Pelvic Floor Therapy, Indianapolis

Looking for pelvic floor therapy near Indianapolis-Greenwood area? Choose Victor Physical Therapy.

What is pelvic floor therapy?

Pelvic floor rehabilitation is a sub-specialty of  Orthopedic Physical Therapy that deals with the assessment, treatment and management of the pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic floor physical therapy aims at treating the pelvic floor muscles to either strengthen them if weak or facilitate relaxation if hypertonic. The pelvic floor muscles which are similar to the other muscles in your body that move your arms or legs extend from the pubis in the front to the tail bone at the back. These muscles can get affected singularly or may occur as a result of dysfunction in your low back, hip or the abdomen.

 

What constitutes the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor consists of muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues spanning from the pubis-part of the pelvis in the front to the coccyx or the tail bone at the back. Forming a hammock like structure, the pelvic floor houses the bladder, bowels, and the uterus in females.

It must be noted here that the pelvic floor muscles are skeletal muscles, much like the biceps and triceps and are therefore under voluntary control

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

When the normal functioning of the pelvic floor is hampered, pelvic floor dysfunction can be the result. It can happen due to impairments such as excessive tightness or loose and weak muscles, scar tissue formation in the connective tissues or impingement of a nerve. The symptoms can be varied. In some cases, pain can be referred to the low back or hip.

Tight muscles:

  • Pain
  • Constipation
  • Urge incontinence
  • Dysparenuia

Loose and weak muscles

  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Stress incontinence
  • Bowel/Bladder incontinence
  • Pain

Nerve impingement

  • Pain
  • Weakness 
  • Altered sensation
  • Altered sexual pleasure              

When to seek medical help?

Fever and chills, excessive bleeding, painful urination or symptoms that are either persistent for more than three months or are getting exaggerated needs a medical consult. In any case, seeking medical help is always advisable.

Treatment

Many cases of pelvic floor problems occur due to strength, endurance and coordination deficit of these muscles. Proper instruction to train the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle contraction to address the above deficits will likely resolve issues such as incontinence, pain and discomfort. Equally important would be to also to screen and address the surrounding joints for muscle imbalance and joint mobility issues for comprehensive care.