Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Aka: Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Pelvic Floor Muscle Dysfunction, Pelvic Floor Disorder, Pelvic Floor Muscle Weakness, Pelvic Floor Insufficiency, Pelvic Floor Dyssynergia

advertisement

II. Definitions

  1. Pelvic Floor Disorder
    1. Injury, weakness or prolapse of the pelvic Muscles and surrounding ligaments and connective tissue
  2. Pelvic Floor Dyssynergia
    1. Pelvic Muscles paradoxically contract and rectal sphincter tightens during Defecation (instead of normal relaxation)
    2. Results in pain and Constipation

III. Complications

  1. Dyspareunia
  2. Chronic Pelvic Pain
  3. Urinary Incontinence
  4. Defecatory Dysfunction (Constipation)

IV. Exam

  1. See Chronic Pelvic Pain Exam
  2. Patient contracts pelvic floor Muscles which should raise the perineum
  3. Assess for tenderness while palpating pelvic floor Muscles via the vaginal introitus

V. Management

  1. See Pelvic Floor Exercise
  2. Consider physical therapy (Pelvic Floor specific programs)
  3. Other interventions
    1. Gabapentin (Neurontin)
    2. Trigger Point Injection (Local Anesthetic or Botulinum Toxin A)
    3. Neuromodulation with nerve stimulator (posterior tibial, pudendal, sacral nerve)

VI. References

  1. Hill (2021) Am Fam Physician 103(10):597-604 [PubMed]

Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)

These images are a random sampling from a Bing search on the term "Pelvic Floor Dysfunction." Click on the image (or right click) to open the source website in a new browser window. Search Bing for all related images

Related Studies

Related Topics in Symptoms

advertisement