Introduction:
Most people have no idea what the pelvic floor is, or even that there are muscles down there. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, fascia, and nerves that stretch from your pubic bone in the front to your tailbone in the back. The muscles are shaped like a hammock supporting the bladder, uterus, rectum, urethra, and vagina in women. More importantly, the Pelvic Floor is the horizontal load-bearing muscle in the human body and is the center of gravity for your body where all movement is initiated.
Your true core is made up of your abdominals, lower back muscles, and diaphragm, your pelvic floor and is what keeps you stabilized. So, when you are doing core stabilization exercises you should also include pelvic floor exercises as well.
In addition to supporting the body’s vital pelvic organs, the pelvic floor muscles play a vital role in sexual function & help prevent us from leaking pee & poop. There are different signs and symptoms that these muscles are not functioning properly. Below is a list of some of the common pelvic floor dysfunction signs in everyday life that are treatable with physical therapy.
⚡️Leaking urine with jumping, running, coughing or sneezing
⚡️Urinary urgency-need to pee all the time
⚡️Running to the bathroom because unable to hold it.
⚡️Painful urination
⚡️ Constipation
⚡️Pain with sex
⚡️Pressure or heaviness in the vagina or rectum.
⚡️Unable to orgasm
⚡️Pelvic pain
⚡️Low Back Pain
⚡️Sciatica
Despite the ones I listed here, there are many diagnoses and conditions that someone can come in for Pelvic PT. So if you suspect that you might be experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction, or have not seen improvement with conventional outpatient physical therapy, you should give pelvic floor PT a try. Reach out I am happy to discuss your individual situation to see how I can help!
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