 All are welcome to join us on Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 10am-12pm, as we host our second Flourish Into Fall Health and Wellness Expo. We are teaming up with other healthcare providers and fitness professionals from the community to bring this FREE event to Columbus. We have a schedule of pop-ups including two yoga sessions, information about juicing and its benefits, and a presentation on setting boundaries with family around the holidays.
Community partners: Family Chiropractic and Wellness The Hive of Columbus Simply Fitness Elemental Yoga The Nifty Beet Soul's Truth Coaching White River Running Company Sky Sport Fitness Door prizes! Swag bags! Coupons! Special offers! We hope to see you at Flourish on 11/12 from 10am-12pm!
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What is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor (PF) is the group of muscles that are found at the base of your pelvis. These muscles have several functions: supporting the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, ovaries, prostate, rectum), maintaining urinary and bowel continence, sexual functioning, stabilizing the pelvis and spine and helping with fluid flow and blood flow throughout the pelvis. The muscles and tissues of the PF connect to your hip bones, sacrum, and tailbone. Both women and men have PFs, and PF dysfunction can occur in anyone and at any age. The PF is part of the larger core system that functions to manage pressure in your abdominal cavity. It works closely with the muscles of the abdominal wall, muscles of the spine, and the respiratory diaphragm to create stability, strength, and mobility throughout your trunk. Dysfunction in this part of your body can cause a lot of unwanted, potentially embarrassing problems. What are the common signs and symptoms of PF dysfunction? -Urinary incontinence -Fecal incontinence -Urinary or fecal urgency or frequency -Pelvic pain -Pain with sexual intercourse -Pressure or heaviness in your perineal area -Tailbone pain -Constipation -Abdominal cramping/pain -Chronic low back/hip/knee pain -Separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis rectus) The above-mentioned signs of PF dysfunction can affect anyone at any age. Some of the major risk factors are pregnancy, childbirth, age, obesity, menopause, hysterectomy, chronic coughing, and chronic straining from heavy lifting. PF dysfunction can arise due to weakness, poor endurance, tightness, muscle spasms, and incoordination of the muscles and tissues of the PF and core. Several of those symptoms are quite common; however, none should be considered normal. You might experience one or several of these issues and have tried a variety of things to improve: diet changes, medication, etc. Even traditional physical therapy treatment for back/hip/knee pain might have ultimately proved unsuccessful. How can physical therapy help? Physical therapy (PT) is the evaluation and treatment of movement dysfunction, physical disability, and pain using exercise, manual treatment, modalities, and education. Pelvic floor PTs are musculoskeletal experts in areas associated with the pelvis: the sacrum, sacroiliac joints, and the coccyx. This includes the vulvar, vaginal, penile, scrotal, and colorectal regions. Pelvic floor PTs receive specialized training in these areas, as well as advanced education of the gastrointestinal, reproductive, orthopedic, and neurological systems, to treat patients in a more comprehensive manner. A pelvic floor PT will not only address the muscles and function of the pelvic floor, but she will also perform a general musculoskeletal examination to address other muscles and tissues that might be involved. The body is a dynamic and fluid system with numerous pieces that work together. The benefit of seeking evaluation from a pelvic floor PT is the comprehensive assessment, treatment, and care that you will receive to help decrease pain and improve overall function. So, if symptoms of PF dysfunction are common, but not normal, don’t delay in seeking thorough evaluation and treatment from a pelvic floor PT. In honor of National Physical Therapy Month, we have decided to start our blog series with a celebration of the profession of physical therapy and how it can help you reach your health and wellness goals. Physical Therapy made its debut during WW1 as a way to provide injured soldiers rehabilitation in an effort to restore function and quality of life. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, “a physical therapist is a movement expert who improves quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education”. A physical therapist in our current society must complete an undergraduate college degree related to the field of physical therapy, complete a doctoral graduate program in the field of physical therapy, and pass a board exam to complete licensure in the state of which they choose to practice. Therefore, a physical therapist will likely complete 7 years of education after high school to receive a clinical doctorate in this field. This rigorous academic journey trains physical therapists to utilize their skills to treat across all generations any movement restrictions related to injury, disease, or disabilities, as well as work with clients to optimize health and prevent future issues.
Licensed physical therapists will normally start with a full musculoskeletal evaluation of the involved areas of concern with a complete screen to rule out any other conditions that may require referral to a doctor. From this initial evaluation, a plan of care is developed to restore healthy movement, reduce/manage pain, improve functional independence, prevent disability, and optimize recreational/sports performance. Prescribed therapeutic exercise may be recommended to restore alignment, flexibility, joint mobility, strength, coordination and balance. Manual therapy may be provided to reduce pain, release muscular restrictions, promote healing, and restore normal joint mobility as well as alignment. Other supportive treatments may be administered to alleviate pain and promote healing including but not limited to therapeutic ultrasound and taping techniques. Client education is one of the most important aspects of physical therapy care. The education provided is to enhance self-awareness, improve coordination, provide self-care strategies, promote proper work station set up, ensure proper body mechanics, discover optimal shoe support, improve gait mechanics for walking, improve sports performance, and develop an appreciation of how nutrition, sleep, and stress affect our healing. There are many benefits to starting with physical therapy when you are struggling with movement, pain, and restriction including but not limited to conservative healing of injury, reduced pain without need of pain medication, recovery without need of surgical intervention, improved movement and function, fall prevention and better balance, better management of chronic diseases, improved overall health and wellness, reduced overall health care costs, and optimized quality of life. You will find physical therapists in a variety of settings including school corporations, outpatient physical therapy clinics, inpatient hospital settings, home healthcare, and skilled nursing homes. There are also specialties among physical therapists including sports medicine, orthopedics, neurological, geriatric, pelvic floor physical therapy, pediatric physical therapy, and more. At Flourish Columbus, we offer physical therapy for any acute injury, chronic pain, sports related injury, pelvic floor dysfunction, pregnancy support, labor prep and delivery education, and postpartum healing. We have fused our skillsets to provide services including pelvic floor physical therapy, orthopedic physical therapy, and sport medicine. We offer free 30-minute consults to listen to your concerns and goals as well as educate on how physical therapy may help you. We then allow you to make the choice to follow through with a 75-minute one on one physical therapy evaluation discovering your personal needs and plan of care. We pride ourselves on ensuring that your physical therapy care is a one-on-one experience focused solely on your goals, physical therapy needs, schedule, and lifestyle. Flourish Columbus exists to empower women and men of all ages to reach their health and wellness goals through a holistic and personalized physical therapy and wellness experience. Cheers to all of the physical therapists out there working hard to improve the health and wellness of the people living in their communities! If you are interested in learning more about how physical therapy may be able to help you, reach out to us to schedule your free 30-minute consultation. |
AuthorsKelly Weisner PT, DPT and Aubrey Jackson-Conner PT, DPT Archives
February 2023
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