Get Back to Daily Life with Better Pelvic Floor Function
Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect bladder control, bowel movements, exercise, intimacy, and everyday comfort. You may notice leakage, urgency, pelvic pressure, difficulty emptying your bowels, or pain with activities that once felt normal.
At Meier & Marsh Physical Therapy, our physical therapists look at how the pelvic floor works with breathing, abdominal pressure, the hips, and everyday movement. If pelvic floor dysfunction is affecting your life in West Valley City, Tooele in Northpointe, Tooele on Main Street and Grantsville, UT, we can determine whether strength, relaxation, coordination, or pressure management needs to be addressed.
Understanding Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues that supports the pelvic organs and helps with bladder, bowel, sexual, and movement-related functions. These muscles need to tighten, relax, and coordinate at the right times.
Pelvic floor dysfunction can occur when that coordination changes. Some people need more strength, while others have muscles that remain too active or do not relax effectively.
Pelvic symptoms can also have causes outside the musculoskeletal system. Your physical therapist will consider your history and symptoms carefully and recommend medical evaluation when findings suggest another type of care is needed.
Symptoms may include:
- Urinary leakage
- Urinary urgency or frequency
- Difficulty controlling bowel movements
- Constipation related to pelvic floor coordination
- Pelvic pressure or heaviness
- Pelvic pain
- Difficulty relaxing the pelvic floor
- Pain during certain activities
- Changes after pregnancy, childbirth, or surgery
How Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Can Affect Daily Life
Pelvic floor problems often become most noticeable during activities that increase abdominal pressure or require the muscles to coordinate quickly. Running, lifting, coughing, sneezing, using the bathroom, or returning to exercise after childbirth may become difficult.
We want to understand exactly when symptoms occur and which activities have changed because of them. Those details help guide what we assess and how treatment is prescribed.
You may have trouble:
- Exercising without leakage
- Running or jumping
- Lifting a child or heavier object
- Emptying your bladder or bowels comfortably
- Sitting for longer periods
- Returning to exercise after pregnancy or surgery
- Managing urgency during work or errands
- Participating in intimate activity
- Completing physical household tasks
- Feeling confident during higher-impact activity
A Detailed Pelvic Floor Assessment Helps Identify What Needs to Change
Pelvic floor rehabilitation requires more than simply telling someone to perform Kegel exercises. The first step is determining whether the muscles need more strength, better relaxation, improved coordination, or a different strategy altogether.
A pelvic floor muscle assessment may also be recommended when appropriate and with your consent. The findings help your physical therapist determine how the muscles are functioning and which problems can be addressed through therapy.
Your assessment may include:
- Breathing mechanics
- Pelvic floor muscle coordination
- Ability to contract and relax the pelvic floor
- Hip and trunk strength
- Mobility
- Movement during lifting, squatting, or exercise
- Abdominal and pelvic pressure management
- Bowel or bladder habits when relevant
Treatment Based on How Your Pelvic Floor Needs to Work
Pelvic floor treatment should match the problem identified during your evaluation. Strengthening may be useful for one patient, while another may need to focus first on relaxation, coordination, or pressure control.
Your therapist reassesses how well you can contract, relax, coordinate, and use the pelvic floor during the activities that matter to you. Treatment then progresses according to the specific function you are working to regain.
Treatment may include:
- Pelvic floor muscle training when greater strength or control is needed
- Relaxation and coordination exercises when the muscles have difficulty releasing
- Breathing strategies to improve coordination between the diaphragm, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor
- Functional strengthening for lifting, exercise, or daily tasks
- Mobility exercises when surrounding areas contribute to movement limitations
- Bowel or bladder strategies when appropriate within physical therapy scope
- Education to help you understand your symptoms and muscle function
- Home exercises selected from your specific findings
Returning to Exercise and Everyday Activities
Improved pelvic floor function should carry over into real life. For one patient, success may mean coughing or exercising without leakage. For another, it may mean returning to running, lifting a child comfortably, or having an easier bowel movement.
Your physical therapist can gradually increase the demands of treatment as your control improves. This helps prepare the pelvic floor for the activities that were difficult when you started.
Clinical Expertise Focused on the Right Pelvic Floor Treatment
Pelvic floor symptoms can be personal and sometimes difficult to discuss. At Meier & Marsh Physical Therapy, your physical therapist will listen carefully, explain the findings clearly, and help you understand what your pelvic floor is doing during the activities that cause problems.
We love our patients and treat you like family. That means creating a respectful environment, answering your questions, and making sure you understand why each part of your treatment plan is being recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Take the Next Step Toward Better Pelvic Floor Function
Pelvic floor dysfunction can interfere with exercise, bowel and bladder function, work, intimacy, and everyday confidence. Finding out how your pelvic floor muscles are functioning can help determine the right treatment.
Contact Meier & Marsh Physical Therapy today to schedule an evaluation for pelvic floor dysfunction in West Valley City, Tooele in Northpointe, Tooele on Main Street or Grantsville, UT. Our physical therapists can identify the physical factors contributing to your symptoms and build treatment around the specific pelvic floor functions you need to improve.
Your Next Steps…
- Request An Appointment
- Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
- Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
- Recover & Enjoy Life Pain-Free
