Do you experience:
chronic pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, pregnancy-related back pain, or painful intercourse (dysparunia)?
Are you concerned about:
osteoporosis, pelvic floor weakness, sports-related injuries, starting or resuming an exercise program?
Women's health physical therapy addresses these issues. Physical therapy is an effective alternative or adjunct to medications and surgery.
If you are motivated to improve your physical health and well being, look at physical therapy as your next step toward your goal. Your women's health physical therapist will listen to your health concerns, then perform a physical therapy evaluation. This involves examining posture, flexibility, and muscle performance, in addition to assessing painful areas and overall function. Together you will come up with a plan to address the concerns.
FAQ's:
What is a "Women's Health Physical Therapist"?
A physical therapist who specializes in women's health has taken continuing education courses and participated in specialized training addressing physical concerns specific to females throughout their lives. Our clients have varied diagnoses including osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, incontinence, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, pregnancy-related pain, or breast cancer. Our goal is to promote and facilitate health throughout the life span.
What is "chronic pelvic pain"?
Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is a general term that may describe many different conditions. "Chronic" often means pain lasting greater than six months. The "pelvic" area lies between the waist and hips. CPP may be experienced by men or women. Many diseases may cause pelvic pain, including endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, interstitial cystitis, vulvar pain syndrome, and others (see links below). Pregnancy complications, bladder or digestive conditions, surgeries and scar tissue can contribute to CPP. Muscle or joint injuries, postural conditions, and muscle tension can cause or aggravate CPP.
Is incontinence a normal part of aging?
NO! Although common, urinary leakage is not considered normal. Millions of women experience unexpected loss of urine. Often this goes untreated. Contributing factors include pregnancy, chronic cough, frequent constipation, and multiple abdominal surgeries. The pelvic floor muscles may have become weak or stretched out. These sling-like muscles support the pelvic contents, connecting the tailbone to the pubic symphysis. Many women have even tried "Kegal" (pelvic floor) exercises, without measurable success. Often women perform the exercises ineffectively or incorrectly. Physical therapists specialize in evaluating and treating muscle function problems.
Can a physical therapist really help the pain I experience during sex?
"Dysparunia" is a term for painful sexual intercourse. It may occur during initial penetration, deep penetration, or shortly after intercourse. You need to first receive a detailed gynecologic exam from your primay care provider or your gynecologist. If gynecological causes are "ruled out", then muscle tightness and/or weakness may be the cause. A women's health physical therapist has training in examination and treatment of the pelvic floor muscles. Treatments focus on relaxing and/or strengthening the muscle via exercises or specialized biofeedback. Many women have been able to significantly improve or eliminate this painful condition by participating in a specific home exercise program with the guidence of a trained PT.
Links:
American Physical Therapy Association, Women's Health Section www.womenshealthapta.org
American College of Sports Medicine www.acsm.org
American Urogynecologic Association www.augs.org
American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org
Endometriosis Association www.endometriosis.org
Fibromyalgia Network www.fmnetnews.com
Interstitial Cystitis Association www.ichelp.org www.ic-network.org
International Alliance of Healthcare Educators (treatment techniques) www.iahe.com
National Association for Continence www.nafc.org
Vulvar Pain Foundation www.vulvarpainfoundation.org
