Charles had been experiencing pain around his genital and perineal area, as well as sensitivity in his lower abdomen. Together, these issues were making it difficult for him to stand and perform the duties of his labor-intensive job. His symptoms were also interfering with work, social, and personal spheres of his life, as the only way to temporarily alleviate his pain was through pre-emptive or forced urination. Eventually, Charles decided that his problems needed to be addressed, so he came in to see us at Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City for treatment.
After performing a complete evaluation of Charles’ pelvic girdle, hip and pelvic floor muscles, his therapist found that he had severely limited flexibility in all directions, and increased sensitivity, pain, swelling and stiffness in his lower abdomen. Additional exam findings included a significantly elevated resting tone in his pelvic floor muscles, a decreased ability to dissociate his pelvic, lumbar and hip movements, poor posture while standing, and inefficient breathing—which included holding his breath while lifting, bending, and squatting. As already mentioned, Charles also had faulty toileting habits, as he would often urinate to relieve his pain, regardless of whether he actually needed to urinate. The resulting diagnosis from this assessment was pelvic pain.
Before beginning treatment, Charles stated that his goals were to reduce his pain levels and regain flexibility throughout his hip and pelvis. He also wanted to improve his posture and urinary habits and work towards enhancing his work and personal/social life.
How we addressed Charles’ issue at Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City
Based on the evaluation, Charles was given recommendations to retrain his bladder and help him establish a normalized urination schedule. He was first instructed to perform exercises designed to improve the flexibility of his hip, lower back, and lower abdomen. To relax the muscles of his pelvic floor—which are located at the bottom of the pelvis—Charles completed diaphragmatic and breathing re-education and biofeedback. Finally, he was re-educated and trained on how to increase his awareness, and given strategies to improve his posture and lifting mechanics to decrease stress in his pelvic floor.
After completing 10 weeks of physical therapy, Charles reported that his pelvic pain had improved by about 90%. He noted that his urination has become normalized, and he has been able to perform his job and even work overtime without any interference from pain or a need to urinate. He also enjoys his home-exercise program, which has become part of his new morning routine, and is currently looking forward an extended vacation with his wife without any concerns for a flare-up or return of his symptoms.
Charles had this to say about his overall experience with us: “Pelvic floor physical therapy, with all its exercises, stretches and education, has helped me immensely. It’s unbelievable that the pain I’ve suffered with for years and was unresponsive to medications has resolved and can be controlled with my exercises. I’m so grateful!”
We couldn’t be happier to see how pleased Charles is with his outcome, and we are confident that he will continue to improve as he sticks with his home-exercise program. Charles’ story shows that some people live with pain or impairments for years before trying physical therapy, but once they do, it doesn’t take very long to experience notable changes. So if you are currently in pain or being held back by any type of movement-related issue, we invite you to contact Dynamic Sports Physical Therapy in New York City at 212-317-8303 to schedule an appointment today. You can also click here to read our last blog for more information about male pelvic pain.
