We understand how frustrating it can be to deal with pelvic floor issues such as bladder leakage, pelvic floor heaviness or pelvic pain. Ever since these issues started, you haven’t been able to feel like yourself and live life how you truly want to. Instead, you’re stuck trying to find ways to find relief that never end up giving you the long-term relief you desire.
You might have heard or had pelvic floor physical therapy suggested to you but weren’t sure what it was or if it was right for you. Pelvic Floor Physical therapy is a specialized type of physical therapy that focuses on ensuring your pelvic floor is functioning in the most optimal way. The pelvic floor consists of a bowl of muscles on the bottom of your pelvis. The muscles surround your urethra, vagina and anus and span from the pubic bone in the front to the tailbone in the back. If these muscles are not working in a functional way you may develop pelvic floor dysfunction which impacts bowel, bladder or sexual functioning.
After learning about pelvic floor physical therapy, you seek physical therapy for your condition. Through treatment you realize that Pelvic Floor PT was the solution for you ALL along…but now, your treatment sessions are coming to a close and you’ve found yourself wondering: “How am I going to maintain progress?”
In this blog post, we’re giving you 5 ways to maintain progress after your PT sessions have come to an end.
1. Follow Your Physical Therapist’s Instructions
The first and most important step to maintaining progress after physical therapy treatment is to follow the instructions of your physical therapist. Typically, your PT will provide you with a detailed home exercise program that will help you keep up the progress you’ve already made during your in-clinic sessions. Make sure you take your PTs advice to heart and perform your exercises at home regularly and correctly to avoid any negative setbacks, the last thing you want is to be right back where you started before you made all of this glorious progress throughout your sessions.
2. Stay Active
Regular exercise is essential to maintaining your progress after physical therapy sessions (during and after). Here at Legacy Physical Therapy, we offer a program called “Moms Made Stronger” taught by our master trainer and pelvic floor physical therapist Dr. Jamie Kocher. Moms made stronger is an online based fitness program that includes short videos that are safe for your core and pelvic floor. Based on your fitness level, your treating physical therapist can guide you through where to start in the program to get the most out of it!
It’s always a good idea to prioritize physical activity for your overall health and wellness. When you do so, this can help you maintain flexibility, strength, and endurance. Whether it’s taking a walk around the block, swimming a couple of laps, bike rides with a friend, or even yoga, simply just making sure you prioritize movement is a great way to maintain progress. Just be sure to avoid activities that could aggravate your condition or cause further pain and/or injury, if you are unsure what these activities are ask your treating physical therapist.
3. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for keeping progress after physical therapy treatment. This means eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep every night, and avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking, too much sugar and/or fast foods, etc. When you avoid unhealthy habits, you’re actively maintaining your overall health and well-being. When we take care of ourselves, it reduces the possibility of further injury or chronic conditions from occurring in the future.
4. Find Positive Ways To Manage Your Stress
Stress can have a negative impact not only on our mental health, but our physical health, as well. Finding positive ways to manage your stress and prioritize self-care is a great way to continue to maintain progress after your PT sessions. You can practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation. You can also engage in self-care activities that help you feel more connected to yourself such as reading, journaling, listening to music or your favorite podcasts, and spending quality time with people that make your life better.
5. Continue to Monitor Your Condition
Monitoring your condition, even after treatment has ended, is essential for maintaining the progress you’ve made. Pay attention to any changes in your symptoms examples of these include any return of pain or a return of pelvic floor heaviness sensation or bladder leakage. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms report them to your physical therapist so you don’t accidentally make your condition worse. Don’t think because you have “graduated” from your initial sessions you can’t reach out to your pelvic floor PT any more, we are always here for you. We always recommend coming in for maintenance appointments at the 3 or 6 month mark to ensure you are still doing well and we can tweak your program to ensure you continue to make gains. However if symptoms are coming back prior to this, do not hesitate to reach out and talk to your Pelvic floor PT prior to this.
In conclusion, maintaining progress after physical therapy treatment is crucial for long-term health and wellness. By following your PT’s instructions, staying active, prioritizing healthy living, positively managing your stress, and monitoring your condition, you can maintain progress and prevent future injuries or chronic conditions.
Remember, here at Legacy Physical Therapy your physical therapist’s number one priority is your success. We will be with you every step of the way to ensure you’re making the progress needed to finally feel like yourself again and reach your goals. Your PT is your partner in your physical therapy journey and they are always available to help you find ways to maintain your progress.
If you haven’t already checked out our Moms Made Stronger Program, Click below for a FREE 1 week trial.
