Women’s Health Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Pelvic floor dysfunction refers to the inability to adequately relax and move your pelvic floor muscles in order to provide bowel movement or regulate your bladder. This can be caused by a number factors such as:

• Weak Pelvic Floor Muscles (Hypotonicity): contributes to Stress and Urge incontinence, Pelvic Organ Prolapse
• Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles (Hypertonicity): contributes to Urinary and Fecal Urgency, Urge Incontinence, Chronic Pelvic Pain, Dyspareunia, Vaginismus, Vulvodynia, Pudendal Neuralgia, Interstitial Cystitis and Chronic Prostatitis

The muscles of the pelvic floor must be able to contract to preserve continence and to relax in order to facilitate urination, bowel movements, and sexual intercourse in women. Pelvic floor dysfunction, more precisely, muscles that are too rigid or hypertonic muscles, may be associated with people with pelvic pain.

Pelvic discomfort or pressure and frequency of the bladder and bowels can also be caused by muscles with too much stress. On the other hand, they can lead to stress incontinence and organ prolapse when they are low-toned. There are also times where a mixture of those who are too nervous and those who are too relaxed maybe the muscles.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Techniques: Physiotherapy

In addressing your pelvic floor problems, your physiotherapist will perform an assessment and decide which type of therapy will suit you best. The assessment will include an evaluation of both the external and internal pelvic floor muscles. The therapist may also ask you to stand, walk, and sit to check whether your posture or joints may have underlying issues that are affecting your pelvic floor muscles.

Hands-on Physiotherapy

Via hands-on approaches, both internal and external Physiotherapy typically treats pelvic floor disorder and pain. Since internal Physiotherapy can be challenging and painful for certain people, it is only when the patient is ready that therapists ensure that they fulfil the needs of each client and conduct this type of therapy.

These are the techniques included in External Physiotherapy:

• Nerve release
• Trigger point therapy
• Myofascial release, also called deep tissue massage
• Skin rolling
• Joint mobilization

These are the techniques included in Internal Physiotherapy:

Trigger point therapy is done by applying pressure at a particular position or by administering anesthesia into the trigger points. In order to ensure protection and precision, these injections are often performed by a doctor or nurse practitioner rather than a physiotherapist. Additionally, depending on your situation, your therapist can also recommend Kegel exercises designed to strengthen your muscles.

Pelvic Floor Therapy Techniques: Equipments Used

During pelvic floor physiotherapy, there are a variety of techniques used to help relieve pelvic floor dysfunction. The main purpose of the instruments is to help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and learn to relax them. The machines can also be used to help ease the pain that you are feeling. In this therapy, some instruments used can include:

• Electrical stimulation. This is used to help reduce pain and muscle spasms. This may be done in the office or at home with your personal electrical stimulation unit. In the office, your therapist can conduct treatments or give you an electric stimulation unit to use at home.
• Interferential therapy. This is another type of electrical stimulation. It is used to help reduce pain and spasms. This is a device that can also be used at home. Dilators. To help stretch tight tissues, these are progressively sized tools inserted into your vagina.
• Biofeedback. This is a device that uses electrical impulses to help you show the affected muscles how to relax. Electrodes can either be attached to the body or you can insert a probe into the vagina or rectum.
• The attached units (either electrodes or probes) are designed to feel the stress or relaxation of the muscles of your pelvic floor and will show their findings on the reading of the system. Your therapist will then describe the conclusions, along with what your reading target would be and how you will exercise your muscles to achieve this goal.
• Therapeutic ultrasound. This device uses sound to do a number of benefits in treating your condition. This involves creating a warmth that can help to minimize the spasms of the muscles and allow blood flow to increase and improve. In addition to that, it can also help reduce inflammation. Some ultrasound devices can be used at home, which is both efficient and beneficial for you.

Some other important parts of treatment are self-care, prescribed medication, and persistent pain education. These will help reduce your stress and will contribute greatly to your recovery. Your therapist will also be including this on your treatment plan and will discuss it with you better if ever your condition deems it necessary.