The core of your body connects most of your body systems while keeping them in contact with your brain through your nervous system. Issues in this part of the body can affect your pelvic area, inhibiting mobility and other problems. These issues can occur due to injury, illness, or accidents. The pelvic floor is a base for many vital organs, and any condition affecting it may have a negative impact on these organs. This has led to the emergence of pelvic floor therapy Boca Raton to help deal with these problems. Pelvic floor therapy and what it entails are highlighted below.
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What is Pelvic Floor Therapy?
This involves multiple treatment plans for issues around the pelvic floor. It typically involves exercises to alleviate symptoms like discomfort, pain, and disruptions to your normal daily activities.
The pelvic floor involves muscles that support the urinary and reproductive systems and control your bowels and bladder. In women, this floor keeps your rectum and vagina in the back and the bladder in the front. Tendons, muscles, and other connective tissues keep the uterus on top of the pelvic floor. In men, it keeps the bladder, bowels, urethra, bladder, and rectum in place.
Muscles of your pelvic floor connect your pubic bone to your tailbone.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when your pelvic muscles do not work together as they are supposed to or are weakened for one reason or another. If they only contract and do not relax, you may have:
- Frequent peeing
- Constipation
- Pain during sex in women
- Difficulty controlling urine or bowels causing leaks
- Erectile dysfunction in men
The reasons causing pelvic floor dysfunction are not well defined, but certain risk factors involved include:
- Aging
- Pelvic surgery
- Being overweight
- Pregnancy
- Severe injuries to the pelvic area
- Overuse of pelvic muscles
Physical therapy of the pelvic floor involves exercises or techniques like:
Electrical Stimulation
This method aims at inhibiting muscle spasms and pelvic pain. Your physical therapist can achieve this in their office or teach you how to do them at home with special devices.
Kegels
This is a specific exercise used to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles by relaxing and contracting them. Doing kegels regularly helps to control incontinence and can relieve pain during sex. This exercise technique can be taught to you by your physical therapist to ensure effective results.
Trigger point therapy
This method involves applying pressure externally or internally on a spot on the body called trigger points.
Biofeedback
This method uses special appliances to monitor the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. Your physical therapist uses this to see your exercise progress and check for any improvement. Electrodes are placed outside your body, like between the anus or vagina. An internal probe can also measure the relaxation and tension in your pelvic floor muscles. These results are seen on a screen for further analysis and discussion with your physician.
Pelvic floor therapy is typically done to improve symptoms of pelvic floor issues enabling you to go back to your daily activities. For more about pelvic floor therapy, check out our website, or call our offices in Boca Raton, FL.