From sexual function to bladder control, your pelvic floor has a big job. And sometimes, it grows weak under all that pressure. When your pelvic floor is weak, it can make your day-to-day life a challenge. At A Beautiful You Medical Spa, we perform pelvic floor therapy in Memphis.
Whether you struggle with urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, or another related condition, our treatments for strengthening your pelvic floor can help. If you’d like to learn more about your options for pelvic floor therapy, this blog is for you.
Understanding the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a grouping of muscles and tissues that form the base of your pelvic area, often called your core. They work with your stomach, back muscles, and diaphragm to support your spine and abdomen. Your pelvic floor cradles your bladder, colon, and uterus (women). Without it, your body would be unable to carry out many different functions.
Controlling Urination & Excrement
The muscles of the pelvic floor surround your urethra and rectum, providing added control and support for these regulatory sphincters. This is why a weak pelvic floor can worsen your ability to control urination and excrement.
Sexual Function
Stronger pelvic floor muscles contract more efficiently, which supports blood flow, sensation, and overall function. When these muscles weaken, the contraction and blood flow required by sexual function are hampered. This can lead to a variety of complications regarding arousal and intercourse.
Core Stabilization
As we mentioned before, your pelvic floor plays a central role in supporting your core. A weakened pelvic floor can lead to an unstable core. This creates the potential for many complications, including balance, mobility, and function issues. Long-term, an unstable core can lead to chronic pain, digestive problems, respiratory concerns, and more.
As you can see, maintaining a strong pelvic floor is critical to your bodily systems and day-to-day life. Unfortunately, an array of events and conditions can weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
Common Causes of a Weak Pelvic Floor
Age
As we age, our muscles lose strength due to hormonal changes, lessened mobility, and decreased collagen and elastin production. As a result, your pelvic floor muscles can also be impacted negatively by aging, which is why urinary incontinence is common among senior individuals.
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Mothers are especially prone to urinary incontinence. Pregnancy and childbirth can have a dramatic effect on your pelvic floor. In preparation for vaginal delivery, women experience hormonal changes that relax the pelvic floor muscles, which can be temporary or lasting.
During childbirth, the entire pelvic region is stretched to accommodate the baby. After having multiple children, many women face urinary incontinence and other complications of a weakened pelvic floor.
Long-Term Health Conditions
There are several chronic illnesses that can weaken the pelvic floor muscles. For example, obesity and chronic coughing can strain the pelvic floor. Over time, this strain can compromise those muscles and ligaments.
Pelvic floor therapy in Memphis can reduce a number of unpleasant symptoms, including:
- Urinary incontinence
- Urinary retention (chronic urinary tract infections)
- Frequent urination
- Fecal incontinence
- Constipation
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Lower back pain
- Erectile dysfunction
- Difficulty achieving orgasm
- Pain during intercourse
Common Issues Addressed by Pelvic Floor Therapy
Of those pelvic floor complications, urinary incontinence is one of the most common issues our clients face. Pelvic floor therapy at A Beautiful You can produce delightful results, helping our clients cut out the frequent bathroom breaks that pull them away from work, family, and friends, and avoid accidents while sneezing or laughing. One client returned after her pelvic floor therapy to tell us she’d had the best orgasm of her life!
Your Options for Pelvic Floor Therapy
There are many options for pelvic floor therapy out there. These range from simple at-home exercise to invasive surgery. At A Beautiful You Medical Spa, we primarily perform pelvic floor therapy using Emsella—an innovative and noninvasive technology that can make a real difference for those struggling with weak pelvic floor muscles.
Emsella: A Revolutionary Treatment
Emsella uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to stimulate muscle contractions. Each Emsella session causes thousands of contractions, producing a level of strengthening impossible through traditional exercise alone. And, best of all, you receive all the benefits by simply sitting on the chair-like device for your 30-minute session.
Our clients find it comfortable and even relaxing. During the session, you remain fully clothed and free to occupy your time with a magazine or book. Emsella does not require any recovery or downtime, and results become noticeable within a few weeks following your full treatment series. The more treatments you receive, the better results you will see.
