“I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants” we’ll often proclaim. Except what happens if you weren’t really laughing that hard and you totally peed your pants? Incontinence with its little leaks and sudden urges to go is one form of pelvic floor dysfunction.
All men and women have pelvic floor muscles that can develop spasms and trigger points, causing groin, hip, and abdominal pain. You might not be comfortable talking about pain during intercourse, persistent pelvic pain, or continence issues (both urinary and bowel), but there are professionals who can help. When infection or disease has been ruled out but the pain persists, consider pelvic health physiotherapy and massage therapy.
Massage therapists can’t directly treat the pelvic floor muscles as those are internal, but we can treat the muscles that attach to the pelvic floor, namely the inner thigh, buttocks, and abdomen. The treatment shouldn’t feel invasive despite being very close to your private parts. Specially trained pelvic health physiotherapists can treat internally and provide the exercises needed to regain function in the area.
I have a list of Eastern Ontario physiotherapists who have this training, but unfortunately, you will have to travel to Ottawa, Cornwall, or Plantagenet. The full listing for Ontario is found at www.collegept.org and you will need to do an advanced search for ‘special activities’ or filter your search results under ‘authorized activities’ depending on the page you’re brought to. Please don’t suffer needlessly. We can help.
