What do they do at pelvic floor therapy?

Introduction:

Pelvic floor dysfunction affects 24% of people in which they experience bladder leakage, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor prolapse, fecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction which all leads to affect the quality of life so pelvic floor therapy is considered as first line of treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction.

 

This therapy is provided by a physical therapist and can help strengthen and release the muscles of your pelvic floor,  surrounding areas which may help restore function and control. However these conditions can be treated in multiple ways including lifestyle changes and surgery but pelvic floor therapy is usually the first line of treatment recommended. 

What is pelvic floor? 

There are three layers of muscles at the bottom of the pelvis these muscles are called the pelvic flour and they are used for many day today activities. Pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support your pelvic organs it's often described as a hammock that holds your bladder, uterus, vagina, urethra, intestine, and rectum in place. These muscles are very special, they stabilize your spine, they hold up your internal organs, they help you with popping, peeing, sexual function, potentially being pregnant and giving birth. 

Pelvic floor muscles also act as a shock absorbing system really between our lower extremities and our torso, these muscles makes a balance between our pelvis and our legs. 

Causes of pelvic floor dysfunction

1. Pregnancy

2. Chronic constipation

3. Pelvic floor injury

4. Older age

5. Lower abdominal surgery

6. Being overweight

All these pelvic floor dysfunction leads to

Difficulty in urinating: A delay when you try to pee

Pelvic organ prolapse: When pelvic floor muscles can't adequately support pelvic organs, causing them to drop down, sometimes into the vagina.

Sexual dysfunction: Includes pain during or after intercourse

Bladder incontinence: leaking pee when you jump, sneeze or cough 

Chronic pelvic pain: pain that lasts more than 3-6 months

Fecal incontinence: leaking liquid or solid stool 

Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

* Leaking urine when coughing or sneeze or jump 

 * Feeling a bulge in vagina or like something may be slipping out of vagina

* Trouble controlling your urine flow or stool

* A feeling of pressure, fullness, or heaviness in your vagina

* Challenges with peeing or feeling like you haven't fully emptied your bladder

* Frequent constipation or bowel movement issues

* A frequent urge to pee 

* Sexual dysfunction including painful sex and difficulty reaching orgasm 

Physical Therapy Techniques for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor therapy might include a variety of different exercises for stimulating pelvic floor muscles. Treatment Includes incontinence and kegel's exercises

 

Kegels

kegel exercises are the most commonly used exercises in the pelvic floor therapy. This involves squeezing and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles similar to what you do when you want to hold in your urine flow, or stop peeing. 

Performing kegels correctly as essential for effective results, which has the component of

* Fast contractions and releases: it trains muscles to adopt to abdominal pressure in order to avoid leakage during things like coughing. 

* Slow contractions and releases: To strengthen muscles

Holding a contraction: holding for ascertain amount of time for example 10 to 30 seconds to strengthen muscles of the pelvic floor

Performing kegels correctly is essential for effective results, if you have trouble locating your pelvic floor muscles when instructed to squeeze them, your pelvic floor therapist may use biofeedback techniques (electrical stimulation) to help you learn which muscle group should stimulated or squeezed. 

Electrodes are placed on your abdomen and vagina or anus, and a connected monitor shows when you have contacted or release your muscles. 

Pelvic floor physical therapy also considers nutrition, sleep hygiene and mental health.

Benefits of Pelvic Floor Therapy

Pelvic floor therapy can be beneficial for anyone with pelvic dysfunction regardless of how long you have experienced it. It can help you strengthen pelvic floor muscles and release muscle tension, restoring function and decreasing symptoms like leaking urine, prolapse, and urinary or fecal incontinence. 

Pelvic floor therapy can't fix  or heal all pelvic floor issues but it can decrease many symptoms, and it has a relatively high rate of success. Some study shows that pelvic floor strengthening exercises to be 60% effective. The effectiveness of pelvic floor therapy depends largely on the type of dysfunction you have and its severity. 

Manual Techniques by physical therapist

* Myofascial release: including vaginal massage to relieve pain and tightness in muscles and connective tissue

Related article:- Myofascial pain release

* Strain counter strain manual exercise:

Gentle assisted stretches to help relax muscles and relieve pain

* Trigger point massage: applying pressure to particular areas of the body including in a pelvic muscles 

Risks of Pelvic Floor Therapy

There are no known risk of pelvic floor therapy, and the exercises are usually simple and gentle. It may not completely resolve issues. For example, pelvic floor therapy can't fix underlying injuries associated with pelvic  function or fully correct a prolapse. It can only decrease the symptoms, also in some cases surgery is required. 

Conclusion:

Whether you are male or female, suffering from any kind of pelvic floor dysfunction you must visit your physical therapist as a first line of treatment.