Pelvic floor rehabilitation: Helping women live a fuller life

Everyone has a pelvic floor, but it’s something we don’t often talk or think about. Hays County Physical Therapy and Wellness would like to change that.

In women, the pelvic floor is vital for keeping the bladder up front and the vagina and rectum in back. Additionally, the pelvic floor keeps the uterus in place with a system of muscles, tendons and connective tissues. In men, the pelvic floor keeps the bowels, bladder, urethra and rectum where they’re supposed to be.

Even though a healthy pelvic floor is essential to a person’s overall health, many women suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction, which can result in a variety of painful and chronic problems.

So what is pelvic floor dysfunction? According to Nicole Laird, a physical therapist and owner of Hays County Physical Therapy, it is when the pelvic floor is not doing what it’s supposed to do.

“It can show up as bladder or bowel leaking, pain with intercourse, pelvic pain, or chronic low back or hip pain that isn’t getting better with traditional treatment approaches,” Laird said.

Pelvic floor trauma can be caused by many different things, from high level athletes whose muscles aren’t working in a proper order to the changes a woman experiences during pregnancy. “There are some cases of direct injury or trauma to the pelvic floor with a fall or direct injury which can also lead to pelvic floor dysfunction and the need for pelvic floor rehabilitation,” Laird said.

Often, when there is a breakdown in the way these muscles work, it can lead to long-term pain and discomfort, some of which, according to Laird, are potentially embarrassing things they only talk about with other women friends, and as such have been accepted as ‘normal’ after having kids or just part of being a woman.

“Leaking urine does not have to be a part of your life if you don’t want it to,” Laird said. “Pelvic pain does not have to be a part of your life; Unwanted pain with sex does not have to be a part off your life. This is why pelvic floor and women’s health rehab is so important; to end the pain, discomfort and stigma surrounding many of these issues. Women (and men) don’t have to suffer and they certainly don’t have to suffer alone.”

There is hope for people who struggle with pelvic floor trauma in the form of pelvic floor rehabilitation, a fitness and physical therapy program that focuses on core-strengthening and conditioning classes.

Hill Country Wellness and Physical Therapy offers pelvic floor therapy services with a focus on finding ways to incorporate rehab into their daily lives.

“I get it,” Laird said. “I’m a mom, a business owner, a wife, and a friend. I understand that time is precious. We work to find ways to make sure that women are able to take care of themselves while they take care of those in their lives.”

In March, Hill Country Wellness began offering wellness classes including yoga, Pilates and weightlifting. They have an in-house massage therapist, essential oil offerings and also provide online fitness and nutrition classes to support a more well-rounded approach to women’s health.

To learn more about pelvic floor trauma and rehabilitation, visit the website at hayscountypt. com or by calling 512- 268-9130.

“We love talking to women and helping in any way that we can,” Laird said. “We’re here to support each and every woman on their journey to health and wellness, whatever that might look like.”