The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that provide support to the organs in the pelvic, including the bladder, uterus, and rectum. Pelvic floor dysfunction occurs when the muscles become weakened, tight, or impaired, leading to a range of symptoms and issues.
Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common but often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and underreported. This condition can manifest in a variety of ways and can be caused by a variety of factors. Understanding the signs and symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction is important for early detection and intervention, improved quality of life, and prevention of complications.
Some of the common symptoms of pelvic dysfunction includes:
Chronic Constipation or Bowel Dysfunction: Difficulty passing stool, straining during bowel movements, feeling of incomplete emptying, or fecal incontinence. Chronic constipation can place excessive pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, leading to pelvic dysfunction over time.
Urinary Incontinence: Involuntary leakage of urine while coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising (stress incontinence), or a sudden urge to urinate and difficulty reaching the toilet in time (urge incontinence), or a combination of both.
Sexual Dysfunction: Pain or discomfort during intercourse (dyspareunia) initially, during, or after intercourse. Difficulty achieving orgasm, decreased sexual sensation, or involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles (vaginismus).
Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Sensation of pressure, heaviness, or bulging in the pelvic or rectal region. Prolapse is often described as a feeling of something “falling out” of the vagina or rectum. Prolapse may involve the bladder, uterus, rectum, or vaginal walls.
Pelvic Pain: Pain or discomfort in the pelvic region, lower abdomen, genitals, or rectum which may be sharp, dull, throbbing, aching, or burning in nature. Pain may be constant or intermittent and may be worse with certain activities or positions.
Types of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction:
Hypertonic Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: When the pelvic floor muscles are overly tight or contracted, which can lead to pain, difficulty with bowel movements, difficulty with emptying the bladder, urinary urgency or frequency, or pain with insertion or intercourse.
Hypotonic Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Weak or underactive pelvic floor muscles.
Pelvic Muscle Spasms: Involuntary contractions or spasms of the pelvic floor muscles.
Causes of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction:
Pregnancy or Childbirth: Pregnancy and childbirth can put a significant amount of strain on the pelvic floor muscles, leading to stretching, tearing, or weaking of the muscles.
Chronic Constipation or Straining: Chronic constipation or straining during bowel movements can place excessive pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, leading to dysfunction over time.
Aging: Aging can cause the muscles and tissues in the pelvic floor muscles to naturally weaken, which increases the risk of pelvic dysfunction.
Pelvic Surgery: Surgeries in the pelvic area, such as a hysterectomy, c-section, endometrial surgery, or prostate surgery, can disrupt the integrity of the pelvic floor muscles and contribute to dysfunction.
Trauma or Injury: Traumatic events such as falls, accidents, sexual trauma, medical trauma, childbirth, or injuries to the pelvic floor area can damage pelvic floor muscles and result in dysfunction.
Treatment Options for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction:
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized form of therapy that focuses on strengthening, stretching, relaxing, and retraining the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles. Techniques may include exercises, manual therapy, dry needling, myofascial release therapy, therapeutic cupping, trigger point release, stretching, and relaxation techniques.
Behavioral Modification: Lifestyle changes such as dietary changes, proper hydration, stress management, and bladder retraining can help manage symptoms of urinary incontinence and pelvic dysfunction.
Medications: In some cases, medications may be prescribed to manage symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and pelvic pain.
Surgical Interventions: In severe cases, surgical procedures may be recommended to repair or support the pelvic orans and structures.
Pelvic floor dysfunction is very common and usually a combination of multiple things going wrong. The good news is that pelvic floor dysfunction is very treatable. If you suspect that you may be experiencing symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, it important not to ignore your discomfort and to seek out help from a qualified healthcare professional like a pelvic pain specialist. By raising awareness and promoting education about pelvic health, we can empower individuals to take control of their pelvic health and seek support they need to thrive.
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