The pelvic floor is formed by a group of muscles, ligaments, and tendons that are attached to the front and back sides of the pelvic bone and sacrum. The anatomical position of these structures is important as they act like a sling or a hammock to support uterus, bladder, rectum, and prostate. In women, they also provide support to some additional organs such as the urethra and vagina. The pelvic muscles must be able to contract and relax smoothly to regulate bowel movements, maintain continence, and allow for urination.
When these muscles have a low tone (hypotonic), they will often cause stress incontinence and organ prolapse (such as uterine prolapse in women). On the other hand, if these muscles are high-tone (hypertonic), they will contribute to pelvic pain, urinary urgency and irregular bowel movements. In some conditions, you may have a combination of muscles that are too relaxed or too tensed. Certain specific exercises such as Kegels and medications such as painkillers and muscle relaxants can be used to relieve pain and release muscle tension. However, Kegels are not for everyone while medications do have their own side effects. This is where physical therapy of the pelvic floor comes in.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy offered at our Scarborough Clinic is a non-invasive, safe and effective procedure that focuses on the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, and nerves of the pelvis, hips, and lower back. Your physician may refer you to a physiotherapist to get yourself treated for chronic pelvic pain, incontinence, irregular bowel movements, difficulty passing urine, and strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles (especially after trauma (e.g., road traffic accident) in men and after childbirth in women). Women may also see a physiotherapist for the treatment of endometriosis and vaginismus (painful intercourse). Male disorders such as premature ejaculation, bed wetting, and painful ejaculation can also be addressed effectively this way.
How does it help treat pelvic conditions and strengthen pelvic floor muscles?
During evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment, your physiotherapist will use the internal and external techniques to treat the conditions related to the pelvic floor and associated structures.
Pelvic floor dysfunction is diagnosed by specially trained Doctors and Physiotherapists by using internal and external “hands-on” or manual techniques to evaluate the function of the pelvic floor muscles. They will also assess your ability to contract and relax these muscles. Your bones and muscles of your lower back, hips and sacro-iliac joints will need to be assessed as well since these joints can stress your pelvic floor muscles. You may also be taught some breathing and timing techniques to make these exercises more effective. These exercises can strengthen weak pelvic muscles, stretch tight muscles and improve flexibility. Pelvic floor exercises are of special importance when it comes to treating bladder incontinence, premature ejaculation and regaining muscle strength after trauma or cesarean section in females. Sometimes, the physiotherapists also apply manual therapy or hand massage to realign the joints and improve blood circulation and mobility.
To see if Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy might be right for you give us a call
