We recommend pelvic floor/abdominal physical therapy to many of our patients who are struggling with pelvic or abdominal pain, urinary incontinence, pain during intercourse or sexual dysfunction, constipation or diarrhea, bloating, and many other health concerns.
We understand how deeply upsetting it is to be in pain in such an intimate area. It can take a lot of courage to discuss your abdominal and pelvic issues with your doctor. But when you’re struggling with pressure, pain, incontinence, sexual dysfunction, or abdominal and pelvic floor issues – physical therapy can do you a world of good.
Which is why we offer abdominal and pelvic floor physical therapy – it is the best non-surgical solution for many of our patients. Because our physical therapy also includes abdominal manipulation, it can be extremely effective in reducing pain, inflammation, and in promoting detoxification.
Why Treat Your Abdomen and Pelvic Floor?
Most people take their abdominal structures and pelvic floor for granted – until something changes and there is a significant impact on their quality of life. It is a common misconception that only women who have given birth suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction. In reality, men and women of all ages and backgrounds can experience pelvic floor related health issues.
The pelvic floor consists of muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, connective tissues, and nerves.
In women, these components support the bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum. These various parts need to be functioning together well to help pelvic organs function properly. Yes, childbirth can increase the risk of pelvic floor weakness, but we see patients with all different life experiences who have these problems. In fact, one quarter of all women have pelvic floor disorders.
In men, the pelvic floor supports the bladder and rectum. When men experience pelvic floor dysfunction they often experience hernias, bowel movement issues – often constipation, and the frequent need to urinate.
Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
In both men and women, symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction include:
- Feeling constipated
- Feeling as though you cannot finish a bowel movement
- Feeling as though you have to go to the bathroom very frequently or in a short period of time
- Painful urination
- Lower back pain
- Hernias
- Pain during intercourse
- Frequent urination
- When you urinate and stop and start several times
- Pain or pressure in the abdomen, genitals, pelvic region or rectum
Why Do Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Issues Happen?
You may experience abdominal and pelvic floor issues due to digestive conditions, birth, sexual health issues or more. We treat pelvic floor dysfunction associated with:
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal bloating
- SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth)
- Endometriosis
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Pelvic pain and vaginal pain
- Menstrual pain
- Post-surgical adhesion/pain
- Sexual dysfunction
- Urinary Incontinence
- Urinary frequency & urgency
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Fecal incontinence
- Infertility
- PCOS
- Pre-Op/Post-Op pelvic floor disorders
- Pregnancy and postpartum disorders
- Reflux
The Benefits of Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
You already know how important diet and exercise is to stay healthy. If you’re a woman, you have been told of the importance of doing Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. Unfortunately, Kegels only pinpoint one part of the pelvic floor – it’s like only using one limb while swimming, you won’t get very far!
This is where abdominal and pelvic floor physical therapy comes in.
This therapy is an excellent way to treat multiple conditions. For example, abdominal and pelvic floor therapy can be used for endometriosis, constipation, and sexual dysfunction and provides relief for common clusters of conditions. We treat the abdominal and pelvic area as a whole, which reduces the pain and discomfort you face on a daily basis. This treatment has even helped patients repair their relationship with their body.
One of the additional benefits of abdominal/pelvic floor physical therapy is to optimize detoxification by improving lymphatic drainage, encouraging bile excretion from your liver/gallbladder, and producing normal bowel movements.
If you are seeing one of our doctors at Vine Healthcare, they will perform a comprehensive workup, including obtaining diagnostics, they will also take a full health history, and recommend dietary changes. Since our abdominal and pelvic floor physical therapist works closely with our doctors and they can discuss your case in detail, the result is a coordinated extremely successful treatment plan which is unmatched in the Carmel, Indianapolis, Westfield, Zionsville, Noblesville, and Fishers area.
What is Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Therapy?
Through physical therapy, we assess the musculoskeletal system of your abdomen and pelvis. A physical therapist, specifically trained to treat abdominal and pelvic floor dysfunction, evaluates and treats any:
- Abdominal or pelvic joint dysfunction
- Muscle tightness
- Muscle weakness or imbalance
- Nerve involvement
- Abdominal/Pelvic organ dysfunction
- ….and much more
Your team of medical professionals works with you to come up with your personalized treatment plan.
We also assess your current diet and suggest detoxification techniques. We aim to heal your gut to help reduce inflammation because certain foods such as gluten, could be making your symptoms worse. We take a full medical history to make connections between different conditions – we pride ourselves in being able to connect the dots so heal can you completely.
We are here to help you improve your relationship with your body and regain your confidence. You don’t have to face abdominal and pelvic floor dysfunction alone.