Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation

Pelvic Physical Therapy

Serving Portland OR | Vancouver WA

Your pelvic floor consists of muscles, ligaments, and tissues that support the pelvic organs like the bladder, parts of the intestines, and reproductive organs. These muscles can become weak from obesity, childbirth, surgery, and more. This is where pelvic physical therapy is helpful. Pelvic physical therapy involves pelvic floor exercises to help strengthen your pelvic floor.

Signs You Need Physical Therapy for Pelvic Health

Common symptoms of pelvic floor disorders include:

• Urinary and fecal incontinence
• Pain with urination
• Frequency of urination or defecation
• Low back pain
• Pain during intercourse
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids

How Can Physical Therapy Help?

Whether you have an overactive bladder or recently had a baby, pelvic physical therapy can help a weakened pelvic floor. These non-invasive treatment options have proven to be highly effective for many people and best of all, you can do some of these pelvic floor exercises in the comfort of your own home.

Pelvic Floor Muscle (PFM) Coordination

• Voluntary relaxation = PFM is at rest; normal resting tone
• Voluntary contraction = PFM contraction (Kegel’s)
• Involuntary contraction = PFM contraction that precedes intra-abdominal pressure to avoid loss of urine/feces during cough, sneeze, jump, etc.
• Involuntary relaxation = PFM relaxation during a bowel movement to increase vaginal/anal opening. PFM are lengthening

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Inhale

• Through your nose slowly
• Fill your lower belly with air and expand up into your lower ribs
• Fill down into your pelvic floor and relax into pelvic floor

Exhale

• Through pursed lips slowly
• Pull gently up on pelvic floor and pull belly button down gently towards spine
• Allow ribs to relax

Other Considerations About Pelvic Physical Therapy

General physical activity including bending and stretching can have a beneficial massage-like effect on the bowel. Deep breathing can also stimulate the colon because breathing deeply activates the same nervous system that supports the bowel.
Bowel massage should always be used in combination with a bowel-conscious diet that is high in the proper types of fiber, fluids (primarily water) and a regular exercise program.

Pelvic Physical Therapy with New Heights

Whether you just had a baby or are experiencing urinary incontinence, New Heights is here for you! We want want you to know, you can get your body properly functioning again with the right physical therapy. And our help doesn’t end with pelvic physical therapy. We also help our patients recover from injuries, medical conditions, and surgeries of all types, improving their mobility and function. So contact us today. We’d love to help you heal!