Pelvic floor physical therapy can help ease symptoms of pelvic disorders such as urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. These conditions can make it challenging to live an active and healthy life.
Treatment typically involves exercises and manual techniques such as trigger point release or visceral mobilization. Your PT might also use biofeedback to measure the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles.
Contents
Get a good night’s sleep.
Getting enough sleep is essential for a healthy life. It helps your body restore and heal itself. It also reduces stress and promotes mental health.
In addition, having a regular bedtime and wake time is essential for maintaining positive sleep habits. Try to avoid caffeine and other stimulants close to bedtime. This can make falling asleep hard and limit restfulness throughout the night.
Another tip to improve your sleep quality is changing your sleeping position. Choose to sleep on your side, as this will reduce pressure in the lower back and abdomen. A pillow between your knees can help with this, too, as it provides extra comfort and support.
If you’re pregnant, it’s especially crucial to avoid lying on your back as this puts the weight of your growing baby on your spine and pelvic muscles. Instead, keep your legs bent slightly and place a pillow between them for additional comfort.
Eat a healthy diet
Keeping a healthy diet is vital for a good quality of life. It also plays an essential role in pelvic floor physical therapy, helping reduce pain, inflammation, and stressors contributing to pelvic dysfunction.
Women with bowel movements or constipation often benefit from adding high-fiber, low-acid fruits and vegetables to their diets. These foods make stools soft and easily slide out of the rectum and anus without being pushed.
For example, bananas contain potassium, which helps with various functions, including easing irritable bowel syndrome. In addition, they are packed with vitamins A and B6, as well as magnesium.
Another way to help your bladder function is drinking water, especially if you are dehydrated. This is because the body has to work harder to urinate when it is dry, which can irritate the bladder and urethra.
If you have any questions about eating a healthy diet or pelvic floor physical therapy, schedule an appointment with a therapist at Sutton Place Physical Therapy. They can offer additional advice on how to avoid certain foods that may be causing problems and how to stay hydrated.
Get plenty of exercise.
Pelvic floor physical therapy can be a great way to improve the function of your pelvic muscles and reduce symptoms. During a session, you’ll be taught hands-on exercises designed for your needs and goals.
In addition, you’ll be shown how to relax the muscles properly, which is crucial in recovery. Tight muscles decrease blood flow and oxygen, leading to muscle and nerve irritation that can contribute to pain.
When your pelvic floor muscles are overused and weak, you may experience many problems, including sex, bladder or bowel dysfunction, and more. If you’re experiencing these issues, it’s essential to seek professional help as soon as possible.
PUrologists or OB-GYNs often recommend pelvic floor physical therapy for women or primary care providers for men. During a consultation, you’ll be asked about your symptoms and medical history, which your therapist will evaluate. You’ll also be asked to complete a series of tests and measurements. The results of those measurements will be used to develop a treatment plan. You’ll have several visits with your therapist, and within a few sessions, you should see progress.
Stay hydrated
Regarding pelvic floor physical therapy, staying hydrated is essential to getting the desired results. Water flushes toxins from the body, helps transport nutrients to cells, and regulates body temperature and pH balance.
It can also help with musculoskeletal pain and discomfort, especially if you have a pelvic floor condition. It’s easy to forget the importance of keeping your body adequately hydrated, so drink enough throughout the day.
Generally, women should drink around 0.5 cups of water per pound of body weight. Of course, this is a rough estimate, but most patients report feeling better when they drink more water.
During your sessions, your therapist may perform a biofeedback test that measures how your pelvic floor muscles are working. This technique involves inserting a probe into your vagina or rectum and watching it on a computer screen to monitor the muscles’ activity.
Your therapist may also teach breathing techniques to improve your posture and increase blood flow. They’ll also show you exercises that can help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and improve bladder control.
Stay active
Women have a group of muscles in their pelvic floor that helps keep their bladders, bowels, and urethra in place. These muscles are also responsible for controlling sexual function.
Physical therapists can help improve the function of these muscles and relieve symptoms like pain, urinary and fecal incontinence, and bowel issues. They can also teach patients stretches and exercises to perform independently at home.
Pelvic floor therapy involves various manual and external techniques, including trigger point therapy, nerve release, deep tissue massage (myofascial release), skin rolling, and joint mobilization. Many therapists will also use biofeedback sensors to see how the pelvic floor muscles working real-time.
Typically, the length and frequency of therapy sessions will vary by the person’s condition and symptom severity. However, most people need to have a minimum of five therapy sessions before they see improvements.
During your first session, your therapist will take a detailed history to get a complete picture of what’s going on with your body and pelvic floor. Then, they’ll explain how pelvic floor dysfunction occurs and answer any questions you may have.