Tag Archive for: pelvic floor

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Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Is for Everyone, That’s Right, Everyone!

Pelvic Floor Muscles Physiotherapy is for Everyone

The Pelvic Floor Muscles (PFM) are a group of superficial and deep muscles in our pelvis that we have direct control over. These muscles form the base of our core to stabilize our spine and pelvis and support the pelvic organs, such as the bladder, bowel, and uterus. They control the passage of urine and feces and are essential for both men and women’s sexual arousal and satisfaction. 

Why Are Pelvic Floor Muscles So Important?

Pelvic floor muscles are important for several reasons, and changes in their function and strength can contribute to various issues, including:

Physiotherapy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

  • Urinary and/or fecal incontinence (1 in 3 women and 1 in 9 men suffer from incontinence)
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Pelvic and low back pain
  • Prostate conditions
  • Pain with intercourse
  • Difficulty with sexual arousal and orgasm

Many pelvic floor conditions are a result of the pelvic floor muscles being too weak, too tight, or uncoordinated and may be exacerbated by:

Heavy lifting: Incorrect lifting patterns may contribute to incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse

Obesity: Higher risk of strain on the pelvic floor muscles 

Chronic coughing: May weaken the pelvic floor muscles over time due to repetitive strain

Ageing: Hormonal changes may affect the integrity of pelvic floor musculature

Pregnancy and childbirth: Physiological changes occur in the pelvis to carry and birth a baby

Constipation: Straining to have a bowel movement can weaken the pelvic floor over time

How Can Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Help?

Pelvic floor muscles are skeletal muscles, meaning you can voluntarily control and train them by repeating correct exercises. By visiting a pelvic floor physiotherapist, you can learn how to identify, activate, strengthen, or relax the right muscles. In addition, you can improve your symptoms by learning to coordinate your pelvic floor, diaphragm, and abdominal muscles and then apply what you’ve learned to functional activities and exercises.

Pelvic floor conditions can arise from various systems in the body, including the musculoskeletal structures, nervous system, and visceral (organs) structures. Your pelvic floor physiotherapist will take a holistic approach to assess all areas that may be contributing to your symptoms, including:

  • Pelvic floor
  • Hips
  • Lumbar spine
  • Abdominal region (core)
  • Central nervous system
  • Sacro-iliac joints
  • Pubic symphysis

What Can I Expect during Appointments?

What Is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy? 

During the initial assessment, our pelvic floor physiotherapist, Jennifer Mildon, will get a detailed history and understanding of what your symptoms are and how they are affecting you. Then, she will do an external exam which commonly includes assessing your posture, strength, and mobility in your hips, pelvis, and low back. If you are comfortable, she would also do an internal vaginal and/or rectal exam, which would provide useful information about your pelvic floor muscles. However, if you are not comfortable with an internal exam or are experiencing acute pain, Jennifer can complete the assessment without it. 

While there may be some discomfort with the treatment or assessment, it should not be painful and should not aggravate your symptoms. Based on the assessment findings and your goals, Jennifer will create an individualized treatment plan to address your symptoms and help you achieve your goals.

Subsequent visits will focus on the treatment of your symptoms and may consist of:

  • Education
  • Exercises
  • Lifestyle modification strategies 
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Pelvic floor muscle retraining
  • Core strengthening
  • Bladder or bowel training
  • Manual therapy
  • Functional dry needling

Meet Jennifer Mildon, Diversified Health Clinic’s Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist

JENNIFER MILDON MPT PhysiotherapistJennifer completed her Master’s of Physical Therapy at UBC in Vancouver. Before moving to the west coast to pursue her physiotherapy career, she completed her Bachelor of Science at Dalhousie University in her home province of Nova Scotia.

Jennifer believes that providing the best client-centred care often requires collaboration with a team of health care professionals from diverse disciplines. She is dedicated to delivering a physiotherapy service that focuses on improving and maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle, to enable her clients to enjoy life in the ways that are most meaningful to them. Jennifer employs an evidence-based treatment approach that blends manual therapy, dry needling, functional exercise programs, and client education to optimize health outcomes while achieving client goals.

