It is all too common for women to experience some type of pelvic health concern over her lifespan yet due to the social stigma or lack of information, the woman does not seek help. You do not need to suffer anymore because there are effective and evidence-based treatment options for you locally. I live in Waterdown and work at Waterdown Village Chiropractic and Wellness Group. If you are suffering from any issues related to your pelvic area come to see me for an assessment and consultation to learn more about your pelvic floor and what can be done to resolve these issues.
Pelvic Girdle Pain Painful
Intercourse
Bladder or Bowel Incontinence
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pregnant or Postpartum
1. Pelvic Girdle Pain (POP)- This can be pain anywhere in the pelvis- Sacroiliac joints (SIJoints), abdominal area, symphysis pubis pain, sides of the hip area, tailbone and low back pain. You may experience pain or difficulty walking, pain with turning over in bed or pain felt in the first few steps after standing from a seated position. A thorough assessment by a physiotherapist can determine the root cause of your pain in order to treat it. Treatment consists of education about your pelvic floor muscles, and direct hands-on treatment of the tissue that is a problem. It can also include a discussion about how nutrition, sleep and relaxation can play a part.
2. Painful intercourse- or Dyspareunia referring to painful vaginal penetration or intercourse. There can be a variety of reasons for this pain. Overactivity of the pelvic floor, poor lubrication, connective tissue dysfunction, postpartum trauma, and a sensitive nervous system to name a few. A thorough assessment and treatment of this issue through internal myofascial techniques is an effective way to treat both the nervous sensory system and the tight and restricted tissue.
3. Bladder and bowel incontinence- There are various types of bladder incontinence- stress, urge, or mixed. Stress incontinence is when you leak urine when pressure is placed on your bladder such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or exercising. Urge incontinence is when you leak urine after a strong urge to pee. Mixed is when you experience both stress and urge incontinence. Bowel dysfunction can lead to gas or stool (feces) leakage. The treatment for either bladder or bowel incontinence is increasing your awareness and learning about the function of the pelvic floor muscles. It may be due to weakness and poor activation or awareness but it can also be the opposite problem and learning about tightness and how to decrease tension and tightness in the pelvic floor muscles. It is not always about doing “Kegels”. Anyone can learn this at any age and you can get rid of these problems.
4. Pelvic organ prolapse or POP is the drop or change in position of the pelvic organs-bladder, urethra, uterus, rectum. Often it is felt as a “heaviness” in the perineal area and can be bothersome with movement and exercise. It can lead to bladder and bowel dysfunction and even pain with intercourse. Treatment can consist of education about this situation, safe engagement in physical activity, strengthening or lengthening of the pelvic floor and strengthening and function of the inner core. Your abdominal muscles and the diaphragm work closely with these muscles. They are all part of a team and when one area is not doing its job it can put a load on the others.
5. Pregnant or postpartum- There can be a variety of reasons for a pregnant woman to seek a pelvic floor therapist. One of the more common issues is pelvic girdle pain which was touched on briefly above. In some cases, this pain response can continue into the postpartum phase or start in the postpartum period. As well pregnancy may be the first time you experience incontinence. Seeking a pelvic physiotherapist early on can help you to prevent some of these issues and if they already exist learn how to manage them. It is within your power.
In postpartum after 6-8 weeks of healing is the ideal time for your pelvic therapist to assess your diastasis. Typically this separation of the right and left rectus abdominis muscles shrinks back to the pre-pregnancy state but sometimes it does not. Your therapist will teach you management techniques to eliminate or decrease pressure and forces in this area to encourage healing. It can be education about how to lift and carry your new baby safely. An assessment of this area will help to determine your stage of healing and guide your participation in physical activity and safe progression. If you have scar tissue whether from a C-section, tearing during the pushing phase of labour or had to have an episiotomy, pelvic therapists are trained in the knowledge and treatment of scar tissue. All of the above issues may sound familiar to a lot of you and even to the point where you have come to think or have been told that these are normal things that we as women have to live with but they are not. They are signs and symptoms that there is a breakdown in the system and with a thorough assessment and prescribed treatment they can all resolve
Deana Mercier
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