How Pelvic Floor Therapy Helps With Constipation
Pelvic Floor Therapy For Constipation | Chicago Mama Physical Therapy Barrington IL
At Chicago Mama Physical Therapy in Barrington, IL, we like to normalize topics that people sometimes get embarrassed talking about — and pelvic floor therapy for constipation is one of them. In this post, we discuss how your bowel movement schedule can be affected by the health of your pelvic floor, and the steps you can take to get your bowel movements back on track.
Constipation affects 1 in 4 people on a regular basis. It can leave you feeling bloated, uncomfortable, and just plain yucky! Also, constipation can play a big role in bladder function and pelvic organ prolapse — stay tuned for future posts on both these topics.
What is Pelvic Floor Therapy
Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy that focuses on strengthening, relaxing, and retraining the muscles of the pelvic floor. These muscles support vital functions like bladder and bowel control, sexual health, and core stability. When they become too weak, too tight, or uncoordinated, it can lead to discomfort, pain, and dysfunction in daily life. To learn more about what to expect at a pelvic floor therapy session, check out this post.
Believe it or not, the pelvic floor plays an important role in bowel function. Pelvic floor dysfunction can cause constipation and there are several reasons for this, which will be discussed at your first appointment at Chicago Mama Physical Therapy.
Why Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Can Cause/Worsen Constipation
Tight muscles: When pelvic or surrounding muscles are too tight, stool has a harder time passing. A toilet stool can help by relaxing those muscles.
Poor coordination: The pelvic floor should relax when you bear down for a bowel movement. If it tightens instead, that can cause straining and incomplete emptying.
Scar tissue: Scars from hemorrhoids, fissures, childbirth, or even radiation can limit muscle relaxation.
Other causes: Sometimes neurological or structural issues play a role, too.
How Pelvic Floor Therapy For Constipation Works
Many people are surprised to learn how helpful pelvic floor therapy can be to constipation issues. A physical therapist will assess your specific situation by evaluating your strength, tone, coordination, and posture.
The next step will consist of manual therapy and/or myofascial techniques to the surrounding tissue including the abdominals, inner thigh muscles, and pelvic floor. Relaxation techniques, stretching exercises, and your toileting posture will also be discussed. We will look at your bowel routine and lifestyle. Finally, we will assess how your core and breath are working together.
Our goal is to have you feeling better, which includes easier bowel movements, less straining, and having a bowel movement at least once a day, most days of the week.
You Will Learn Tips For Home
When you come to Chicago Mama Physical Therapy, you will leave your session with an action plan. We will not only set up your in-office visits, we will also give you tips and tricks to manage your constipation at home. Some of these tips include how to sit on the toilet (we highly recommend everyone - children, too - use something you already have at home like a step stool or books or purchase a toilet stool so that your knees are higher than your hips), breathing and relaxation techniques, and gentle stretches/pelvic floor exercises.
How to Get Started
Ready to begin your healing journey? Schedule your free discovery call today and learn how pelvic floor therapy can help you with constipation. We can't wait to be a part of your journey!
To schedule a free discovery call, visit chicagomamapt.com/contact or call 312.554.5146.
