Our pelvic floor muscles may show some weakness in various women's health conditions, including pregnancy, postpartum, menopause and old age. Your awareness and proper strengthening are essential in preventing and treating your weakness.
Pelvic floor dysfunction is one of the causes of urinary incontinence (stress, urgency and mixed), but it can also be the cause of fecal incontinence, pelvic genital organ prolapses, sexual dysfunctions, changes in sensitivity and chronic pain syndromes.
The prevalence of urinary incontinence is higher in women between 15 and 64 years old and is due to several factors:
- Differences in the anatomy of the pelvic floor muscles (PPM) and ligaments that support the bladder and sphincters;
- Effect of motherhood on pelvic and sphincter structures;
- Effect of hormones that have important receptors in the bladder, sphincters and vagina;
- Genetic factors that are still poorly studied can explain racial and familial trends.
Physiotherapy is the treatment of choice in Female Urinary Incontinence, being a conservative treatment with fewer side effects; helps improve/restore pelvic floor function and bladder control.
Physiotherapy treatments for urinary incontinence consist of perineum-sphincter re-education through awareness and strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles with support of muscle stimulation and biofeedback.