Women deal with a lot of things daily, and sometimes their health is left on the backburner as they have to juggle the demands of work, marriage, family relationships, and careers. It is only when a woman feels overwhelmed that she begins to entertain the idea of seeking help. Women are programmed to endure and to be strong in the face of challenges, but when something is not right with their bodies then it also threatens their ability to care and provide for their family and loved ones. As such, they see to it that they can deal with whatever illness they have so that they can feel better and be healthier. On the other hand, women also suffer from conditions that are too difficult to share or even admit and one such area is those that involve the pelvic floor muscles. It would be too embarrassing for women to say that they have pain down there or that they cannot hold their urine or that they accidentally urinate when they sneeze or cough or when they laugh out loud. Sometimes if the condition does not involve any pain, they would not feel the need to get a professional opinion, but rather accept it as part of aging or because their bodies are overworked. But if there is constant pain, dissatisfaction, and even frustrations with their sexual activity then it becomes a cause for concern. Women who have an abnormal pelvic floor muscle tone need pelvic floor therapy as a treatment for the condition and help them regain their quality of life. This treatment is performed in a clinic where a certified physical therapist on women’s diseases and pelvic physical therapy is available. Women who suffer from illnesses and conditions that are associated with the pelvic floor need to have pelvic floor therapy.
What is Pelvic Floor Therapy?
Pelvic floor therapy is a treatment that is done to correct the muscle tone of the pelvic floors of women who may have been suffering from certain conditions like incontinence, loose bowel movement, and pain during intercourse, it can also be a general tightness or looseness in the pelvic and associated pain in the area. The therapy is carried out by professionally trained physical therapists who specialize in pelvic floor muscle issues and this can either be through physical massage or the use of special tools and equipment. Pelvic floor therapy is not for everybody and it takes a certain kind of dedication to the practice and the willingness to help women who feel that their situation is hopeless. To perform pelvic floor therapy, one has to be compassionate and responsive to the needs of the patient and respectful of her body. It is important to build a close relationship with the patient and physical therapist as it is an important factor in the treatment and healing process of the patient. Pelvic floor therapy includes exercises like Kegel that will help relax and contract the pelvic muscles, the manual stimulation of trigger points in the pelvic floor muscles, or the use of dilators and weighted cones to help the muscles relax and contract. The objective of the therapy is to improve the muscle tone of the pelvic floor muscles so that it is neither tight nor weak. An increase or decrease in muscle tone in the pelvic floors can cause disorders such as pelvic organ prolapse, stress incontinence, overactive bladder, vaginismus, and pain during sexual activity. Pelvic floor therapy is aimed at improving the muscle resting tone of the pelvic floor muscles, which once attained can relieve the disorders or symptoms felt by the patient.
What is the Process in Pelvic Floor Therapy?
Pelvic floor therapy starts with a physical examination of the patient to determine the extent of the pelvic floor disorders that the patient is experiencing. The initial physical exam involves external and internal exams where the muscles connected to the pelvic floor are checked in terms of how tight or smooth the muscles are. It can involve palpating the pelvic floor muscles by the therapist and determining the tightness in the vaginal walls and whether the patient can contract and relax it without pain and discomfort. After the physical exam, the therapist will make a clinical diagnosis and identify the treatment that is needed by the patient and ask the patient to begin the therapy when she is ready. After which during the ensuing sessions, the physical therapist will perform the pelvic floor therapy with different methods that will be suitable for the patient’s needs until the desired outcome is achieved. Pelvic floor therapy had been identified as the best treatment option for pelvic floor disorders as it is the most effective and it does improve the muscle tone and leads to the recovery of the patient from such disorders of the pelvic floor.
Where to Find Pelvic Floor Therapy?
Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized treatment designed to improve the muscle tone of the pelvic floor muscles. It is a rare specialization in that not many physical therapists would make the time and effort to become certified pelvic physical therapists. Thus, if you need pelvic floor therapy, you need to find a clinic that has physical therapists with the necessary credentials and training. This might prove to be difficult to do as there are not that many physical therapy clinics in a given state since their services are not often regularly sought by patients. However, you can try and find a clinic with top-notch staff and services in your area, and more often than not, they would have a certified pelvic physical therapist in their roster of employees. Once you have found a clinic to your liking and one that will not charge you exorbitantly, then you can proceed with contacting the clinic and setting up an appointment schedule for the initial consultation with the therapist. During the initial consultation, the therapist will determine if the patient will benefit from the pelvic floor therapy. If so, then the succeeding treatment plan will then be referred to the resident physical therapist for implementation. The progress of the patient will be recorded and therapy will end once the treatment goals have been achieved.
