Should You Try Physical Therapy Before Pelvic Floor Surgery?

Your pelvic floor is a set of muscles, ligaments, tendons and other tissues between your hip bones that helps support your bladder, uterus, urethra and bowel. If this set of muscles becomes weak, it can cause problems like urinary or bowel incontinence.

While surgery can help tighten these muscles and support structures in your pelvis, it also comes with risks. Before deciding to undergo a procedure like the insertion of mesh sling, we encourage you to try physical therapy first. It offers a wide range of benefits.

Physical Therapy Has No Risks

Physical therapy is completely safe and noninvasive. It does not pose any risks and doesn’t push you past your own personal limits. Surgery, on the other hand, can pose risks like bleeding, infection, or damage to other organs or tissues. 

If physical therapy does not work for your specific problem, you can always undergo surgery later. 

Physical Therapy is Effective for Incontinence

Some conditions, like rectocele (a bulge or weakness between the rectum and vagina), require surgery. However, most pelvic floor disorders like incontinence, pelvic pain, or pelvic organ prolapse, can benefit from physical therapy techniques.

During physical therapy, a specially trained therapist will lead you through exercises to help you strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor. You’ll do these exercises both during therapy and at home. By being an active participant in your therapy, you increase the likelihood that therapy will be effective.

Your therapist will also help you learn how to train and control these muscles to work more efficiently using biofeedback techniques, bladder scheduling and lifestyle changes. They may also use massage to release tight tendons and muscles that can cause pain.

Physical Therapy Costs Less Than Surgery

Your health insurance should cover physical therapy for pelvic floor conditions. Even weeks of therapy appointments often cost less than one pelvic floor surgery. During a surgery, you have to pay the surgeon, the surgery center, and the anesthesiologist. For physical therapy, you’ll receive just one bill for each session.

Physical Therapy is Personalized to You

Pelvic floor problems can have a variety of causes, from pregnancy and childbirth, to aging or traumatic injuries. Physical therapy can be customized to address the root cause of your problems as well as shaped to fit your lifestyle. It offers you the chance to receive one-on-one attention and long-term care for your pelvic floor disorder.

At Bon Secours Physical Therapy, we provide specialized pelvic floor physical therapy for a wide range of disorders. We help both men and women of all ages find pain relief and better control over their bowels and bladders. 

Take control of your pelvic floor; contact Bon Secours Physical Therapy today to schedule your first appointment.