12/26/2023
Patient success story. Hey guys and gals. I wanted to share a recent success story of one of my patients that I've been treating for a short period of time. She was a 68 year old female that arrived to the clinic with complaints of constipation, needed to bear down to have a BM, and often required splinting techniques to evacuate stool. She would have a bowel movement every 2 weeks, talk about miserable! She was doing all the right things, eating the right amount of fiber, drinking a ton of water, and performing daily exercise which naturally helps in peristalsis; however, continued to have constipation.
On her first visit we discussed all things related to the pelvic floor, performed an MSK assessment, and an internal exam. As a provider, internal examination gives you so much information on how to provide the right care to your client/patient. Anywho, with examination, it was determined that she had an overactive pelvic floor, which means the pelvic floor muscles never went into a state of relaxation or doming. For those that don't know, doming is necessary for sufficient evacuation of stool. If your body doesn't go into a state of doming, you will be unable to have an adequate bowel movement.
I started her on a pelvic floor downtraining program, which included deep breathing, introitus stretching, internal release techniques, and pelvic floor relaxation. She had a comprehensive home program and was treated once a week in the office. At 8 weeks, I discharged her from PT services. At that time, she was having a bowel movement every other day, needed no internal assistance for voiding, and was not bearing down with a closed glottis.
Something I should highlight in the above post is that she did her homework every single day. To be successful with pelvic floor therapy, you have to be consistent. This part of your body doesn't "heal itself". You have to do the work to get the outcomes!