issues related to the pelvic floor can occur for a variety of reasons. It can be limiting and even embarrassing for some people. It can impede your daily life and prevent you from performing some of your daily tasks or engaging in activities that you enjoy.
While our Women’s Health Program is primarily geared toward women, any woman or man experiencing pelvic pain can benefit from our services. We can help you reduce or eliminate your pain and symptoms with our targeted programs. To schedule your appointment, contact Beyond Physical Therapy today!
What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a term used to describe the region located in the bottom aspect of the pelvis. The pelvic floor is a complex system that works with the structures and systems in the pelvic cavity and the body.
The pelvic floor is supported by several muscles that also provide several essential functions, including supporting the organs found in the pelvis, bladder and bowel control, and sexual function. Impairments in muscle function can lead to pain and dysfunction.
Strong pelvic floor muscles are essential with activities where an extra force is added to the abdomen and pelvic floor (i.e., coughing, laughing, sneezing, and lifting). When these muscles are weak or not working as they should, pelvic floor dysfunction may occur.
The ability to contract the pelvic floor correctly can be affected by several factors, including:
- Weakened bladder muscles resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, and aging
- Physical damage to your pelvic floor muscles from childbirth or surgery
- Damage to the nerves from health problems like diabetes and multiple sclerosis
- Enlarged prostate
- Types of cancer
- Certain medications
- Trauma (physical, psychological/emotional)
Fortunately, our physical therapists know how to identify the factors contributing to your problems and, more importantly, how to resolve them!
Common pelvic floor conditions
The pelvic floor muscles are needed for sexual function, urination, and defecation. Impairments are often ignored early on due to the difficulties of talking about this region of our body.
Women experience pelvic floor conditions, including painful menstrual periods, painful urination, and urinary incontinence. The impairments will even lead to pelvic organ prolapse and chronic pelvic pain for some.
Men often don’t know about the pelvic floor until there is a problem. The most common issues include urinary dysfunction after prostate cancer treatments. Typically these symptoms range from some leaking to complete loss of bladder control or irritation/discomfort when urinating. Pelvic floor dysfunction for some may lead to erectile dysfunction.
Fortunately, our physical therapists are trained in pelvic rehab no matter your gender and can help you resolve any issue you may be experiencing.
What can I expect from my first appointment?
During your initial appointment, you will receive a thorough physical examination as well as a review of your medical history. This will assist your physical therapist in determining the best course of treatment for you. Our services at Beyond Physical Therapy include:
- Education (patient handouts and thorough information concerning your condition to take home).
- Bladder training (surrounding your bladder schedule).
- Neuro retraining (incorporating pelvic floor muscle activation during simulated daily activities).
- Biofeedback.
- Pelvic floor muscle retraining.
Who can benefit from our services?
While the name of our program suggests a strong focus on Women’s Health Program, we treat anyone of any gender who is experiencing pelvic floor issues. Patients who are typical candidates for our Women’s Health Program treatments include:
- Any woman or man dealing with urinary or fecal incontinence.
- Postpartum women.
- Postmenopausal women.
- Women with pelvic organ prolapse.
- Post-prostatectomy men.
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) and Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI) are two of the most common conditions we treat.
The following are some of the most common SUI symptoms:
- Leaking urine when coughing, sneezing, or laughing.
- Leaking urine during daily activities, such as bending, squatting, or exercising.
The following are some of the most common symptoms of Urge Urinary Incontinence:
- Urgency/rushing to the bathroom.
- Overactive bladder.
- Waking up multiple times per night to use the restroom.
Request an appointment today!
If you are experiencing pelvic pain, please contact Beyond Physical Therapy right away. We’ll assist you in resolving your pelvic floor issues so you can get back to living your life comfortably. Request an appointment today to get started on the road to recovery!