Pelvic Floor Dysfunction is on the rise and the ‘generic’ treatments are not working long-term. The reason is 2 folded: There is a rise in the number of cases of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and that has to do with an increase in our sedentary lifestyle. Then there is the partial treatment of this condition due to a limited number of physical therapists that specialize in Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.
It is not disputable that pelvic floor dysfunction requires addressing the pelvic floor muscles AS WELL AS the influencers of these muscles: the hips, lower ab., lower back, lower mid-back. The problem is a shortage of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists to attend to the need so most therapists do the manual work on these muscles through the vagina and/or anus to access the muscles. Muscles of the pelvic floor, just like all muscles in your body get tight and weak. Working on them manually certainly helps. Then there are kegel exercises that you are to do throughout the day.
Let’s be real, how many kegels can you do a day? 100? 200? How about 11,200 kegels? That is what the Emsella Chair, designed and FDA approved to treat incontinence, does.
Effective Treatment of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
To address the floor only is a partial solution to the issue of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. For however long the dysfunction has existed, the body has had to adapt and adjust itself to the lack. That means removing the cause of the problem is then only going to help to some degree but not making the problem go away.
To properly tackle this issue, we need to find out what caused the issue, what is currently contributing to having this issue, and what is the ‘feeder’ of the problem. Then we can go in and fix it.
While pregnancy, childbirth, increase in age, smoking, and trauma to the pelvis are known contributory factors, they are not a death sentence. Frankly, we are seeing more men, and younger people with this issue than ever before and our lifestyle is playing a huge role in this rise.
If you sit for long hours often, if you suffer from lower back pain, sacroiliac pain, hip pain, weak abdominals, if you have a forward tilt to your pelvis and slouch, you have some form of pelvic floor dysfunction. It is best to address that NOW and you are mistaken by thinking that the only pelvic floor dysfunction sign is incontinence!
How to Start treatment of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvis ligaments front side
As you can see from the image to the right, what keeps the pelvis together is more than just the muscles of the floor that happen to be the inner lining of the pelvic inlet (the bowl shape part of the pelvis). I have written a blog about What Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Is. There are ligaments and connective tissues that keep the joints nice and ‘packaged’. There are parts of the body attached to the pelvis itself whose integrity and role in movement impact the pelvic floor greatly.
The first portion in the treatment of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction has to do with stopping the things that contribute to the problem. That means better ergonomics (I advise you to visit my youtube channel playlist on ergonomics), incorporating walking into your daily routine, and sitting on an exercise ball vs a chair to name a few.
Next is to utilize the Emsella chair which is an FDA-approved machine and provides 11,200 kegels per 28-minute session. This is how you strengthen the actual muscles of the floor that line the pelvis itself.
Finally, you are to work the muscles of your body, your whole body, to provide better support in movement and their presence. Have you noticed how when let’s say your knee hurts, you shift your weight onto the opposite side? What happens if this knee pain is present longer than a day, what if the shift is so minimal that you don’t even notice it unless someone, your health care professional or even a massage therapist, brings it to your attention? You know how you get massaged and one side of your back is tighter than the other side? That is what I am talking about. The result of imbalance is a dysfunctional movement. What I am referring to has to do with Postural Neurology and Functional Movement so watch these two videos:
To fix the imbalance, the only right way is to do what all babies throughout the world do regardless of our differences. If we all automatically go through the same developmental stages, then that must be how we are all programmed to do it. We do not need to reinvent the wheels!
At our clinic, we are just great at knowing what these movements are and how they are done. So do you! It is just that you have not done it in so long that it is buried deep inside. We help you ‘grab those files’ and bring them out to the surface and go through this movement progression together. If babies automatically do it and you were a baby once, you can do it again with some coaching.
Once the floor is strong, the body moves functionally, you are avoiding the feeders of your problem, and are aware of the do’s and don’ts, then you have this fully under control.
The issue to keep in mind is the timeliness in attending to your pelvic floor dysfunction. You can contact my clinic to learn about our ‘let’s tackle my pelvic floor dysfunction’ program.
Dr. Shakib