Women's Health Physical Therapy Services At OSPTI

What is Physical Therapy for Women’s Health? The current emphasis on fitness and wellness has focused on a need for women to pay closer attention to their bodies during recreation, work, and throughout life. Physical Therapists have a unique place in helping women lead healthy, active lifestyles. Through specialized training these therapists use every facet to evaluate and treat male and female clients, while promoting and enhancing health throughout the life span. All treatments are individually designed after a thorough evaluation and discussion about your individual goals.   What Conditions Do We Treat? Pregnancy Post Partum Urinary Incontinence Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Prolapse Pelvic Pain SI Joint Dysfunction Lumbosacral Strains Fibromyalgia Pain and Headaches Osteoporosis Improvement of Musculoskeletal Function	Pregnancy Pregnant women may suffer from pain or aching in the back or shoulder blades, rib cage, groin area, or low back due to changes in posture, weight, or hormonal factors. Not only are these women more susceptible to injury during pregnancy, but related orthopedic problems may persist or begin following pregnancy. Maternity supports, manual therapy, strengthening or retraining techniques are typical treatments safe for mom and baby during pregnancy or after delivery. Post Partum Following delivery a woman may experience feelings of “falling out,” incontinence, or extreme weakness of the abdominals and pelvic floor with both Cesarean and Vaginal deliveries. Post-delivery rehabilitation includes strengthening and endurance training as well as functional retraining of involved muscles of the abdomen and pelvic floor. Dysmenorrheal or Menopausal Symptoms Painful periods or dysmenorrheal and menopausal symptoms can be very painful for some women. Increased pain, bleeding or incontinence can cause increased stress and lifestyle modification. Often working with a trained professional can decrease your symptoms and return you to your previous lifestyle. Incontinence Incontinence is the loss of bladder or bowel control resulting in involuntary loss of urine or stool. Pelvic floor weakness resulting in a loss of muscular support for the bladder, uterus or rectum is often the cause. Incontinence or urine may be termed stress, urgency, or frequency. A Physical Therapist will use various customized approaches to strengthen your pelvic floor and decrease your episodes of incontinence.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction/Prolapse Pelvic Floor Dysfunction encompasses a large variety of diagnoses, the most common being pelvic floor organ prolapse. Prolapse is a bulge of organs into the pelvic floor often leaving patients with a feeling of “falling out.” It is a very common condition treated with pelvic floor exercise and retraining to lift and support the organs of the pelvic floor. Pelvic Pain Pelvic floor tension or pain in the sling of muscles which support the bladder, uterus, and rectum can be caused by muscle, joint, and nerve problems. The patient may have difficulty sitting, pain during intercourse, or pain in the hips or lower abdomen. Rehabilitation includes pelvic floor relaxation training, manual therapy, and biofeedback. Tailbone Pain Injury to the tailbone is quite common from many different mechanisms. You may experience pain with sitting or walking and constipation due to the position of your tailbone. Mobilization of the tailbone, stretching, and strengthening will help to resolve the symptoms. SI Joint Dysfunction & Lumbosacral Strain Pain in the low back and hips is a common condition affecting many women in many different ways. Due to the shape of the pelvis and other hormonal characteristics, females experience pain with rising from sitting, rolling over in bed, or simply sitting or standing for long periods of time. A Physical Therapist is trained to individualize an exercise program to relieve symptoms with manual techniques, strengthening, and other modalities to help alleviate your symptoms.	Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become thin and brittle, and can break easily. Therapy programs include instruction in proper body mechanics for rebuilding bone density safely as well as pain control modalities such as heat and electrical stimulation to relieve pain. Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis & other Myofascial Pain Syndromes The delicate nature of fibromyalgia and other pain syndromes requires the skill of a trained therapist to avoid flare ups and help alleviate symptoms. Physical therapy tools used to help treat these symptoms include relaxation techniques, gentle exercise, aquatic therapy, and other pain control modalities. Tension Headaches With the stressors of everyday life, tension builds in the neck and shoulders tightening the muscles at the base of the skull and may cause frequent headaches. Postural retraining and relaxation techniques are common tools used to treat these conditions. Overall Musculoskeletal Function Differences between the sexes do exist and whether a person is male or female matters in the prevalence and severity of a broad range of diseases, disorders, and conditions. The uniqueness of the female skeleton and its hormonal influences require special knowledge to improve a woman’s overall wellness throughout her lifetime. The individualized training programs offered here at OSPTI are specific to each women’s needs, whether your just beginning to exercise, or you are a highly competitive athlete, we will work with you to achieve your ultimate goal.
Women's Health Physical Therapy Services At OSPTI    Provided by: Brooke Erstad, PT, DPT (click name for more information on this trainer)	Please call us with any questions.