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Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

From the Pelvic Floor Articles List

My doctor prescribed pelvic floor physical therapy for me. I'm embarassed and I don't know what to expect. Can you fill me in with some information?

Many people feel embarrassment, shame or guilt about having to go through Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. Realize that after many surgeries physical therapy is prescribed for muscle rehabilitation. We tend to forget that the vagina and bladder are muscles and they are supported by muscles.

Your physical therapists may utilize a variety of techniques to enable you to relax and strengthen your pelvic floor, vaginal, and abdominal muscles. It can be utilized to reduce or eliminate bladder incontinence as well as vaginismus.

• ➢ Pelvic Floor and Abdominal exercises – contractions including but not limited to Kegel exercises. They have the benefit of both strengthening, toning and relaxing our muscles.
  
  
• ➢ Massage – could include both internal and external myofascial massage to relax the muscles.
  
  
• ➢ Biofeedback and electrical stimulation – sensors are placed on the perineal muscle and attached to a monitor that displays the electrical charge of the muscle. A contracting muscle will measure higher than a relaxed muscle. The therapist will have you go through a series of long and short contractions in order to establish baselines and teach you techniques to relax the muscle. Learning to relax the muscle can reduce pain. Some therapists may also use a sensor placed in the vagina.
  
  
• ➢ Dilation – this usually involves a series of dilators in varying sizes, which you use to relax and expand the vaginal muscles. The therapist will recommend the size and length of time you should use it, over time you will move to the next size as your vaginal muscles relax.

This content was written by a member of HysterSisters.com as a non-medical professional based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.



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