Jennifer is committed to staying current on physiotherapy-related research. Jennifer has completed training with Pelvic Health Solutions to be able to provide caesarean and vaginal birth rehabilitation, as well as treatments for incontinence and pelvic pain. She is certified to provide Functional Dry Needling and has also completed training in concussion management and vestibular rehabilitation. 

Jennifer has a strong passion for sport and recreation and has always spent her free time being active and exploring the outdoors. When not in the clinic, Jennifer enjoys maintaining a healthy lifestyle through yoga, swimming, biking, hiking in the backcountry, and sailing around the Gulf Islands.

Learn More about Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy or Book a Treatment

Contact Diversified Health Clinic for more information on Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy or to book with Jennifer Mildon. Please call us at 250-382-0018 or book online at www.diversifiedhealth.janeapp.com

#pelvicfloorphysiotherapy #physiotherapy #victoriabc #womenshealth #menshealth #pelvicpain #incontinence #prenatal #postnatal #childbirth #prostate #organprolapse

 

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What Is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy? 

What Is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy? 

When we think of fitness, our pelvic floor muscles don’t typically come to mind until symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction such as pain or incontinence interfere with our quality of life and confidence. Pelvic floor dysfunction is common but treatable with pelvic floor physiotherapy that addresses the root cause of embarrassing leaks and other complications. Here’s how to spot the signs of pelvic floor dysfunction so that any muscle imbalances can be addressed as early as possible. 

What Do Pelvic Floor Muscles Do?

Often overlooked, our pelvic floor muscles have important jobs to do, and too much muscle tightness or weakness interferes with optimal pelvic organ function.

Our pelvic floor is a group of core muscles that extend from our pubic bone to our tail-bone and perform three essential duties:

  • Control our bowel, bladder, and sexual function
  • Stabilize our hip joints and posture 
  • Act as an internal girdle that holds our pelvic organs in their proper place

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Pelvic floor muscles are prone to dysfunction and can become weak or too tight due to age, general health, childbirth, weight gain, muscle strain, or injury. Pelvic floor muscle imbalances can result in difficulty maintaining control over the muscles we use to control our bladder, bowels, and sexual organs, resulting in incontinence, painful intercourse, lower back discomfort, and erectile dysfunction. More advanced pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to pelvic organ prolapse in women, whereby the uterus, bowels, or bladder can move out of place and push on the walls of the vagina or rectum and lead to protrusion. 

Common Signs & Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

  • Lower back, pelvic, or tailbone pain or pressure
  • Incontinence: involuntary loss of bladder or bowel control, including small leaks and flatulence during moments of physical strain, sneezing, coughing, laughing, running, or sudden movements
  • (Women) Feeling fullness, pain, or pressure in your vagina
  • (Women) Painful intercourse: which is often linked to organ prolapse placing pressure on the vaginal walls
  • (Women) Pelvic discomfort and incontinence following childbirth
  • (Men) Erectile dysfunction caused by pelvic muscle tension
  • (Men) Testicular pain resembling prostatitis  
  • Pelvic organ prolapse
  • Recurring urinary tract infections
  • Difficulty urinating or defecating resulting in strain
  • The sensation of having to urinate before the bladder is full

Contributing Factors

  • Constipation and prolonged strain when urinating or defecating
  • Pregnancy and vaginal childbirth
  • Age and hormonal fluctuations approaching menopause
  • General health and fitness
  • Pelvic pressure caused by weight gain
  • Trauma caused by a previous injury, cancer treatment, or surgery
  • Hereditary factors
  • Recurring interstitial cystitis

Correcting Pelvic Floor Dysfunction With Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy 

If an assessment reveals that pelvic floor dysfunction is the cause of your symptoms, pelvic floor physiotherapy is your solution! Because the root cause of your symptoms results from weak or overly tight pelvic floor muscles, manual therapy, soft tissue release, and targeted pelvic floor exercises will be used to condition pelvic floor muscles to their optimal state. 

