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Physical Therapy for Women's Health Issues
Physical therapy is a health care profession whose focus is to help people restore strength and mobility when recovering from illness, injury or surgery, and to help people maximize function with their daily activities.
Related to women's health issues, this might include helping women maximize their ability to carry out their daily activities or recover from:
- Pregnancy related complications
- GYN surgery
- Pelvic floor dysfunction such as incontinence or prolapse
- Pain issues: painful intercourse, painful menstrual periods,
vaginal, rectal or other types of pelvic pain
- Other predominant women's health issues such as osteoporosis and fibromyalgia
To begin a physical therapy program, the therapist will first do an evaluation. This includes documenting your history, current and past.
The therapist will also evaluate the following, as appropriate for your needs.
- Posture
- Strength
- Range of motion and flexibitily
- Balance
- Movement patterns / coordination
- Function with daily activities (like how you might pick up something off the floor, move from sit to stand, etc.)
- Scar mobility
- Areas of muscle and tissue tenderness
- Other special tests
Treatment options include:
- Therapeutic exercise to improve strength, mobility, and endurance
- Muscle re-education to help improve patterns of movement and body awareness such as postural alignment
- Self care strategies to provide education and understanding about your health problems and what you can do to help yourself for the present and the future
- Manual therapy to improve joint and soft tissue mobility and flexibility
- Therapeutic activities to problem solve difficult daily activities
- Modalities such as heat/ice, massage, electrical stimulation
Physical therapy programs vary in length depending on the extent and nature of your problem. Usually they begin at 1-2 times per week and range anywhere from 1-2 visits to multiple visits. The program is completed when you reach your goals and you follow through with your program at home independently.
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