Female Pelvic Pain
Taylor DeMars, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist
Message from Peak Endurance Pelvic Floor Specialist Dr. Taylor DeMars
The pelvic floor can become dysfunctional for a variety of reasons over a woman’s lifetime. For instance, vaginal or cesarean births can induce scar tissue to reduce the efficiency of muscular contractions and overstretch muscles and nerves, resulting in prolapse, altered pelvic posture, and/or prolapse. The pelvic floor’s ability to operate can be influenced by a woman’s changing hormone levels over time. Pain and/or incontinence can be caused by dysfunction in the pelvic floor, which can be the result of a variety of traumas such as a fall, an auto accident, the after-effects of surgery, or an unpleasant sexual experience. Muscles that are naturally quite tight in certain women and girls might cause them discomfort and even incontinence. Other disorders that cause pelvic pain, painful sex, and incontinence include endometriosis, interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome), and pudendal neuralgia.
Nearly one-quarter of all women experience symptoms of a pelvic floor condition. By age 80, half of all women may have some sort of pelvic floor dysfunction, and this risk only rises with age. One of the most common reasons for a person to be admitted to a nursing home is incontinence. While not uncommon, it should not be seen as a natural consequence of becoming older. Dealing with these problems as soon as they emerge is a worthwhile investment of time and energy.
We at Peak Endurance Physical Therapy will work with you to diagnose the root of your problem(s) and develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your specific dysfunction (s). Among the potential components of treatment are:
- Myofascial release
- Biofeedback
- Relaxation techniques
- Stretching of the pelvic floor
- Strengthening of the pelvic floor
- Coordination of pelvic floor muscles with the rest of the body
- Are you sick of having accidents due to involuntary urine loss (incontinence) while you run, jump, or go about your everyday activities?
- Worried that your back, hip, or pelvic pain won’t go away after giving birth?
- Have you had a baby and found yourself feeling self-conscious, frustrated, or disappointed because you thought you’d never be able to get your body back to where it was?
- Experiencing distress or pain during sexual activity?
- Feel like you’re falling behind your children and losing out on life?
- Insecure because you know you haven’t been adequately strengthening your core, you have Diastasis Recti, or you still think you appear pregnant even though you haven’t had the baby yet?
- Frustrated that prior attempts at treatment have failed (even if another PT was used) or unsure on how to proceed?
- Are you interested in a permanent, drug- and surgery-free method of curing these issues naturally?
- You've been given strict orders to relax for the next six weeks before returning to your regular routine. Then days, months, and eventually years pass and you're still having trouble.
- You hear things like, "Just do some YouTube workout videos and you'll be back in shape in no time," but then the exercises hurt and you sweat a lot and you feel terrible and disheartened.
- After giving birth, it's "common" to experience pain or abdominal separation, and "everyone leaks" or struggles with bladder control as they become older.
- You can rest assured that once you take some pain relievers, you won't feel any discomfort.
- Just "coping with it" or medical intervention are out of the question.
In Reality...
- Doing nothing and letting it rest won't help. You might feel better for a little while, but you'll probably find that your pelvic discomfort, leakage, and other postpartum symptoms are just as bad when you start exercising again.
- Experiencing persistent discomfort or incontinence after giving birth is NOT NORMAL, despite how prevalent these issues are. and even with the passage of time.
- Painkillers are hazardous, addictive, and can harm your body in many other ways.
- Treatments like pills, operations, and needles are not your only choices. Simply put, they're all your doctor has to provide at this time.
Physical Therapists at Peak Endurance Help Athletes and Active Adults Resume Their Favorite Activities Without Resorting to Invasive Procedures or Pharmaceutical Painkillers. When It Comes to Alleviating Bleeding and Pain After Childbirth and Facilitating a Full Recovery…
Finding the appropriate healthcare practitioner is essential. Failure to do so may result in the need for unnecessary surgery, prolonged use of prescription drugs, or other unpleasant consequences. or suffer from deteriorating symptoms for the rest of your life.
To permanently resolve your leaks, abdominal separation, pelvic floor, or postpartum hip/back/pelvic pain, it is ESSENTIAL that you seek out the “least-invasive,” most natural remedy available.
It is crucial to your rehabilitation to work with a provider that recognizes the interconnected nature of the body. During pregnancy and the subsequent postpartum period, our bodies undergo remarkable transformations. To fully recuperate, we must attend to the modifications in our neck, back, diaphragm, core, pelvic floor, and genitourinary mechanics, posture, strength, and how we are using our bodies. It’s not simply about doing Kegels.
The treatment of symptoms alone will not bring about a full recovery. You need to work with a professional who isn’t afraid to dig deep to discover what’s really causing your symptoms and dysfunction. A LONG-TERM answer to your postpartum woes will become available at that time.
In Order to Alleviate Your Postpartum Symptoms and Prevent Them From Returning, Peak Endurance Physical Therapy Has Developed a 3-Step Method.
STEP 1: WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORY
Our health care system is a pain. You wait weeks or even months for an appointment, but then you only get to talk to the doctors for 10 minutes before they have to rush off to the next patient. You’re left sitting there wondering, “What just happened?”
This is how even most physical therapy clinics work. They aren’t focused, they move quickly, and your therapist doesn’t have time to learn what goals are important to you or to work with you one-on-one. Because of this, we do things so differently!
So the first thing we do is listen to your story.
We know this because we’ve helped a lot of women who were having problems after giving birth. Each person has a different body, a different history, and different kinds of pain and symptoms.
So, the first thing we’ll do is talk to you and give you time to tell your story. So, not only do we know what is going on with your body, but also how it is affecting your life.
STEP 2: FIND OUT WHY YOUR SYMPTOMS STARTED
Many people have a diagnosis, which is a medical term for what’s wrong with their body. Their doctor might have given it to them, tests might have shown the problem, or you might have found it online.
You may have been told you have Prolapse, Diastasis Recti, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Incontinence, Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Pain, or Hip/Back/Pelvic Pain.
You could have been told that the only thing you could do was rest, take medicine, or wait.
Sometimes, these things help for a little while, but they don’t fix what caused the problem in the first place.
The cause of pain or other symptoms is different for each person. No one has the same problem as someone else because of the same thing.
At Peak Endurance Physical Therapy, our goal is to find the root of your problem so that your pain not only goes away, but stays away.
We know that you might still be unsure or skeptical about whether or not Integrative Physical Therapy is right for you. So, we came up with a free Discovery Visit. (Yes! That means WE pay for the first session!)
Our Discovery Visits are for people who are skeptical, unsure, or who have been disappointed in the past. During the Discovery Visit, you’ll find out what’s wrong, how long it will take to fix it, and have peace of mind that your problem can be fixed naturally!
STEP 3: FIX THE PROBLEM AND MAKE SURE IT DOESN’T COME BACK.
This is when the biggest changes happen. We make a plan just for you that lets you…
…Get back to exercising, even running and jumping, without worrying about pain, stiffness, or problems with controlling your bladder.
…Be able to play with, lift, and carry your kids without any trouble.
…Get close to your partner again without fear of pain.
…Get back to the active life you love, whether it’s yoga, running, tennis, or something else.
…As your body heals from Diastasis Recti/Abdominal Separation and regains its full core strength, you will feel strong, confident, and even sexy again.
Our best clients are those who want to get back to an active life and are ready to work for it. (Even if they feel like they’re stuck now!)
Before you decide to come in, do you want to know more about our hours and prices?
You don’t have to give up the things you enjoy doing and the way you live with your family because of problems that can be fixed.
Sincerely,
Taylor DeMars, PT, DPT
