We women folk are dynamic creatures, changing, evolving and transforming throughout our lives. Some changes and new stages are regarded with excitement and anticipation, while others … well, not so much.
In my practice as a pelvic health physical therapist, I frequently treat women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond for issues such as stress urinary incontinence, urinary urgency and frequency, fecal leakage, pelvic organ prolapse, and pelvic pain or discomfort. While women may experience issues with their pelvic health at any age or stage, the hormonal and physiological changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause can contribute to challenges in pelvic health and function.
Stress urinary incontinence is urinary leakage that occurs with exercise, jumping, running, dancing, or even sneezing, coughing or a good belly laugh.
Urinary urgency and frequency can feel like constantly having to find a bathroom even though you just walked out of the bathroom a short while ago. Many women complain of waking up more than once during the night to use the bathroom.
Symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse can include a feeling of heaviness or bulging in the pelvic region, typically worsening over the course of day, and may be accompanied by low back pain. Pelvic pain, painful intercourse, or changes in sensation in the pelvic area are common issues women may face for the first time during this transitional phase. Changes in lubrication and tissue changes may be contributing factors.
Often these issues originated with a medical issue or treatment, surgery, pregnancy or childbirth in their 20s or 30s but symptoms only started to manifest in a woman’s 40s or 50s. Their bodies may have done a sufficient job of compensating for these issues in their 20s but as their tissue starts to age and thin, these symptoms may start to become more bothersome. At best, they can be inconvenient or at worst painful, and can interfere with everyday life.
Many women mistakenly just accept this as their “new normal” and as something that just happens with age and after having kids. Pelvic health physical therapy can provide solutions and straightforward painless effective treatment strategies for all these conditions. This doesn’t have to be your new normal. You’ve got too much to do with the exciting years ahead, and we are here to help.
Rivki Chudnoff PT, MSPT is a pelvic health physical therapist with over twenty years of experience specializing in the treatment of women’s health-related issues and pelvic floor dysfunction, with a focus on pelvic pain, unconsummated marriages, prenatal and postpartum care, and incontinence. Rivki is an instructor for the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Institute, where she provides continuing education for healthcare professionals in the area of pelvic health. Rivki sees patients at her private practice in Teaneck. www.hamakompt.com; [email protected]; (201)613-3668; @rivkichudnoffpt.
