Pelvic floor therapy

[justej]

I start pelvic floor therapy on Monday and I have no clue what to expect. Can someone shed some light on this?

[Patrick]

I guess I've had four cycles of pelvic floor physical therapy. My experience was that the initial session was primarily a review of my medical history, with emphasis on those aspects relevant to incontinence. The therapist wired me up to a machine which recorded my Kegels, which were poor. The embarrassment is real; however, understand that the therapist will do everything possible to reassure you. Because I endure frequent bladder and rectal cramps, this physical therapy has been more painful than embarrassing for me. However, it is useful, if not curative. Good luck, and report back.

[JDinVirginia]

Justj, here are some notes from my draft book: Pelvic Floor Training is designed to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and improve your ability to hold urine. A complete Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation program may include biofeedback, functional electrical stimulation, pelvic floor muscle exercises, and, for women, PFME using vaginal cones.

Biofeedback is a safe, minimally invasive, and relatively inexpensive therapy using electronic or mechanical devices to provide feedback about a person's pelvic floor contractions to aid in controlling urinary or fecal incontinence. The devices measure pelvic contractions in one of two ways. During the pelvic floor exercise, they usually measure the electrical activity of the pelvic floor or manometric pressure via a probe temporarily placed in either the vagina or anus. A majority of persons using biofeedback therapy with pelvic muscle exercises report improvements in controlling incontinence.

Pelvic Floor or “Kegel” exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) that help us control both urinary and fecal leaks. Kegel exercises are effective for those with stress, urge, or mixed incontinence, but are particularly effective for those with stress urinary incontinence. A problem for many is doing them correctly. A female therapist (Ph.D.) had me demonstrate the exercises while she held her gloved finger up my anus to ensure that the correct muscles were being used.

How long will it take to see improvement? That varies significantly from one individual to the next. You can expect to see some improvement in two weeks and marked improvement within a month. However, expect several months to reach your goal. In my opinion, the numbers of repetitions are not sacred and the most important thing is plain ordinary persistence. Just staying with your program is more important than the specifics of how you perform any particular Kegel exercise or how many times.

I hope this helps. Don't worry about it and just go with the program.

--John

[diaperdan]

If you are still having trouble consider a Medical Medtronics Interstem implant. The leads are attached to the pelvic floor . I have had this done and am now in complete control and have no leaks

[Don]

My urologist talked to me about the interstem therapy. It was decided that I was not a good candidate as I occasionally have to have MRI scans of different points on my body. Recently, I had x-rays and MRI’s of my knees, hips, and lumbar spine. With an implanted interstem, none of these scans would be possible as interstem devices are not compatible with MRI’s. If you have a device, that particular scan is out unless you have the device removed.

[diaperdan]

Hi Don!!
Yes I know, I have got a lot of problems too. I get CT scans and that is fine for the DR. I tore the muscle off my knee, and a CT scan was good enough. They also did a mylogram CT scan on my back.
It showed everything they needed to see. Just another way for the Hospitals to make quick bucks.
That fall took one of the leads away from it's spot, but the other lead is doing a good job. I drink a lot late in the evening. I am dry by morning, but I get up quick and go.