Introduction to Pelvic & Digestive Section

After a hospital visit or after a long, severe illness, our plumbing ‘down there’ may not be working as well as it used to. Sometimes that’s because the medications we needed to help us in the hospital affected our digestive system, so it’s harder to have bowel movements. Or we may have needed a urinary catheter, that tube that was inserted to collect urine.  Some people find these painful, got infections as a result of them, or notice changes to their urine stream or ability to pee after it is removed. Sometimes we spent so much time on our backs while we were sick that the muscles that help us keep our urine and stool inside aren’t working well.

As a pelvic physical therapist, I mainly treat those ‘plumbing’ issues, and that includes problems like constipation, urine leakage, pain, and much more. Our ‘pelvic floor’ is a multi-layered bowl of muscle between our hips that holds up our organs, like our bladder and rectum. Like muscles anywhere else in the body, this area can get injured, scarred, be painful, weak or just plain uncoordinated.

So if you’re noticing issues in your pelvic area after your illness or hospitalization, please do not assume this is your ‘new normal.’ See if the information I’ve shared is helpful or find a pelvic physical therapist near you who can help you with these concerns.

Connect with us today: Burlington, VT • Hoboken, NJ

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