Your pelvic floor is a group of sling-like muscles that act as the foundation for all of the organs inside your pelvis. When your pelvic floor muscles are healthy and strong, they easily move from a relaxed to a contracted state and back again, allowing you to move your bowels at will and retain urine until you’re ready to pee.
As you age, or due to injury, you may develop pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). About 32% of women have at least one type of PFD during their lives, as do about 16% of men.
At Colon and Rectal Surgeons of Greater Hartford, our experts help you regain control over your pelvic floor to resolve troubling symptoms, including fecal incontinence. Our offices in Bloomfield, South Windsor, and Plainville, Connecticut, provide a safe and supportive atmosphere as you train these important muscles.
Is your pelvic floor the cause of your bathroom issues? Read on to find out.
The pelvic floor muscles support and affect organs that women and men have in common, such as the colon, rectum, anus, urethra, and bladder. But PFD can affect other, sex-specific organs, too.
PFD in men may affect their prostate. It can even lead to erectile dysfunction (ED). PFD in women may affect their uterus and vagina. In some instances, they can experience rectocele, in which their rectum protrudes into their vagina.
All sexes may experience embarrassing issues related to elimination due to PFD. This may include the inability to properly evacuate your bowels (i.e., constipation) or the inability to retain feces or urine (i.e., incontinence).
As with most conditions, the symptoms that accompany PFD may apply to other issues or diseases, as well. That’s why it’s important to see one of our colorectal experts, to ensure you get an accurate diagnosis before trying to treat yourself. Classic symptoms and signs of PFD include:
In addition to a physical exam, we may conduct or order a variety of tests to determine whether or not you have PFD. These could include tests that evaluate how well your sphincter works, and those that evaluate the function of your bladder, bowels, or both.
If your pelvic floor is weak and is at the root of your symptoms, we custom-design a treatment plan. This may include lifestyle adjustments, such as losing weight to remove stress from your pelvic floor, exercising more to increase blood flow, and eating a whole foods diet. Other options include:
A pelvic floor specialist designs exercises that strengthen the areas of the pelvic floor that affect your symptoms. Both women and men may benefit from Kegels, heel slides, and toe taps if your pelvic muscles are loose and weak.
If they’re overly tight, a different set of exercises helps relax and lengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These might include the yoga pose called “happy baby,” as well as performing a breathing method called diaphragmatic breathing.
With the aid of specialized sensors and a computer screen, you learn to relax your pelvic floor muscles so that you can completely evacuate your bowels. The method teaches you which muscles you need to use, and which you shouldn’t use, when you go to the bathroom.
Each biofeedback session lasts about an hour. With the aid of a nurse, you experience the sensation of using the correct muscles at the correct time. You perform exercises at home between sessions.
You may also benefit from medications that either relax your pelvic floor muscles or help with pain related to PFD. Stool softeners, laxatives, and anti-diarrheals may also be helpful.
Surgery is always a last resort. We usually only recommend it if you have severe pelvic organ prolapse; you have severe, disabling pain; or you don’t respond to other treatments.
Are your bathroom problems caused by pelvic floor dysfunction? Phone our expert team at our office nearest you (Bloomfield, South Windsor, or Plainville, Connecticut). You can also book a PFD evaluation by contacting us online today.
