Pelvic Health for All! How Pelvic Floor PT Can Help You Move, Feel, and Live Better
Have you ever struggled with difficult-to-discuss symptoms like incontinence or groin pain? These issues often signal issues with your pelvic health, an area that’s often misunderstood—or overlooked entirely.
One of the biggest misconceptions is the idea that pelvic health is only something that women need to worry about, particularly during pregnancy or after childbirth. In reality, the pelvic floor plays a critical role in both men and women across all stages of life.
At Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services, our pelvic health services are available for all genders and address a wide range of conditions that impact daily comfort, movement, and quality of life.
A Closer Look at the Pelvic Floor
Better pelvic health starts with understanding your pelvic floor, a group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues located at the base of the pelvis. These muscles support the bladder, bowel, and sexual organs. They also contribute to core stability and posture.
When these muscles are not working properly—either because they’re too weak, too tight, or poorly coordinated—symptoms can develop.
Signs of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect both men and women in different ways, although some symptoms are universal, including:
Universal Symptoms
- Urinary leakage or urgency
- Difficulty fully emptying the bladder
- Constipation or straining with bowel movements
- Pelvic pain or pressure
- Pain with sitting or movement
- Pain during or after sexual activity
- Low back, hip, or groin discomfort
Symptoms that Affect Men
- Post-prostate surgery issues
- Erectile dysfunction
Symptoms that Affect Women
- Postpartum weakness
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Pain with intercourse
How Physical Therapy Addresses Pelvic Dysfunction
Pelvic floor physical therapy focuses on restoring the strength, flexibility, and coordination of these muscles, which can help improve bladder control, reduce pain, and improve daily function (including sexual function).
At Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services, we work to provide a discreet, respectful space where you can share your symptoms and receive a personalized care plan that addresses the function of your pelvic floor muscles and how they interact with your core, hips, and breathing patterns.
How Do We Treat Pelvic Concerns?
Education and Awareness
Understanding how your body works is the first step. You’ll learn more about how your pelvic floor functions, including how posture, breathing, and daily habits can contribute to discomfort.
Manual Therapy
We often use external hands-on techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility, such as joint mobilization to improve pelvic and hip mobility or myofascial release to reduce tension in the connective tissue wrapping around your pelvic floor.
Targeted Exercise Therapy
Specific exercises help retrain the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles, such as:
- Strengthening exercises to address muscle weakness or urinary leakage
- Relaxation techniques for tight or painful muscles
- Core and hip strengthening to improve overall support
Biofeedback Training
Activating and relaxing pelvic floor muscles can be difficult because they’re entirely internal. Biofeedback uses sensors to provide you with real-time imaging of your muscle activity so you can better perform prescribed exercises.
Breathing and Pressure Management
Your diaphragm, which controls your breathing, and your pelvic floor work together, so breath plays an important role in symptom management. We’ll show you how to coordinate breathing with movement, which can reduce excess pressure on the pelvic floor and improve stability during lifting and daily tasks.
Bladder and Bowel Training
If you’re struggling with incontinence, our therapists can provide strategies to improve your daily habits and reduce urgency, frequency, and other symptoms.
New Insurance Plans Accepted
Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services now accepts Regal Medical Group, Lakeside Community Healthcare, and Kaiser Preventive insurance plans.
We’re excited to expand access to care and make it easier for more patients to receive the therapy services they need.
Exercise of the Month
Squats
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended in front of you for balance. Slowly bend your knees and lower your hips as if sitting back into a chair, keeping your chest lifted and knees behind your toes. Push through your heels to return to standing.
3 Sets, 10 Reps.
Healthy Recipe: Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad
This classic sweet-and-savory combination is the ultimate summer refresher. It takes less than 10 minutes to throw together, requires no cooking, and is packed with hydrating watermelon.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed seedless watermelon (chilled)
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped or torn
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- A pinch of flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
- Combine: In a large serving bowl, combine the chilled watermelon cubes, crumbled feta, and sliced red onion.
