Are you having that feeling of falling out of your pelvic organs, giving you disturbed sleep? Despite the tremendous discomfort, you have to keep going. This feeling of falling out of your pelvic organs is called pelvic organ prolapse. But do you know that you can get rid of this feeling and get yourself treated for pelvic organ prolapse Pickerington, OH, physical therapy? Stop struggling with your pain, just hop into the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse with physical therapy. Relive your pain with physical therapy and get back to your normal daily schedule.
What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse
The organs of the pelvic cavity are held together by ligaments. When these ligaments and the supporting structures like the abdominal muscles become weak they lose their strength to hold these structures causing the structures to fall into the vagina. This condition is commonly seen in women over 50 years of age. It is also referred to as herniation of the pelvic organs or uterine prolapse.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse is further divided into different types depending on the organ involved
- Cystocele of the anterior compartment involving the urinary bladder.
- Uterus/ vagina of the middle compartment involving the uterine or vaginal prolapse.
- Enterocele and rectocele of the posterior compartment.
Causes of Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse is a multifactorial condition. The causative factors include
- Physiological factors
- Anatomical factors
- Genetic factors
- Reproductive factors
All these factors individually contribute to pelvic organ prolapse. Apart from these factors, the other causes of pelvic organ prolapse are
- Aging resulting in loss of muscle tonicity.
- Injury during childbirth
- Chronic conditions like constipation, coughing, and straining
- Unhealthy body weight/ obesity
Signs and Symptoms of Pelvic Organ
Prolapse
Usually, mild cases do not show any symptoms. But severe cases do show obvious signs and symptoms that include pressure and pain on the pelvic organs. The other common signs and symptoms related to pelvic organ prolapse are listed below.
- A feeling of pressure or heaviness in the pelvic region.
- The pressure causes pain and discomfort in the lower back region and the abdomen.
- The uterine tissue falls out through the vagina.
- Painful sexual intercourse
- Excessive vaginal discharge
- Urinary bladder infections and problems in urination
- Problems like constipation, failure of the sphincter muscles to hold back urine leading to involuntary loss of urine
Risks Factors associated with Pelvic Organ Prolapse
There are multiple reasons for pelvic organ prolapse. Most commonly it is found in females after giving birth to a child but is a more specific list of risk factors that can lead to pelvic organ prolapse.
- Delivery of an overweight child.
- Common after second vaginal birth.
- Previous surgical exposure of the affected area.
- Overweight
- Dehydration
- Family history
All these factors individually cause pelvic organ prolapse. Apart from these factors, the other causes include
Treatment for Pelvic Organ Prolapse
- Physical Therapy
How to Prevent Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Since pelvic organ prolapse occurs because of the weakening of muscles of the pelvic floor, then it can be prevented with the strengthening of muscles. The process might involve multiple steps that are listed below.
- Exercises: Muscle strengthening exercises play a pivotal role in preventing the condition. They are crucial in the postpartum period as the muscles have been stretched a lot while carrying the baby for 9 months.
- Keep a check on your weight: It is quite common for women to gain weight postpartum but this can be a big cause of pelvic organ prolapse. Always get in touch with a dietician to keep a check on your sky-rocketing weight.
- Lifting weight: We tend to pull up our abdominal muscles while lifting heavyweights. This exercise is completely prohibited in women with weak muscles to prevent prolapse.
Conclusion
Well, pelvic organ prolapse can really be scary at the first encounter but one needs to be attentive and careful enough to manage such situations. Consulting a doctor is the best way to get the situation in control. But there are a lot more preventive measures that can be followed to stay away from such situations. Also, try to avoid the major work factors that ultimately promote prolapse of the pelvic floor. If any such case happens you can easily avail of physical therapy for pelvic organ prolapse .
