Pelvic Floor Diagram
One diagnosis we can all agree on is that I have PDF (Pelvic Floor Disfunction). Not one, but two therapist have diagnosed me as having a constant pelvic-floor spasm, one that, may I add, does not go away. Everyones resting state should be between 1-3 points on the measurement scale. Lucky me! My resting state is at a 15, meaning that my pelvic floor muscles are always in a strong contraction. Do I think this is the problem? Possibly. The pelvic floor diagram to the left shows how complicated the pelvic floor is and how dependent the muscles are on one another.
So can this cause more than just bladder/rectal pain? This was my first question, that I asked many times to see if I got the same answer each time. According to my doctor, the answer is, yes. It can cause bladder, vaginal, rectal, coccyx and urethra pain; urgency; burning; and frequency as the Levator Ani muscle is one huge muscle that extends from the rectal muscles and wraps around the bladder and urethra.
Imagine how your muscles burn when you are exercising. This is because they are in a constant state of contraction, but the longer you exercise, the more fatigued your muscles get eventually fatiguing out. But how could this cause bladder and urethra pain? Read on to find out.
The question surrounding PDF is whether biofeedback or electrical stimulation therapy is more effective. While some women don't have enough strength in their pelvic floor to hold urine in (incontinence), others have spasms that cause pain, burning and difficultly urinating. When you urinate, your sphincter muscles are trained to relax so that urine can flow out. With biofeedback, one is strengthening their muscles and retraining them to contract and relax. When you have a weak pelvic floor, this could be helpful; however, if you have a constant contraction, you are unable to relax your pelvic floor muscles. By attempting to contracting your already contracted muscles during biofeedback, you may be confusing your muscles and making the problem worsen. Your muscles are already contracted, why try to contract more? I tried biofeedback; it wasn't effective for me, but others who have undergone this treatment claim to have found relief.
So now I am, or shall I say have been strongly encouraged, to undergo electrical stimulation therapy (EST). This is where they use a device that send electrical stimulation to the pelvic floor region, causing it to contract and relax, contract and relax, eventually leading to fatigue. (I won't mention in this post where they put it. LOL) The nurse explained to me that we are trying to fatigue the muscles so much that they have no alternative but to relax, so as to force the muscle to move out of contraction.
Like I said earlier, if you ran 10 miles, your muscles would eventually fatigue so much that they wouldn't want to hold you up any longer. This is the concept behind EST. So, will it work? I am not sure, but I hope so! It makes sense to me, and it has worked on others. I use a tens unit all the time on my sore and tight back muscles, so why wouldn't it work for the pelvic floor muscles. My nurse did worn me that it may take some time to see any type of improvement. Today, I am willing to take that risk, Tomorrow, who knows.
Please pray for me as I continue down this road. Pray that my muscles respond to EST.
So can this cause more than just bladder/rectal pain? This was my first question, that I asked many times to see if I got the same answer each time. According to my doctor, the answer is, yes. It can cause bladder, vaginal, rectal, coccyx and urethra pain; urgency; burning; and frequency as the Levator Ani muscle is one huge muscle that extends from the rectal muscles and wraps around the bladder and urethra.
Imagine how your muscles burn when you are exercising. This is because they are in a constant state of contraction, but the longer you exercise, the more fatigued your muscles get eventually fatiguing out. But how could this cause bladder and urethra pain? Read on to find out.
The question surrounding PDF is whether biofeedback or electrical stimulation therapy is more effective. While some women don't have enough strength in their pelvic floor to hold urine in (incontinence), others have spasms that cause pain, burning and difficultly urinating. When you urinate, your sphincter muscles are trained to relax so that urine can flow out. With biofeedback, one is strengthening their muscles and retraining them to contract and relax. When you have a weak pelvic floor, this could be helpful; however, if you have a constant contraction, you are unable to relax your pelvic floor muscles. By attempting to contracting your already contracted muscles during biofeedback, you may be confusing your muscles and making the problem worsen. Your muscles are already contracted, why try to contract more? I tried biofeedback; it wasn't effective for me, but others who have undergone this treatment claim to have found relief.
So now I am, or shall I say have been strongly encouraged, to undergo electrical stimulation therapy (EST). This is where they use a device that send electrical stimulation to the pelvic floor region, causing it to contract and relax, contract and relax, eventually leading to fatigue. (I won't mention in this post where they put it. LOL) The nurse explained to me that we are trying to fatigue the muscles so much that they have no alternative but to relax, so as to force the muscle to move out of contraction.
Like I said earlier, if you ran 10 miles, your muscles would eventually fatigue so much that they wouldn't want to hold you up any longer. This is the concept behind EST. So, will it work? I am not sure, but I hope so! It makes sense to me, and it has worked on others. I use a tens unit all the time on my sore and tight back muscles, so why wouldn't it work for the pelvic floor muscles. My nurse did worn me that it may take some time to see any type of improvement. Today, I am willing to take that risk, Tomorrow, who knows.
Please pray for me as I continue down this road. Pray that my muscles respond to EST.