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Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Photoshoot at Activcore Corporate Headquarters in Ewing, NJ

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

 

During the holiday season, we tend to have deficient sleep and high stress levels. This added stress can target the central nervous system and your body will go into “fight or flight” mode causing the pelvic floor muscles to tense up and become overactive. Pelvic floor tension can increase stress on the bladder and throughout the pelvis. This tension can lead to pelvic pain, urine leakage or bowel issues.

The pelvic floor has a variety of functions. It supports the internal organs, helps with sphincter closure, provides stabilization, “sump pump” for circulation and lymphatic system, and allows for sexual appreciation. Therefore, it is important that it works properly to have a good quality of life. Risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction include, but are not limited to, low back pain, surgeries, prostate issues, trauma/abuse, depression/anxiety, neurological conditions, high-impact activities, prolonged sitting, being overweight, and/or childbirth. 

Most of you have heard that performing Kegel exercises (pelvic floor strengthening) is the best way to improve and maintain bowel and bladder function and decrease leakage. Kegel exercises are a great tool when wanting to reduce symptoms of urinary incontinence or to increase the strength and tone of the pelvic floor. However, it’s important to note that Kegel exercises are not for everyone. If someone’s pelvic floor is “too active or tense”, they are unable to relax and rest completely, leading to an overactive pelvic floor. In this case, Kegel’s may not be recommended.

 

A few exercises that you can try during this holiday season to prevent pelvic floor tension are:

  1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
  2. Happy baby pose (modification: pelvic rest position)
  3. Sphinx/Cobra pose (modification: on elbows or propped up on pillow)

Sometimes it is hard to tell whether you have a weak pelvic floor or overactive pelvic floor without consulting with a pelvic floor physical therapist. If you have any of the following symptoms, you should contact us at 619-260-0750 to schedule a consultation with our pelvic floor physical therapist:

  1. Forceful or Frequently needing to use the bathroom
  2. Long-term constipation or straining/pushing really hard during bowel movements
  3. Leaking of urine that you can’t control (incontinence)
  4. Painful urination (if urinary tract infection has been ruled out)
  5. Feeling pain in low back with no other cause
  6. Feeling ongoing pain in pelvic region, with or without bowel movement
  7. Recent pregnancy

For stretches and exercises to support your pelvic floor, check out this video!

 

Innovative Physical Therapy, “Solutions in Motion”

 

You can give us a call at 619-260-0750 or email us at info@innovativept.net