What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that span the underside of the pelvis, from the pubic symphysis to the coccyx or tailbone. These muscles function like a hammock to hold up our organs. They allow us to control voiding of our bladder and bowels, provide stabilization to our core, and facilitate sexual functions.
What is pelvic floor dysfunction?
The muscles of the pelvic floor can become injured or weak just like the other muscles in our bodies, resulting in various symptoms. Common pelvic floor dysfunctions include urinary or bowel incontinence, frequent constipation, pain with intercourse, other sexual dysfunctions, and pelvic or lower back pain. While many pelvic floor conditions are COMMON they should not be considered NORMAL. There is help and hope; leakage or pain is not a life sentence!
How can pelvic floor physical therapy help?
The root cause of many pelvic floor disorders typically falls under one of three categories: weakness, tightness, or poor muscle coordination, all of which can be addressed with the right exercises. An evaluation by a trained pelvic floor physical therapist is key to determine the cause of your symptoms and appropriately prescribe exercises to address them. Kegels are not always the answer! In fact, if symptoms are caused by tightness or poor coordination of the pelvic floor muscles, Kegels can make those symptoms worse. Pelvic floor physical therapy can include various interventions including stretching, strengthening, bladder retraining, deep core coordination, scar mobilization, and massage
We are currently able to provide services for the following pelvic floor and women's health conditions:
- Urinary incontinence
- Bowel dysfunctions
- Vaginismus and pain with intercourse
- Pelvic pain
- Prenatal care
- Pubic symphysis dysfunction, SI dysfunction, low back pain, diastasis recti, incontinence
- Postnatal care
- Back pain, diastasis recti, incontinence, painful intercourse, return to sport
Not sure what to expect during pelvic floor physical therapy or if it would be beneficial for you? We would be happy to address your specific questions or set up a free consultation with our pelvic floor therapist Lauren Brown PT, DPT. Please call (724)458-WISE or contact us via email at [email protected] for further information.