Physical Exercises
An array of exercises and workouts can strengthen your pelvic floor. Kegel exercises are a well-known type of pelvic floor therapy, which are characterized by identifying and contracting said muscles.
Physical therapy, yoga, pilates, and other exercises can also assist pelvic floor strengthening through core-focused movements. However, none can compare to the efficiency and ease of Emsella for pelvic floor therapy in Memphis.
Lifestyle Changes
Another option for pelvic floor therapy is to assess and reorient some of your behaviors. With the help of a nutritionist, you can adjust your diet and fluid intake to lessen the impact of a weakened pelvic floor. Weight loss can also improve your pelvic floor health.
If urinary incontinence is your issue, you can participate in bladder training—a variety of techniques used to prolong the duration between trips to the bathroom. This strategy can relieve symptoms of urinary incontinence but does not directly address the pelvic floor like Emsella.
Medication
On occasion, medical providers will prescribe medications like pain relievers or hormone optimization therapy for pelvic floor complications. Both of these treatments can provide relief. However, neither result in long-term muscle strengthening in the way that Emsella does.
Pelvic Floor Repair Surgery
Pelvic floor repair surgery can address several issues, such as pelvic organ prolapse or severe incontinence. This is a last resort when it comes to pelvic floor therapy as it is a serious surgery.
Emsella at A Beautiful You Medical Spa
Pelvic floor therapy in Memphis at A Beautiful You Medical Spa begins with a consultation. We’ll discuss your medical history and ongoing pelvic floor challenges to determine if Emsella is the best possible treatment for your unique needs.
Before Emsella
Emsella is a relatively simple therapy, and there isn’t much you need to do beforehand. However, we do recommend coming in hydrated. Because Emsella relies on electromagnetic currents and muscle contractions, being hydrated will improve the effectiveness of the therapy. Hydration will also help prevent muscle cramping or soreness after your Emsella session.
During Emsella
An Emsella session is just 30 minutes long. You’ll spend that time relaxed on the Emsella chair, occupying yourself however you like. It is completely noninvasive; there are no needles or incisions involved. Clients describe Emsella as feeling like a light tingling in the pelvic area.
Core-to-Floor Therapy
At A Beautiful You Medical Spa, we can combine Emsella with Emsculpt NEO for next-level core strengthening. Emsculpt NEO uses the same HIFEM technology as Emsella, but it’s designed to address other areas of the body. With our core-to-floor therapy, we use Emsculpt NEO to strengthen the abdominal muscles.
Why do we do this? Think of your torso as a tin can, with muscles forming each side of the cylinder. If just one side of your tin can is weak and collapsing, it affects the integrity of the entire can. Using both Emsella and Emsculpt NEO, we can reinforce your entire torso for ultimate core strength. Core-to-floor therapy can also improve your posture, mobility, and make you less prone to injury.
After Emsella
Emsella does not require downtime or recovery. Our clients return to their regular activities right away after Emsella. You may experience mild soreness in the day or so following Emsella treatment, but the muscle strengthening gets to work right away!
As with any exercise, repetition is required to build lasting strength. We recommend 6 sessions of Emsella, spread over several weeks, to see the maximum benefits from this pelvic floor therapy in Memphis.
Risk Factors for Emsella
Because Emsella releases electromagnetic energy, we do not perform Emsella on people with pacemakers, defibrillators, copper IUDs, or any other metal implants. Additionally, Emsella is not performed on pregnant individuals due to a lack of data regarding fetus safety.
Choose A Beautiful You for Your Pelvic Floor Therapy
Complications from a weak pelvic floor can be painful, distressing, and embarrassing. With Emsella pelvic floor therapy in Memphis, you can improve your quality of life. If you’re experiencing urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, or another pelvic floor condition, we’re here to help.
At A Beautiful You Medical Spa, our providers are more than happy to help you discover a treatment that relieves your symptoms. We’ve seen great success with Emsella, and you could too. Select the button below to schedule your complimentary consultation at our practice. We look forward to hearing from you.
