Apr 17, 2022 5 min read

You’ve probably heard of the pelvic floor and you may have a general idea of where it is located, but do you understand the importance of maintaining a strong and healthy pelvic floor?

Most women don’t.

The pelvic floor is an essential group of muscles and ligaments that supports the function of urination, bowel movements, sex and pregnancy and delivery in women. These muscles play an important role in overall health, and a weakened pelvic floor can cause a myriad of symptoms including urine leakage, incontinence of both the bladder and bowels, low back pain and organ prolapse.

“A lot of women don’t understand what a strong pelvic floor means. It’s not unusual for women who are dealing with these symptoms to hear that their symptoms are just a part of being a woman,” Tyra Abdalla, DPT, a physical therapist at Wonsettler Physical Therapy, said. “I want to change this narrative. Being confident and empowered to do the things you love in life are a part of being a woman. Not peeing when you sneeze or being afraid to be intimate with your partner because of pain.”

Causes of pelvic floor dysfunction vary and may include but are not limited to the following: childbirth, certain surgeries like cesareans and hysterectomies and obesity. Your treatment should be directed based on your specific circumstance.

“A lot of times, people postpone being seen for any ongoing issues they are experiencing,” Abdalla said. “They come to us when the check engine light is already on. They have already been experiencing worrisome signs for quite some time.”

One symptom – low back pain – is often misdiagnosed or overlooked.

“Women have a higher prevalence of low back pain,” Abdalla said. “I always ask pelvic floor questions when I’m dealing with a female patient suffering from low back pain. You can imagine how many physical therapists aren’t asking these questions and pelvic floor problems are going undiagnosed. If you are receiving treatment for low back pain, but you’re not seeing any improvement, you may be experiencing pelvic floor issues.”

Abdalla, who is currently working to finish her certification as a pelvic health specialist, said that urine leakage isn’t a normal experience for a woman regardless of age or medical history.

“Just because it has only happened once or it happens infrequently doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be evaluated by a pelvic floor specialist,” she said. “Things may not always be preventable, but they are treatable.”

In order to properly heal, Abdalla said it’s important to seek out specialized care.

“Often when you bring up women’s health, you’ll hear ‘oh, I know how to do Kegels,’ but few people understand that you need an evaluation to create a specific plan. Sometimes, the pelvic floor muscles are too tight. Other times, they are too loose or not activating correctly. Simply doing a 100 Kegels a day could be harmful if your muscles are too tight. It could be making your problems worse.”

While some treatment can include internal techniques, Abdalla said that treatment can also be accomplished externally and non invasively, depending on someones specific needs.

“Treatment and recovery really depends on the individual and the type of symptoms they’ve been experiencing and for how long,” she said. “But the process of getting treatment, understanding what the body is doing, is really empowering and can really make people feel better.

As the emphasis around women’s care continues to shift, Abdalla hopes that more women will have access to pelvic floor care.

“My hope as this profession grows is that pelvic therapy will be the next line of action. Whether you’ve just had a baby, surgery or just started symptoms. The hardest step is really finding someone that can really help and will listen to your story,” she said. “This is so important to me and really drives me. I want to be able to help women and give them the tools to be able to get back to what they want to do.”

About Wonsettler Physical Therapy & Specialized Health

Wonsettler Physical Therapy, located in Scenery Hill, strives to go beyond the surface level and gets to the root of what’s holding you back physically. Whether you’ve just had a baby, surgery or just started experiencing symptoms. The hardest step is really finding someone who is capable to help and can listen to your story,” she said. “This is so important to me and really drives me. I want to be able to help women and give them the tools to be able to get back to what they want to do.”

To learn more about the Wonsettler Physical Therapy & Specialized Health team and how they can help you, call 724-945-5161 or visit wonsettlerpt.com.

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