| Aspiring to excel in patient outcomes is the most important objective at North Valley Hospital. Keeping up with technological needs is one way this goal is accomplished. The new biofeedback equipment at North Valley Hospital Physical Therapy allows the physical therapists to precisely pinpoint areas that need treatment, with forward progress apparent from one session to the next.
Biofeedback helps someone learn correct pelvic floor exercises, usually in just two to four sessions. The value of biofeedback, is in SEEING the contraction on the computer screen, since sometimes the muscle force is so weak, it is difficult to feel it internally. Once someone is able to put the visual picture of the contraction together with their activation method for several sessions, then they are usually on their way.
Biofeedback for the pelvic floor muscles and other muscles is the process of becoming more aware of certain activities of your body. In physical therapy small sensors are used to pick up signals of muscle activity. This can help those with overactive neck muscles learn to decrease their muscle activity so they can relieve muscle spasms. Another person might find it helpful to learn to activate a particular part of the quadriceps muscle as they move their knee. Biofeedback permits us to get a closer picture of what a particular muscle is doing.
The pelvic floor is an area of the body that is more difficult for some people to identify when they are contracting these muscles. It is easy to substitute the larger muscles that surround it, since the pelvic floor muscles are much smaller. These muscles fatigue quickly if they are weak, so having an effective method of working with them, increases the value of the treatment session. Biofeedback is an outstanding tool to use with someone seeking help for urinary incontinence or pelvic pain. Being a private area of the body, the use of biofeedback makes the physical therapy session more comfortable for both the therapist and patient.
Other areas that are often included in managing incontinence are: Bladder training for someone who has urgency and difficulty waiting until they get to the toilet; hip and trunk muscles exercises that add support for the pelvic floor; and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles with the muscles of respiration. Frequently, individuals with stress urinary incontinence will have a measure of this problem in addition to having pelvic floor weakness.
Seeking help for this condition is something women and men owe themselves. It is neither a condition they have to live with, nor one for which surgery is the only option. Learning the right way to use these muscles can make such a difference in his or her daily life. Along with some relatively simple changes that may be needed in diet or lifestyle, positive changes can be obtained.
Sara Ehlert is a physical therapist at North Valley Hospital Physical Therapy in Columbia Falls, 235 Nucleus Ave. She has trained and worked in women’s health and incontinence for the last seven years. For questions or to make an appointment, call 892-2777. |