Expectant mothers can benefit from pelvic floor physiotherapy treatments that help strengthen the pelvic muscles in preparation for childbirth and assist in reconditioning pelvic floor muscles following delivery.

Don’t Ignore Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Symptoms!

Pelvic floor dysfunction doesn’t resolve on its own and is easier to treat the earlier you address it. The earlier your pelvic floor muscles are treated, the sooner you can enjoy the activities you love without worrying about leaks, performance ability, and discomfort. 

What to Expect During Your Initial Assessment

“Jen” (Jennifer Mildon, MPT) is Diversified Health Clinic’s physiotherapist focusing on pelvic floor physiotherapy treatments. During your initial assessment with Jen, you will be asked questions about your symptoms and objectives, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about your pelvic floor and what you’re experiencing. Next, Jen will conduct a physical assessment of your lower back and hips and, pending your comfort and permission, an internal vaginal and/or rectal assessment of the tone and strength of your pelvic floor muscles before tailoring a treatment plan according to your specific condition and needs. All information you share with our practitioners, including the results of your physical exam, remains confidential between you and your practitioner. 

Let Jennifer know if you’re concerned or uncomfortable having the internal examination included in your physical assessment – you can still benefit from pelvic floor physiotherapy treatments. 

There is no downtime required following pelvic floor physiotherapy treatments. Still, depending on your treatment plan and objectives, your physiotherapist may make personalized recommendations to ensure you receive the most benefit from each treatment. 

Take the Next Step!

Get relief from pelvic floor dysfunction – book your initial assessment with our physiotherapist Jen at Diversified Health Clinic today, or contact our clinic to learn more.

Your first appointment will include a health assessment that will help your practitioner tailor your treatments to your specific needs and objectives and allow you to ask any questions you might have. 

When you call to book your appointment, let our front desk staff know if you are on a health benefits plan covering naturopathic/acupuncture treatment. We offer direct billing and can help process your claim. 

Related

Physiotherapy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

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Physiotherapy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Physiotherapy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

What Is Pelvic Organ Prolapse?

Pelvic organ prolapse is a functional problem that occurs when the pelvic floor muscles and tissues are weakened and no longer support the pelvic organs as optimally as they should. The pelvic floor organs can drop into the vagina, causing an annoying sensation of fullness in the vagina or a protrusion at the vaginal opening. 

There are various types of pelvic organ prolapse, but the most common types include:

  • Cystocele: bladder bulging into vagina
  • Rectocele: rectum bulging into vagina
  • Uterine: uterus bulging into vagina 

What Causes It?

Pelvic organ prolapse can result from straining during childbirth, straining with persistent constipation, obesity, or a persistent cough. The likelihood of getting a pelvic organ prolapse increases with age and is commonly seen in women who have given birth. 

What Are the Symptoms?

The most common symptoms of prolapse are sensations of fullness in the vagina or protrusions at the vaginal opening, but a person experiencing prolapse may also notice difficulty urinating or changes in bowel movements. Pelvic organ prolapse does not often cause any pain but the protruding organ may cause pressure at the perineum, the region between the pubic bone and the tail bone. The symptoms can be aggravated with standing or when doing movements that increase the intraabdominal pressure, and can be relieved with lying down.

How Can Physiotherapy Help?

Evidence shows that pelvic floor muscle training can help to improve prolapse symptoms. Our physiotherapist, Jennifer Mildon, can guide you through an exercise program tailored specifically to you that can help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Jen can also provide you with strategies or lifestyle modifications that can help to prevent further aggravation of your symptoms so that you can get back to feeling confident with functional movements. 

What Can Be Done to Prevent It?

Maintain a healthy weight, avoid straining with bowel movements, and exercise your pelvic floor to help your muscles stay strong!

For Prolapse Treatment in Victoria, B.C.

Contact Diversified Health Clinic today to book an appointment with Jen, and to learn more about the Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy treatments we offer.

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