How can pelvic floor physiotherapy help?
Urinary Incontinence.
When sneezing, laughing, or exercising, you may have experienced slight leakage of urine. It may seem like no big deal in the moment! But it is a sign of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. We call this Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI).
When you experience leakage after having an urge to go, we call this Urge Urinary Incontinence (UUI). Although having some leakage is very common amongst women, no amount of leakage is normal.
The primary form of treatment is Pelvic Floor Therapy! Say goodbye to wearing pads at the gym.
Dyspareunia.
This is a term for painful sex. Our pelvic floor plays an important role in sexual function. If the pelvic floor muscles are overly tight and sensitive, this can make sex painful and uncomfortable.
Sexual health is important for many reasons, including the release of hormones that help to regulate stress and make you feel connected to your partner.
You don’t have to sacrifice this. Pelvic Floor Therapy combines internal techniques, exercises, and tools to help you eliminate this pain.
Pelvic Pain.
Pelvic pain constitutes pain in and around the pelvis, including low back, hips, pubic bone, tailbone, and pelvic girdle.
This commonly occurs during the perinatal period as Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain. Dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles, pelvic organs, and associated nerves can refer pain into these surrounding areas.
If you have experienced low back pain for years without reprieve, I highly recommend you consider lumbopelvic pain and its relationship to the pelvic floor.
Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB).
This is exactly how it sounds - you feel like you need to pee all the time! Some may joke about a small bladder, but there really is no such thing. OAB occurs when the neural signals controlling the urge to empty your bladder become overactive.
If you find yourself going to the bathroom every 30 minutes, or more than 8 times per day, these are telltale signs of an overactive bladder.
This is a syndrome that often deteriorates into further pelvic floor dysfunction and can be associated with bladder pain, so it’s best to nip this one in the bud.
Dysmenorrhea.
If you suffer from excessive cramping, bloating, pelvic pain, low back pain, fatigue, and brain fog with your menstrual cycle, this is a strong indicator that you have dysmenorrhea.
We are made to believe that this monthly torture comes with “being a woman”. However, severe discomfort with your monthly cycle is usually a sign that something more serious is going on.
If you are experiencing severe symptoms that are interfering with your daily activities, there may be underlying factors that you can address with behavioural and dietary changes, pelvic floor training, exercise, and more.
Vaginismus.
This happens when the pelvic floor muscles contract reflexively to any form of penetration. Symptoms include pain with insertion of a tampon and inability to achieve penetration with sex.
Pelvic Floor Therapy for Vaginismus is very effective and often involves a holistic approach, including pelvic floor muscle training, managing triggers, mindfulness and meditation, and introducing dilators.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse.
The pelvic floor muscles support several organs: the uterus, rectum, and bladder. Sometimes with pregnancy and delivery, trauma to the pelvic floor, or excessive intra-abdominal pressure, this support may become insufficient. In this case, the pelvic organs may descend and prolapse through the vaginal wall.
Coccydynia.
This is the term for persistent “tailbone pain”. Our tailbone, or coccyx, is at the very end of our spine. Oftentimes with coccydynia you will experience pain with activities that involve your spine accepting load from the lower body (eg. mountain climbers, squats) and activities involving pressure on the tailbone (sitting, intercourse, prolonged standing).
Vulvodynia.
A chronic pain syndrome that involves persistent pain in the vulvar region. Symptoms can include a burning, raw, stinging sensation, pain with sex, inflammation (redness and swelling) of the vulvar tissues, and sensitivity to tight clothing.
Vestibulodynia.
A chronic pain syndrome that involves persistent pain around the vestibule (opening of the vagina). Vestibulodynia is a form of Vulvodynia that is isolated to the vestibule. Symptoms include burning sensation with insertion of a tampon, pain with sex, sensitivity to tight clothing, and dryness and inflammation around tissues of the vestibule.
PCOS.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. This condition is characterized by multiple small cysts that grow around the ovaries due to higher than normal production of male hormones (androgens). These cysts lead to hormone imbalances, causing issues with fertility, weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, and depression.
Interstitial Cystitis or Painful Bladder Syndrome.
A condition characterized by chronic pain and pressure in the bladder and around the pelvis. Symptoms include frequent urge to go to the bathroom, an urge that never goes away, pain with a full bladder, burning sensation with voiding, pain with sex, and pain in the low back.
Whether you experience any of the above conditions, you want to prevent pelvic floor dysfunction, or you are looking to implement inner core training into your exercise routine, start with an initial assessment.
Your pelvic floor is the key to enhancing core stability, breathing, circulation, continence, and sexual function.
