Pelvic health physical therapy includes not only bladder dysfunction but also bowel dysfunction. BBD also known as bladder bowel dysfunction is when then external sphincter- pelvic floor complex has some sort of obstruction. Bladder Incontinence is one of the more recognized diagnoses when people think of pelvic health physical therapy. Incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine that is derived from a problem and occurs most often when bladder pressure exceeds sphincter resistance. Incontinence is more common in women then men but is possible in both genders and the risk factors for developing incontinence increase with age. There are different types of incontinence including stress, urge, overflow and functional. Stress incontinence is more common during coughing, sneezing, laughing ect, this could also be a result of childbirth or in men trauma or damage to internal sphincter mechanism. Urge incontinence is the strong unexpected urge to urinate followed by uncontrolled loss of urine. Overflow is when urine leaks and dribbles from a bladder that is not full. Lastly, Functional incontinence occurs during mobility or with impaired cognition. If a patient is diagnosed with any of these conditions it is common to be referred to pelvic floor therapy. Pelvic floor therapy is used to strengthen the pelvic floor and increase coordination between voluntary contractions, things we can control and involuntary contractions things that happen that we are not consciously in control of. It is important to not only strengthen the pelvic floor but also the abdominal muscles and accessory muscles surrounding the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor therapy may include electrical stimulation, biofeedback, vaginal weights, home exercise program, education on diet and prevention, and bladder retraining. Being diagnosed with a bladder or bowel dysfunction can seem like it is the end all,but with pelvic floor therapy within months there is room for great progress towards decreasing all symptoms and potentially getting to a point over time where symptoms are no longer present at all.
- Moini, Jaharngir. Introduction to Pathology for the Physical Therapist Assistant. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, 2013.
- Goodman C, Fuller K, O’Shea R. Pathology for the Physical Therapist Assistant. St Louis, Mo: Saunders, 2012.
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