The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and tissues at the base of the pelvis. They form a sling or a hammock that supports the pelvic organs: bladder, urethra, intestines, and rectum. For women, this includes the uterus, cervix, and the vagina.
These muscles provide support pelvic organs. They also work for hip stability, bladder and bowel control, and sexual activity.
One of the most common things that I treat is urinary leaking. This can happen with a laugh, a cough, a sneeze, when you're playing with your kids, running, jumping, or when you're trying to exercise.
Sometimes you have an urgent need to empty your bladder, and you're just not fast enough to get to the toilet and leak on the way.
This is a common issue but not normal. It occurs with aging and after having babies, but it can be reduced with pelvic floor therapy.
Another thing that I treat is pelvic organ prolapse. This is when the pelvic organs drop or slip a little bit lower into the pelvis and you can feel a heaviness or pressure in the pelvis.
They lower under the strain of coughing, sneezing, or picking things up. There's just not enough strength in the pelvic floor muscles to provide that support underneath.
So what we do in pelvic floor therapy then is strengthen up those muscles to give you more support. You’ll learn how to manage pressures to protect against that pushing down on the pelvic organs.
Some ladies will come in and describe a pain at the vaginal opening with that initial penetration or deep into the pelvis (like bumping into something or running into a wall).
Sometimes it's described as poking a deep bruise, a burning or sharp pain, or a cramping or spasm during or after intercourse.
There are several things that can cause these types of symptoms. One is overactivity in the pelvic floor muscles. This is when your muscles just get tight, and they don't relax very well. Tight muscles can also entrap some of your nerves.
Another thing is fascia restrictions in the pelvis can contribute to some pain and dysfunction. Fascia is a connective support tissue that covers our bones, muscles, organs, and blood vessels, and it provides support to all of those tissues.
Sometimes there can be some incoordination in the muscles to where they're contracting and relaxing all at the same time, don't know if they're coming or going. You can retrain those muscles so that they're contracting when they're supposed to and then relaxing when they're supposed to.
Pelvic floor therapy can also help diastasis recti. This is a thinning of the connective tissue in your abdomen. The linear alba runs from your sternum all the way down to your pubic bone, and that's where those abdominal muscles attach.
You have four layers of abdominal muscles, and they help you bend and twist and keep you stable, kind of like a girdle. They cinch in and keep you upright.
The tissue thins normally during pregnancy because it lengthens and expands as the belly gets bigger. But then after delivery, sometimes it can stay thin and cause some doming or bulging.
Your abdominal muscles like to work with the pelvic floor. They contract together. So when you strengthen the core and the pelvic floor together, you will improve your overall stability and function in both those muscle groups.
It's gonna help you feel a whole lot more put together so that you can run and jump on the trampoline and do all those things with your family that you wanna be able to do.
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a non-invasive treatment option that can effectively reduce or even eliminate all of these symptoms. The therapy involves working with a trained physical therapist to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor and improve bladder control.
First, your physical therapist will look at your overall general movements. What is your pelvic alignment? What's the strength and flexibility of your spine, your core or abdominal muscles, and your glutes or your hips?
As an option, an internal exam can be performed to assess the pelvic floor muscles further. Are they overactive? Do you have increased muscle tone? How are your strength, endurance, and coordination?
Your personalized treatment plan will be developed based on the exam findings to address and heal pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.
The therapist may teach exercises to help you identify and contract the pelvic floor muscles, which can help you control urine flow. The therapist may also teach you techniques to improve your posture, breathing, and relaxation, which can help reduce stress on the pelvic floor muscles and improve bladder control.
Treatment times vary based on how your body responds. Most patients report notable progress after the first visit. You can expect to return to normal activities without pain or leaking after 6 to 12 visits.
There are many benefits of pelvic floor physical therapy. The most important is getting rid of pain, restoring intimacy with your significant other, and returning to normal activities with strength, confidence, and no limitations.
The next step is to schedule your evaluation. This is a one-hour appointment with Dr. Darla Bell to determine your personalized treatment plan.
Owasso Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy