Physical Therapy For Postpartum Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pregnancy and labor can affect everyone in different ways.

That’s true from first pregnancy to second or third pregnancy as well.

No two pregnancies or births are exactly the same, even for the same parent.

If you’ve had more than one child, you’ll know what we mean this.

However, many people experience similar symptoms after birth.

You might notice your friends making jokes about how they pee when they sneeze, or that they just can’t hold it anymore after having children.

Even though these symptoms are common, you don’t have to experience them for the rest of your life.

Symptoms like these indicate you might be experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction after childbirth.

If this is the case, you may benefit from an experienced physical therapist.

Women’s health physical therapy can help you strengthen your pelvic floor and manage your symptoms.

In this article, we take a closer look at pelvic floor dysfunction after childbirth, and how physical therapy can help.

What Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

We’ve covered pelvic floor dysfunction in detail our physical therapy blog in the past.

In particular, we’ve already answered the question what is pelvic floor dysfunction?

But here’s a quick recap:

Your pelvic floor is made up of a collection of muscles and ligaments.

These muscles and ligaments support your uterus, bladder, rectum, and other organs.

They hold them like a sling.

Many bodily functions rely on these muscles and ligaments for supporting the internal organs.

Additionally, relaxing and contracting these muscles is important for urination, sexual intercourse, and bowel movements.

Injury to your pelvic floor can cause pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic floor dysfunction happens when the muscles in your pelvic floor are either too tense, or not tense enough.

How To Tell If You Have Pelvic Floor Dysfunction From Childbirth?

Everyone’s pelvic floor will be affected differently by childbirth.

But if you develop pelvic floor dysfunction from giving birth, you might notice symptoms such as:

• Pelvic pain
• Lower back pain
• Urinary incontinence
• Constipation
• Genital pain
• Pain during sex
• Rectal pain
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Difficulty passing soft stools
• Flatulence
• Abdominal muscle separation

While this is a long list of symptoms, there are actually three symptoms that are the most common after childbirth.

These include pain during intercourse, incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse.

Let’s take a closer look at each.

1. Pain During Sex

Pain during intercourse is common after childbirth.

Childbirth has large impacts on your pelvic floor and your vaginal area.

After childbirth, it’s common to have thinner tissue in your vaginal area, vaginal dryness, and hormonal fluctuations that can cause pain during intercourse.

Childbirth can also have an effect on your muscles and nerves.

Your pelvic muscles and nerves may strain or tear during childbirth.

They can also scar during the healing process.

This might sound scary, especially if you’ve never given birth before.

But physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction can help reverse these effects, or prevent them from occurring all together.

2. Incontinence

Incontinence is a common symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction after childbirth.

You may have even heard friends joke about peeing when they sneeze or laugh after giving birth.

It’s a common experience, but it’s also a symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction.

After giving birth, you might also notice that you have difficulty with emptying your bladder, urine leakage, pain, and urinary tract or bladder infections.

You might also notice fecal incontinence or an inability to control flatulence after giving birth.

If you’re experiencing these things, you’re not alone.

Physical therapy can help restore your urinary and bowel function.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Link Between Urinary Incontinence And Pelvic Floor Issues
RELATED ARTICLE: How Physical Therapy Can Help Treat Urinary Incontinence

3. Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Pelvic organ prolapse is another common symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction after childbirth.

Pelvic organ prolapse happens when your pelvic floor muscles are weakened.

It can cause other organs in your pelvic floor, like your bladder and rectum, to bulge into your vagina.

If you experience pelvic organ prolapse, you might notice an ache in your pelvis or pressure in your vagina.

However, physical therapy can help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.

This will help them hold your organs where they need to be and reduce the discomfort you’re experiencing.

Why Does Postpartum Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Happen?

If you’ve ever had a child, you know that pregnancy can cause many changes to your body.

It also affects your pelvic floor.

Both pregnancy and childbirth can affect your pelvic floor and cause a variety of symptoms.

When you’re pregnant, your pelvic floor muscles can become weaker.

Your pelvic floor muscles aren’t just supporting your organs anymore, but also your growing baby.

When you’re in labor, your pelvic floor muscles also stretch and can tear.

This can cause your muscles to weaken and be too loose, which can create problems with your pelvic floor after childbirth.

It can also cause your pelvic floor muscles to become too tense and tight.

This can cause pain and spasms after childbirth.

While it might sound scary, these are common things to experience after childbirth.

How Can You Prevent Postpartum Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

There are some simple things you can do to help prevent postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction.

Eating a healthy diet is one of the best things you can do for your pelvic floor.

A healthy, balanced diet can prevent constipation, which strains your pelvic floor muscles.

This helps keep them strong through your pregnancy, when they are already experiencing strain.

Another thing that can strain your pelvic floor muscles is lifting heavy objects with improper form and improper management of intra-abdominal pressure.

Avoiding lifting heavy objects can also keep your pelvic floor muscles from straining.

If you do need to lift something heavy, make sure you’re lifting properly to prevent an injury.

Your physical therapist can help guide and educate you on proper lifting mechanics.

Lift with your legs instead of your back to avoid injury to your lower back or pelvic floor muscles.

If you’ve learned how to do Kegel exercises, they can also help prevent pelvic floor dysfunction.

However, Kegel exercises need to be done properly to work.

And, if your pelvic floor muscles are already tight and tense, performing Kegel exercises may make your condition worse.

Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist before and during your pregnancy can help you keep your pelvic floor muscles healthy and strong.

Finally, avoiding smoking can help.

Smoking has many impacts on your health, and one of those health impacts is actually the health of your pelvic floor.

Frequent smoking can cause you to develop a chronic cough, which puts pressure on your pelvic muscles.

Over time, this can weaken your pelvic muscles and increase your risk of pelvic floor dysfunction.

How Can A Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Help?

Whether you are experiencing postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction or want to work to prevent it, a pelvic floor physical therapist can help.

First, your physical therapist will conduct an evaluation to understand the cause of your pelvic floor dysfunction.

This will include asking you about any symptoms and what your pregnancy and labor was like.

They may also want to conduct an exam of your outer pelvis and muscles and an intravaginal examination.

They’ll also be sure to rule out any other conditions that could be causing similar symptoms.

Then, your physical therapist will create a customized treatment plan just for you.

This plan will address your unique needs and symptoms.

Through physical therapy, you and your therapist will work together to improve the function of your pelvic floor and decrease your symptoms.

Pelvic floor physical therapy will help you take care of yourself after your pregnancy.

It might seem hard to imagine finding the time for physical therapy when you have a new baby in your house.

But physical therapy can help you reduce your symptoms so you can focus on being a parent without the stress of pelvic floor dysfunction.

RELATED ARTICLE: Frequently Asked Questions About Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
RELATED ARTICLE: Postpartum Recovery: Pilates Physical Therapy Exercises

Book Your Appointment With Capitol Physical Therapy Today

If you’ve been experiencing postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, Capitol Physical Therapy can help.

At Capitol Physical Therapy, we specialize in pelvic floor physical therapy.

No matter your symptoms, we can help you improve your pelvic strength.

If you’re ready to find out more, book your appointment with Capitol Physical Therapy today.