Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

What is the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

The pelvic floor are several muscles that make a base of the abdomen that spans from the pubic bone at the front of the body to the coccyx at the back and support the area like a sling. It provides support for your internal organs and aids in urination and elimination. The pelvic floor must relax to allow for urination, bowel movements, and, in women, sexual intercourse. When someone has an overactive pelvic floor, this muscular base finds itself contracting with unnecessary frequency and intensity. This can cause an extreme tightening of the vagina, which makes sexual activity painful.

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) occurs when there is either too much tension on the pelvic floor muscles (high tone) or not enough (low tone) contributing to urinary incontinence, constipation, pain during intercourse or pain in the lower back, pelvic region, genitals or rectum.

How is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Diagnosed and Treated?

Your SHOW provider may use external and internal techniques to evaluate the function of the pelvic floor muscles and assess your ability to contracts and relax these muscles. Training you to avoid pushing or straining when urinating and defecating will take some of the stress off your pelvic floor muscles and alleviate symptoms. Maintaining good posture to alleviate stress on the bladder and pelvic organs and taking warm baths regularly have also shown results in treating pelvic floor disorders. There are a multitude of physical therapies done at home or with a pelvic floor physical therapist. Your SHOW Center provider will talk to you about these options, however patients with this diagnosed may expect some form of physical therapy to be used.

*This information does not replace a provider consultation. You should schedule an appointment with your provider if you experience any of these symptoms.