- Dress: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and fresh lime juice. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad.
- Toss: Add the fresh mint leaves to the bowl. Gently toss the salad with large spoons or your hands just until combined—be careful not to break up the watermelon or overmix the feta.
- Season & Serve: Top with a pinch of flaky salt and fresh pepper to taste. Serve immediately while cold.
Empowering Your Pelvic Health Through Physical Therapy
Here at Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services, our team of experienced physical therapists can help you address these concerns and improve your overall pelvic health.
Biodex Balance Machine
Have you been struggling with keeping your balance? It’s very possible you may have a balance issue that calls for the attention of a physical therapist. Thankfully, Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services in Stevenson Ranch, CA can help. Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services is proud to offer the Biodex Balance System for our patients dealing with balance and vestibular disorders.
Contact our office today to learn more about the Biodex Balance system. We’ll schedule an appointment for you to see one of our specialists right away.
What Is The Biodex Balance Machine?
The Biodex Balance machine at Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services is a valuable training tool for anyone who is looking to improve their agility, balance, and develop muscle tone. The machine features easy-to-follow on screen instructions, and is fairly simple to operate. It leads you through tests and training modules, and can perform accurate Fall Risk Screenings for older patients.
According to the Biodex website, “Balance retraining exercises are designed to steady a patient while walking or standing through improvements in coordination of muscle responses and organization of sensory information. Static and dynamic tests are administered to gauge a patient’s balance – objective reporting and comparisons to normative data aid in the development of individual exercise plans.”
What Conditions Can Biodex Balance Treat?
The Biodex Balance machine can treat several conditions, including the following:
- Fall risk screening and conditioning
- Rehab for senior patients
- Neurorehabilitation for patients recovering from a stroke or dealing with Parkinson’s
- Vestibular disorders
- Sports medicine/orthopedic management
- Concussions
The Biodex Balance system is able to detect areas of weakness and challenges patients to improve. It also provides games for patients to play that stimulate and motivate postural improvements, and challenge cognitive and motor function.
Your physical therapist will do a full assessment of your balance at your initial appointment, and create a customized treatment plan for your needs that incorporates the use of the Biodex Balance system. He or she will provide you with plenty of information about your condition as well as your treatment plan’s outcome by utilizing this technology!
Shockwave Therapy: Now Available
We’ve had a lot of questions lately about Shockwave Therapy, and we’re excited to offer this innovative, non-invasive treatment at
Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services. Shockwave Therapy uses targeted acoustic waves to stimulate healing, improve blood flow, and help reduce pain in injured or irritated tissues.
It’s commonly used for chronic conditions such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, tennis or golfer’s elbow, and patellar tendon pain, especially when symptoms haven’t fully responded to other treatments. Our physical therapists often incorporate shockwave therapy alongside traditional care for a more comprehensive approach to recovery.
If you’re dealing with lingering pain or an old injury that’s affecting your daily life, Shockwave Therapy may be an option worth exploring.
Contact us to learn more or to schedule an appointment.
Tips for Parents as School Ends and Summer Begins
As summer break approaches, parents can prepare for their kids being out of school with these practical tips:
- Plan Activities: Organize a list of summer activities to keep kids engaged, such as outdoor sports, art projects, or day trips to parks and museums.
- Set a Routine: Maintain a structured daily routine with regular wake-up times, meal schedules, and designated study or reading periods to promote consistency.
- Healthy Eating: Stock up on nutritious snacks and plan balanced meals to keep kids energized and healthy throughout the summer.
- Safety First: Ensure your home and outdoor play areas are safe and child-proofed. Discuss safety rules with your children, especially if they spend more time outside.
- Screen Time Limits: Set reasonable limits on screen time to encourage physical activity and reduce excessive device usage.
By following these tips, parents can create a balanced and enjoyable summer experience for their children, combining fun, learning, and safety throughout the break.
