Perineal Re-education
Description
Perineal re-education is one of the numerous fields of practice in physical therapy. When faced with a dysfunction of the uro-genital system, it aims at improving pelvic floor strength, bladder control, and diminishing chronic pain, etc. The muscles of the pelvic floor have various functions such as supporting the abdominal organs, controlling urinary and anal sphincters and enhancing sexual pleasure. The majority of these muscles are skeletal; this means that you have the capability of controlling them voluntarily and that they can be trained, just like the muscles of the arms and legs. It is also possible to regain control over your bladder by changing some habits and initiating a specific training program.
Therapeutic Interventions
The evaluation and treatments take place in a private and fully equipped room. The appointments last one hour and the interventions may consist of the following:
- Patient education and viewing of video
- Exercises
- Bladder training
- Electrotherapy (ex: biofeedback, muscle stimulator, etc)
- Manual therapy
Signs
- A man or a woman can benefit from perineal re-education:
- When uncontrollable urine and/or loss of feces interferes with daily activities, social involvements, etc.
- If there is chronic pain in the pelvic area (ex: vulvodynia).
- Before or after surgery performed in the pelvic area (ex: prostatectomy)
- After childbearing
- If frequent visits to the bathroom (ex: 10 times a day) interferes with quality of life.
Coordinates
Perineal re-education is an intervention in physical therapy; the costs are therefore covered by most insurance plans.