Do you have chronically recurrent UTI symptoms but your urine cultures keep coming back negative? It may be coming from your pelvic floor!
The pelvic floor is an overlooked contributor to frequent UTI-like symptoms. The pelvic floor is a bunch of muscles that sits at the base of the pelvic. These muscles wrap around the urethra (the tube that urine comes out of). If these muscles are tight or spasmed they can occlude or irritate the urethra and bladder causing symptoms like pain, pressure, burning, urinary frequency and urgency, and difficulty emptying your bladder.
What are some possible causes for a tight pelvic floor?
- Gynecological: Endometriosis, Fibroids, PCOD, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Pregnancy
- Genitourinary: Interstitial Cystitis, Cystocele, Prostatitis, Sexually Transmitted Disease
- Gastrological: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chrons Dz, Ulcerative Colitis
- Neurological: Pudendal Neuralgia, Migraines, HSV, Shingles, MS
- Rheumatic: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Connective Tissue Disorder with Hypermobility
- Musculoskeletal: Labral Tear Hip, Lumbar Radiculopathy, Tailbone Injury, Low back pain
What are other common symptoms of pelvic floor tightness?
- Constipation
- Incomplete Emptying Of The Bowels
- Straining When Emptying The Bowels
- Pelvic Pain
- Low Back Pain
- Hip Pain
- Coccyx Pain
- Painful Sex
- Vaginismus
- Urinary Incontinence
- Incomplete Emptying Of The Bladder
- Slow Flow Of Urine
- Hesitancy Or Delayed Start Of Urine Stream
- Urinary Urgency
- Urinary Frequency, And
- Painful Urination.
How do I fix this?
It is important to confirm if the pelvic floor is truly a contributing factor or not. A trained professional such as a pelvic floor physical therapist can perform a detailed evaluation and determine the contributing factors to your symptoms and a comprehensive treatment plan to address these factors. Contact Total Performance today to get started!
