Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is in the news a lot these days, as pelvic floor fitness is a hot health topic. Most people don’t really understand why having healthy pelvic floor muscles are important for overall health, especially when it comes to problems with urination, bladder control, and bowel movements. 

You might be surprised to hear that as many as 50% of people with chronic constipation have pelvic floor dysfunction. PFD is unfortunately a fairly common condition that affects both men and women of all ages.

What Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

PFD is used to describe a variety of health concerns or disorders (e.g., urinary incontinence, chronic constipation) that can occur when pelvic floor muscles and ligaments are in bad shape or damaged.

Your pelvic floor is made up of various muscles and connective tissues that attach to your pelvis — it can help to image these muscles and tissues at the bottom of the pelvis like a supportive hammock for your pelvic organs (i.e., the urethra, bladder, intestines, and rectum, and specifically for females, the uterus, cervix, and vagina).

If the pelvic floor muscles are too tight (i.e., too much tension), or conversely too weak (i.e., experiencing low tone), then pelvic floor muscle dysfunction may be diagnosed. 

What Are Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

When your pelvic floor muscles are not working well you may suffer from a weak bladder or problems with urination and defecation, as well sexual intercourse may be a problem. Here is a list of PFD symptoms you should be watchful for:

• Weak bladder
• Urine leakage 
• Frequent urge to pee
• Constipation
• Straining on the toilet
• Stopping, starting during urination
• Painful urination 
• Lower back pain 
• Unexplained pain in pelvic region 

You shouldn’t ignore these types of symptoms; pelvic floor dysfunction can be painful for some people, as well as emotionally and physically distressing as it directly affects bladder and bowel functioning. 

What Are Pelvic Floor Treatments That Can Help Me?

Treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction is best with a multidisciplinary approach. Here are several PFD treatments that can work well together. 

• Pelvic floor tightening with pelvic floor exercises (e.g., quick flick Kegels)
• Pelvic floor machine treatment (e.g., Emsella treatment)
• Pelvic floor muscle training
• Bladder training
• Change in diet (e.g., magnesium-rich foods, more fibre)
• Muscle relaxers or other prescription medications
• Biofeedback with a physical therapist
• Prolapse surgery
• Weight Loss 
• Limiting caffeine and alcohol intake

Tips On How To Strengthen Pelvic Floor With Exercise

One of the best ways to tighten pelvic floor muscles quickly is through targeted exercise. It is important to take action to improve pelvic floor muscles for overall optimal health.

What are pelvic floor exercises? Pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles around the bladder and bottom. Actively strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can help with urinary incontinence, as well as pelvic organ prolapse.

There are many online videos that demonstrate how to do basic pelvic floor exercises — start by Googling “quick flick Kegels” to get yourself started.

Do Pelvic Floor Exercises Work?

Yes, pelvic floor exercises do help if performed regularly; however, there may be instances of PFD that require more robust treatment like surgery or medication.

If you are experiencing many of the symptoms mentioned above, we do recommend you consult with your family doctor. Here are several benefits of pelvic floor exercises:

• Improve bladder and bowel control
• Bladder and bowels are better supported
• Reduce risk of prolapse
• Improve recovery from childbirth
• Less risk of incontinence
• Boost sexual health

Many people do know about the importance of pelvic floor exercise, but not many people in the UK know about pelvic floor machine treatments (i.e., Emsella pelvic floor machine treatment).

Emsella Pelvic Floor Clinic Treatment at Este Medical

A proven and effective pelvic floor dysfunction treatment you may not have heard about is called Emsella. Using a chair device, Este’s Emsella treatment is a non-invasive pelvic floor physiotherapy treatment that tightens pelvic floor muscles and treats weak pelvic floor symptoms and conditions like urinary incontinence.

It is especially helpful with pelvic floor muscles female conditions that result from pregnancy and childbirth.

How Does Emsella Work?

Emsella targets the pelvic floor muscles and stimulates them with HIFEM (high-intensity focused electromagnetic) energy which causes the muscles to contract and strengthen. The chair device provides a deep internal workout for the pelvic floor muscles; one treatment session can deliver the equivalent of 11,000 pelvic floor contractions.

The treatment lasts about 30 minutes, so this is something you can do over your lunch break or between social appointments. You don’t even have to change into a robe, during treatment you will sit fully clothed on the Emsella chair device until the session is complete.

What Conditions Does Emsella Treat?

Emsella’s HIFEM technology can target the pelvic floor muscles and address a number of conditions, including the following: 

• Urinary incontinence
• Weak bladder control
• Vaginal laxity
• Decreased sexual satisfaction
• Male and female sexual health
• Stress incontinence related to childbirth
• Pelvic prolapse

‍

If you are experiencing symptoms related to pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) we strongly recommend combining pelvic floor exercises at home with regular Este Medical Emsella treatments at a clinic near you.

Find out how to improve the quality of your life by eliminating the stress of urinary incontinence and health issues connected with poor pelvic floor fitness, contact us to book a consultation.