This was an oft-quoted phrase from a mother to her daughter on her wedding night. It was also used when population growth in the U.K. was low, or a war was on, and there were not enough soldiers to fight. In short, this phrase encapsulates the long-held notion that women should just grin and bear it when it comes down to sex.
Nobody cared if a woman enjoyed sex or not. Nobody cared, until now. Not only are there less known stories about the elderly, but there are also unheard health issues from women. This page shares my experience as a physical therapist who specializes in the pelvic floor. |
WHAT IS PELVIC HEALTH FLOOR PHYSICAL THERAPY?
Most people are aware of the role of physical therapy. The job of a physical therapist is to strengthen weak muscles, stretch tight ones, and restore normal movement patterns within the body. Traditional physical therapy is focused on treating body parts like shoulders, ankles, necks and backs. But there are also muscles and joints which control the pelvis and all of the functions it must perform for optimal health.
Imagine sitting on the saddle of a horse. All of the muscles that are in contact with the saddle are your pelvic floor muscles. A pelvic floor physical therapist is the same as any other physical therapist; we treat muscles and joints. The only difference here is that the muscles and joints in question are around the perineum. This small group of muscles holds the bladder, uterus and bowel within the body, like a sling. |
WHY IS SEX PAINFUL FOR SOME WOMEN?
For many women aged 18 through 50, sexual intercourse can be painful because the muscles of the pelvic floor are too tight. Many such clients will also report difficulty initiating a urine stream, or urinary pain and urgency. This can happen whether a woman has had children or not, and symptoms can change before and after pregnancies.
For other women, sexual intercourse can become painful after menopause. The primary reason that this happens is a change in hormone balance. Estrogen’s role in the pelvic floor muscles is to keep them plump and supple; once the decline of estrogen occurs, the vaginal walls atrophy, the muscles become rigid and pain with sex can become the norm.
For other women, sexual intercourse can become painful after menopause. The primary reason that this happens is a change in hormone balance. Estrogen’s role in the pelvic floor muscles is to keep them plump and supple; once the decline of estrogen occurs, the vaginal walls atrophy, the muscles become rigid and pain with sex can become the norm.
HOW CAN PELVIC FLOOR PHYSICAL THERAPY HELP?
A physical therapist specializing in the pelvic floor will begin by asking you all manner of personal questions. About urination, bowel movements, and sex. It sounds very bizarre and threating to most new clients, but keep in mind that we view these muscles to be no different than the ones that surround your shoulder or ankle.
After a thorough interview and discussion, the pelvic floor physical therapist will need to examine the muscles of your pelvic floor. We are not using speculums or getting fluids to look at under a microscope. Instead, an internal vaginal assessment will likely be performed, with insertion of a gloved finger into the vagina. This is necessary for the physical therapist to ascertain if these muscles are tight, weak, in spasm, or firing incorrectly. Finally, after all of this indignity is complete, your physical therapist will create a care plan that works for you. For some people, it will require self-stretching of the vaginal walls. For others, it will mean strengthening the muscles and doing Kegel exercises. Either way, you will then have an idea as to why sex has been painful and do something about it. |
HOW CAN I FIND A PELVIC FLOOR PHYSICAL THERAPIST?
It might help you to know that physical therapists undergo intense training to learn this craft, wherein forty women are together in a room, examining each other. This is because there are many variabilities from one pelvic floor to the next, and this is the only way to learn those differences. So just remind yourself that everything that we will do with you in your physical therapy session, has been done to us, several times over.
The world of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy used to be quite small, but it has been expanding greatly during the last decade. I like to tell my clients that if men had been having painful sex, this type of therapy would have been around since the year 200 BC. Fortunately for women, somebody finally cares about our pelvic floors!
I work in Central New Jersey, and I hope that anyone reading this webpage who needs Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy will go and find it, no matter where she lives! I hope that in the future, you can close your eyes and think, “Wow! So, this is what we have been missing out on!”
The world of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy used to be quite small, but it has been expanding greatly during the last decade. I like to tell my clients that if men had been having painful sex, this type of therapy would have been around since the year 200 BC. Fortunately for women, somebody finally cares about our pelvic floors!
I work in Central New Jersey, and I hope that anyone reading this webpage who needs Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy will go and find it, no matter where she lives! I hope that in the future, you can close your eyes and think, “Wow! So, this is what we have been missing out on!”