What Is Pelvic Floor Therapy

Pelvic Floor Therapy for Women (PCT) is an outpatient treatment modality, which includes the use of pelvic floor manipulations in women who are at risk to have a severe recurrent tear or painful rupture during their first visit with medical professionals. PCA provides comfort and relief from pain while relieving anxiety caused by persistent constipation.[41] The purpose behind this therapy type remains unknown because there are no long-term follow up studies conducted on men using it as compared against control groups such as traditional abdominal physiotherapy [32]. However two meta analyses show that when comparing surgical interventions versus passive manipulation only postoperative depression decreased significantly after 8 weeks: 10% relative difference between patient visit

1. What Is Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Pelvic floor therapy is a treatment that focuses on the pelvic floor muscles, which are located between the vagina and anus. These muscles can become weak due to childbirth, pregnancy, menopause, or other factors. If these muscles do not function properly, they may cause incontinence, pain, or discomfort while having sex.

2. How Does Pelvic Floor Therapy Work?

The goal of pelvic floor therapy is to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. To achieve this, women practice Kegels (also known as kegel exercises) and breathing techniques. A pelvic floor therapist may recommend using a vaginal muscle exerciser device called a pessary. The pessary is inserted into the woman's vagina and helps her to exercise her pelvic floor muscles. In addition, a pelvic floor therapist may suggest using biofeedback devices to help the patient monitor their progress. Biofeedback uses sensors to track changes in the patient's body and provides real-time feedback about how well the patient is exercising.

3. Who Should Consider Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Women who have had children should consider pelvic floor therapy if they experience any of the following symptoms:

• Painful intercourse

• Difficulty controlling urine

• Urinary leakage after intercourse

• Incontinence during sexual activity

• Weakness or spasms in the pelvic floor muscles

• Unexplained weight gain

• Vaginal dryness

• Vaginal discharge