​OUR PHILOSOPHY & PRACTICES

Dedicated to getting to the core of the problem.

OUR PHILOSOPHY OF CARE



At Core Plus, we're dedicated to getting you back to living a full life.

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Many issues are caused by pelvic floor dysfunction!
Every gender has pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor consists of muscles, ligaments, connective tissues, and nerves. The pelvic floor supports the bladder, reproductive organs, and rectum. When those muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues are damaged, pelvic floor disorders can develop. The pelvic floor also plays a role in sphincter control and sexual function.
Symptoms of Dysfunction may include:
  • Urinary problems,​ including urgency and frequency, painful urination, incomplete bladder emptying, leakage and inability to hold.
  • Fecal incontinence
  • ​Constipation including straining, or painful bowel movements
  • Pain or pressure in the vagina or rectum
  • Heaviness in the pelvis or a bulge in the vagina or rectum
  • Muscle spasms in the pelvis
  • Belly bulge when standing, exercising, lifting or other other activities

WHAT IS BIOFEEDBACK?

At Core Plus Physical Therapy, we strongly believe that using biofeedback is essential to achieve that best outcomes for most types of pelvic floor dysfunctions. Each patient is seen by a trained pelvic health therapist for 55 minutes. Using a large monitor, providing visual and auditory cues, the patient is able to see their muscle activity. The therapist evaluates the patient’s technique, making corrections as needed as sometimes patients demonstrate improper effort which may actually worsen their condition. 

Each session is saved and compared to previous sessions to demonstrate progress and effort. Patients tell us that they appreciate seeing their progress from session to session. Some clinics claiming that they use biofeedback to treat pelvic floor dysfunction do not use this type of system; rather, they use a small hand held device (or none at all) making it harder for many patients to appreciate proper muscle engagement.

We use biofeedback to assist with strengthening when weakness is identified but also to identify poor pelvic floor relaxation (as is often seen with pelvic pain, dyspareunia, and other tension dysfunctions). In these cases, we use biofeedback to down-train, rather than up-train the pelvic floor muscles.

(Should we add other "standards of care" for other diagnoses?) The standard of care for physical therapy treatment of urinary or fecal incontinence is one visit/week for 6-8 weeks. We have found that this time frame works for the vast majority of our patients. It may be cause for concern if a patient is being treated elsewhere two or three times a week. This is typical for most orthopedic or neurologic conditions though not needed, or appropriate, for most pelvic floor problems. We are happy to answer any questions you might have regarding how we utilize biofeedback in treating specific pelvic floor dysfunctions.

​WHY WE USE BIOFEEDBACK?
Biofeedback when used in conjunction with pelvic floor exercises is a non-surgical and cost effective
method that can decrease or eliminate leakage associated with urinary incontinence. (Bernier, F., &
Simms,T.W., 2009; Wetzel,W., 2004).

Biofeedback is not a treatment per se, but a tool to help patients learn how to perform pelvic floor
muscle exercises. It is also used to help the patient normalize excessive muscle tone as is often seen
with defecation disorders or pelvic pain.
​
Biofeedback helps patient identify and isolate the proper muscles as well as determine the contraction
strength to attain benefits (Bernier, F.,& Simms,T.W., 2009; Rovner, E.S. & Wein, A.J., 2004)

"The entire staff was extremely friendly and helpful.  It was such a delight to walk into that office. 
They make you feel 'right at home'.
 Lisa Janson was AWESOME! 
She is very knowledgeable and goes "above and beyond"  to share techniques and exercises with you to help you to
improve your quality of life."