For those of us suffering from myofascial pain, such as Fibromyalgia or Myofascial Pain Syndrome, physical therapy can be a game-changer.
I recently went to a physical therapy appointment for my daughter, who's also a chronic pain sufferer. During the health history part of the exam, the therapist asked her a flurry of questions related to different parts of her body. At one point, my daughter and I got confused about a question and when I asked for clarity she busted this thing out...
(Hint: If you're a dude this might be a good time for you to jump out of this conversation.)
This a model of a woman's pelvic floor "area". (I had no idea they had things like this.)
She gave us a mini anatomy lesson using this model and we learned that a woman's pelvic floor has three types of muscles that all work together. (The model has moveable parts!) I learned so much in that session - so much I should have learned way before I decided to have children.
She then went on to ask more questions like: "Do you ever leak urine when you laugh, cry or sneeze?"
My daughter's response: "Ooh no! That's disgusting!"
Several more minutes of questioning went on and each time my daughter answered, "No." I was silently answering "yes." That's when I decided to make an appointment for myself.
Now I go twice a week and the therapists have taught me things I never knew about my body. They are also helping me with Pilates and core strengthening exercises.
It feels good to be in control of my health and body.
If you want to try physical therapy, just request a referral from your doctor and make sure it's for a therapist who specializes in women's issues. I just learned that some insurance companies will pay for massage therapy if you have a referral from your doctor. I'm totally checking that out!
Here's a link for women in Wilmington, but if you live somewhere else just do a Google search using the terms found on this site. Good luck and happy strengthening!
Physical Therapy For Women, Wilmington
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