IC101 Master Class #8 – Pelvic Floor Dysfunction & Physical Therapy [Video]

Many IC patients are surprised to learn that their bladder symptoms are actually the result of tight, dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles. When the first pelvic floor PT study was released by the NIH years ago, it showed physical therapy was remarkably effective at reducing urinary symptoms. It was at that point that physicians started considering IC/BPS as a pelvic pain syndrome rather than as an incurable bladder disease. New studies now estimate that the great majority of IC patients have muscle dysfunction.

In our national AUA Guidelines for IC/BPS, they ask physicians to assess for muscle dysfunction at their very first visit with a new patient and, if muscle dysfunction is found, they are to immediately refer patients to a physical therapist. Why? Because we now recognize the toll that tight muscles can play in reducing blood supply to the bladder and other organs, as well as in compressing nerves.

In this video, Jill shares what to expect when you visit a physical therapist. Internal myofascial massage is strongly suggested, vaginally in women and rectally in men. Why is internal work necessary? Because you simply can’t reach these muscles externally.

The goal of physical therapy is to restore normal, healthy muscle tone and function. This may take some time in patients who have had tension for years, often due to injuries that occurred in childhood. So, it’s important to have patience. Muscles respond beautifully to muscles work however if your muscles continue to stay quite tight even after PT, then it’s important ask “what is putting pressure on these muscles?” Usually, that’s bones… and it’s quite common for some patients to have a bad hip, SI joint, broken tail bone, knee problems and, surprisingly, foot problems.

You can learn much more about pelvic floor work on the IC Network website at: http://www.icnetwork.org.

Our favorite book, especially for patients with a long history of tension and/or previous injury, is Breaking Through Chronic Pelvic Pain by Dr. Jerome Weiss. This book is available in the ICN shop. http://www.icnshop.com