carla conlian
Most people don’t know that pelvic floor therapy can help manage bowel disease.
Physical therapists can assess and treat the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular components of bowel dysfunction to improve the patient’s quality of life.
Bowel disorders that have been shown to improve with physical therapy include:
• Fecal incontinence.
• Frequency, urgency, retention, and/or incomplete bowel movements.
• Flatulence.
• diarrhea;
• Constipation;
• Rectocele.
• Abdominal distension; and
• Pain, pressure or cramps in the anus/rectum and/or abdomen.
Musculoskeletal dysfunction can be treated using techniques such as releasing myofascial trigger points in the abdomen, back, buttocks, and pelvic floor. Neuromuscular reeducation. and strengthening muscle groups.
Causes and treatments for constipation
Constipation is a common condition that is regularly diagnosed by your primary care physician or gastroenterologist.
There are many causes of constipation. It could be a motility or gastrointestinal transit issue, or it could be pelvic floor dyskinesia, which means the pelvic floor muscles don’t relax and contract properly. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the bottom of the pelvis that help control sexual, urinary, and bowel function.
These muscles must relax and contract properly to maintain urinary and fecal incontinence, sexual function, and proper urinary habits.
If the pelvic floor muscles are not able to relax and contract properly, symptoms such as constipation, straining to defecate, and a feeling of incomplete bowel movements may occur.
Causes and treatment of diarrhea
Diarrhea is defined as a condition in which stool is frequently passed from the intestines in liquid form. Weak pelvic floor muscles can cause leakage due to diarrhea.
A physical therapist trained in pelvic floor and bowel dysfunction can help you regain control of these muscles and reduce problems caused by diarrhea.
Causes and treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Signs and symptoms of IBS include abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, gas, frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, and constipation. IBS, one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal system, can cause tightness, weakness, or incoordination of the pelvic floor and abdominal musculature.
Individualized physical therapy and a pelvic floor treatment plan can improve muscle strength and resolve many IBS symptoms.
Causes and treatments for fecal incontinence
Fecal incontinence is a condition in which a person loses control of their bowel movements, resulting in unexpected leakage of stool. Premonitory symptoms include soiling, urgency, and bloating. The amount of stool varies; sometimes only a small amount is lost, and sometimes it is completely lost.
Fecal incontinence can occur due to:
• Muscle damage. Damage to the muscular ring at the end of the rectum (anal sphincter) may make it difficult to properly contain stool. This type of injury can occur during childbirth, especially if an episiotomy is made or forceps are used during delivery.
• Nerve damage. Faecal incontinence can occur if the nerves that sense stool in the rectum or control the anal sphincter are damaged. Nerve damage can be caused by things like childbirth, constant straining during bowel movements, spinal cord injuries, and stroke. Some diseases, such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis, can also affect these nerves and cause damage that leads to fecal incontinence.
• Loss of storage capacity within the rectum. Normally, the rectum stretches to accommodate stool. If your rectum has a scar, or if your rectal wall has become hard due to surgery, radiation therapy, or inflammatory bowel disease, your rectum can’t stretch as much as it needs to, which can cause excess stool to leak.
Causes and treatment of hemorrhoid pain
Hemorrhoids are painful, swollen, and inflamed veins around the anus and rectum. It is usually caused by straining during bowel movements associated with pregnancy or chronic constipation.
There are two types of hemorrhoids: external hemorrhoids (skin around the anus) and internal hemorrhoids (inside the anal canal). When the muscles and tissues in the rectum and anal canal become restricted or spasm, blood flow to the hemorrhoids is restricted. This reduced circulation can make healing more difficult.
Physical therapy can help increase tissue mobility and reduce muscle spasm in the affected area.
Causes and treatment of rectocele (protrusion)
A rectocele is a protrusion of rectal tissue in the posterior vaginal wall. It can occur due to childbirth, chronic constipation, chronic cough, heavy lifting, estrogen deficiency, abdominal weakness, obesity, etc.
Symptoms include constipation, pelvic pain, and fecal and urinary incontinence.
Rectoceles can be prevented through proper body mechanics, including lifting, avoiding strain, managing and treating constipation, weight management, core stabilization exercises, and Kegels.
Rectoceles can be successfully managed with pelvic floor physical therapy.
Physical therapy for intestinal diseases
Physical therapy for bowel disorders includes external and internal rectal myofascial release techniques, trigger point release techniques, biofeedback therapy to help down-train tight muscles or up-train weak muscles, and bowel therapy to prevent tightness. – Home exercise program to stretch and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, hip and buttock muscles.
Manual therapy is necessary to reduce muscle tension, adhesions, and knots that cause dysfunction.
Biofeedback therapy helps retrain the pelvic floor muscles’ ability to contract and relax throughout their range of motion. This is a treatment that requires either the insertion of a rectal sensor (the sensor is the size and length of your little finger) or an external sensor that measures pelvic floor muscle tone through electromyography (EMG).
EMG activity is displayed visually on the biofeedback unit so patients can see what their muscles are doing and can better control these muscles with verbal and tactile cues from the physical therapist. You can learn how to. You will also be taught how to identify internal sensations associated with relaxation and maintain the ability of your pelvic floor muscles to remain relaxed throughout the day.
Specific stretching and strengthening exercises for the pelvic floor, abdomen, and pelvic girdle (glutes, hamstrings, adductors) will be taught.
Manual therapies such as soft tissue mobilization and trigger point release are applied to tight and restricted tissues in both the lower abdomen and pelvic floor musculature to increase blood flow, relieve restrictions, and promote healing. Education about normal bowel function and identifying problematic toilet habits are also important steps to recovery. By following the recommendations of a pelvic floor physical therapist, patients can achieve pain-free and stress-free bowel function.
To make an appointment, call your local Aquacare location or schedule an appointment or evaluation online. www.aquacarephysicaltherapy.com.