If you struggle with urinary incontinence and problems with intimacy after you go through menopause, your doctor might recommend pelvic floor physiotherapy to rehabilitate the muscles that support your bladder, vagina, and rectum. 

These muscles can get weak or stretched out due to childbirth, being overweight, or changes that come with menopause. Surgery might be an eventual option, but before that, you may want to try pelvic floor physiotherapy to see if it can help. Here's what to expect.

You'll Need An Examination

The physiotherapist wants to understand your pelvic floor problem so they know the best way to treat it. This may involve a physical examination. While it may be uncomfortable, an examination allows the physiotherapist to determine how weak your muscles are. Plus, they can feel for prolapse and other problems.

They'll also want to hear about your symptoms when it comes to urinary or fecal incontinence. They'll also want to know about problems you may be having during intercourse with pain or lubrication. When they've gathered enough information, they can create a plan for treatments to take in the clinic and exercises for you to do at home.

You'll Learn Specific Exercises

Depending on the reason for your dysfunction, exercises might be enough to strengthen your pelvic floor to correct incontinence. However, it's essential to isolate the right muscles and do the exercises properly. A physiotherapist can help you feel the muscles you're supposed to exercise and monitor your progress.

You may be instructed to do the exercises at home on a set schedule. You might exercise by inserting a device in your vagina and squeezing it or by stopping your stream of urine. By strengthening and tightening the pelvic floor muscles, you may also notice a change in your enjoyment during intimacy.

You Might Try Biofeedback

Your pelvic floor physiotherapy treatments might include biofeedback. With this, your physiotherapist hooks electrodes up to muscles along your pelvic floor to monitor contractions. Urinary incontinence and vaginal pain are sometimes associated with muscle spasms. Biofeedback might be used to train you to relax the muscles in your pelvic floor.

You Might Receive Hands-On Therapy

One reason pelvic floor physiotherapy may be more effective than simply doing exercises alone at home is that the physiotherapist can provide hands-on therapy. This might include giving muscles along your pelvic floor a massage to relax spasms or performing trigger point therapy or myofascial release treatments.

These can break up scar tissue that causes pain in your pelvic region. With hands-on therapy, the physiotherapist uses their hands to provide treatment according to your comfort level.