A Dynamic Approach to Addressing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Dysfunction in the pelvic floor can lead to several difficult-to-discuss conditions, such as urinary incontinence or painful sex or pelvic exams. Fortunately, pelvic floor therapy and rehabilitation can usually address these concerns. At Orthopedic Sports Therapy in Ahwatukee, Biltmore and Tempe, AZ, we use another treatment approach: biofeedback.
Biofeedback is a noninvasive technique that uses technology to measure and evaluate activity in your pelvic floor, the group of muscles that support your pelvic organs. By using biofeedback technology, we can get a complete picture of the impairments in your pelvic floor muscle function, allowing us to better develop a treatment plan to resolve your symptoms.
Want to give biofeedback a try? Request an appointment today!
What Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
Your pelvic floor consists of muscles like any other in your body! You can think of it as a “hammock” that supports several crucial organs, such as your bladder, bowels, and, in women, genitals.
If the muscles in your pelvic floor become either too tight and inflexible or/and too weak, it can lead to a variety of symptoms and conditions, such as the following:
- Urinary incontinence
- Constipation
- Pain throughout your pelvic area or in your lower back
- Sexual dysfunction in both men (i.e., genital pain) and women (i.e., painful intercourse)
- Pelvic prolapse
Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized type of physical therapy that helps resolve pelvic floor disorders through manual therapy, targeted exercises, and neuromuscular retraining. However, because the pelvic floor muscles are located inside the body, you can’t see them and they are difficult to rehabilitate without specialized training and equipment. Biofeedback technology allows us to measure the activity of the muscles of the pelvic floor, helping to make pelvic floor therapy even more effective.
What Can I Expect During My Biofeedback Sessions?
During your session, we’ll strategically place sensors over your skin at the pelvic floor to allow us the best possible access to your pelvic floor muscles.
The sensors are connected to a small handheld device that provides visual and auditory cues to give you feedback as you exercise your pelvic floor muscles. For example, many people struggle to find the pelvic floor when performing exercises and often use their abdominals instead. Our biofeedback technology will let you know if that happens so you can make the necessary corrections.
Our therapists in Ahwatukee, Biltmore or Tempe, AZ will guide you through your session and explain how to interpret the biofeedback’s display. We’ll also walk you through your personalized exercise program.
Curious if biofeedback is the tool you need to restore your pelvic health? Request an appointment at Orthopedic Sports Therapy today!
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7843943/
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Pelvic_Floor_Dysfunction