5 reasons pelvic floor therapy near you can improve your quality of life

If you experience pain or pressure in the pelvic region, urinary incontinence, or bowel problems, you may have a pelvic floor disorder. Approximately 32% of women and 16% of men have a pelvic floor disorder. This condition can occur when the muscles, ligaments or tissues weaken in the pelvis. Common causes include pregnancy, childbirth, aging and chronic constipation.

Unfortunately, many people don’t contact a health care professional because they’re too embarrassed to talk about their symptoms. At Performance Rehab, we’re here to support you on your path to recovery. Pelvic floor therapy provides a nonsurgical treatment option to consider for easing your symptoms. This type of physical therapy is designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. As a result, it can alleviate pain, address incontinence and enhance sexual function. 

Let’s explore five ways pelvic floor therapy can improve your life, so you can discover how this treatment may bring you relief.

5 ways pelvic floor therapy can improve your life

Living with a pelvic floor disorder can be challenging, but strengthening your muscles in this area may offer many benefits. Whether you’re looking for a nonsurgical treatment to ease chronic pain or stop urinary incontinence, pelvic floor therapy may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Additionally, your physical therapist can tailor this treatment to meet your needs. Your treatment plan may include techniques to strengthen muscles, relieve pain or improve bladder control.

Here are five ways pelvic floor therapy can enhance your life:

1. Restore strength and stability

Targeted exercises, like Kegel exercises, can build strength in your pelvic floor. This treatment can increase strength in your pelvic region, abdominals and back. When these areas get stronger, they can improve your stability. As a result, you can experience enhanced posture and a better range of motion. This increased strength can make it easier for you to perform your daily activities.

2. Enhance sexual function

Improving strength, balance and flexibility through exercises can ease the pain many people feel during sexual intercourse. Additionally, pelvic floor therapy may improve blood flow to this area, which can cause enhanced lubrication and arousal. Men undergoing this treatment may achieve and maintain stronger, longer-lasting erections. As such, pelvic floor therapy can be a great option to address erectile dysfunction. 

3. Improve urinary continence

Many people experience urinary incontinence when they laugh, cough or sneeze. Sometimes, leaks occur when there’s a sudden urge to go that can’t be controlled in time. Pelvic floor therapy helps strengthen the pelvis, back and abdominals, which may improve bladder control. 

It can also address chronic tightness in this region that may cause leaks. Relaxing techniques can help manage this tension and treat urinary incontinence. Biofeedback is a common treatment option. It uses electronic monitoring to give you real-time insight on your body’s physiological functions, showing you graphs on a screen. As a result, you can use this feedback to help improve your muscle control. It can be a helpful treatment to reduce or stop leaks.

4. Support postpartum recovery

Childbirth can stretch and weaken pelvic floor muscles, often causing urinary incontinence and pain. Pelvic floor therapy can help strengthen the muscles, improve stability and treat incontinence. This treatment may also reduce pain from tears and C-section scars. As it boosts circulation and reduces swelling in the pelvis, it can help postpartum women recover more quickly.

5. Reduce lower back pain 

Pelvic floor therapy can decrease lower back pain by improving your muscle coordination, back strength and core stability. By enhancing these areas, this treatment creates a stable base for the spine. A more stable spine can also relieve lower back pain. 

A physical therapist can recommend therapeutic exercises to strengthen your back and improve your spine health. As a result of reduced pain, you can also experience enhanced posture and balance and reduce strain on other areas such as your hips.

Find pelvic floor therapy at Performance Rehab

If you think you may have pelvic floor dysfunction, don’t be afraid to ask for support. At Performance Rehab, our licensed and compassionate physical therapists have helped many people overcome their symptoms, and we can help you, too. 

When you schedule an appointment, you can meet one-on-one with a physical therapist who can assess your condition and develop a personalized treatment plan that’s safe and effective for you. We’re proud to offer physical floor therapy in our Westwood, Kansas, location and at our Nall Avenue location in Overland Park, Kansas. We want to help alleviate your symptoms and enhance your quality of life.

Early intervention is key to lasting recovery. Contact us today to explore your options or request an appointment.