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Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy and Women's Health Promotion
Author(s) -
Lawson Samantha,
Sacks Ashley
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1111/jmwh.12736
Subject(s) - pelvic floor , pelvic floor dysfunction , medicine , pelvic pain , sexual dysfunction , fecal incontinence , physical therapy , urinary incontinence , quality of life (healthcare) , sexual function , physical medicine and rehabilitation , surgery , nursing
Pelvic floor dysfunction is defined as abnormal function of the pelvic floor and includes conditions that can have significant adverse impacts on a woman's quality of life, including urinary incontinence (stress, urge, and mixed), fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction, diastasis recti abdominis, pelvic girdle pain, and chronic pain syndromes. Women's health care providers can screen for, identify, and treat pelvic floor dysfunction. This article examines the case of a woman with multiple pelvic‐floor‐related problems and presents the evidence for the use of pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) for pregnancy‐related pelvic floor dysfunction. PFPT is an evidence‐based, low‐risk, and minimally invasive intervention, and women's health care providers can counsel women about the role that PFPT may play in the prevention, treatment, and/or management of pelvic floor dysfunction.