Dealing with Interstitial Cystitis?

Did you know pelvic floor physical therapy is the first line of treatment for Interstitial Cystitis according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists(ACOG)?

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘀 is a persistent pain condition related to your bladder. It causes both pelvic pain & urinary symptoms including frequency, urgency & discomfort related to the bladder.

⁣𝘊𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴 is the medical term for inflammation of the bladder & 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 means that it is the space between.. aka the lining of the bladder.

Common Symptoms

• Pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen

• Pain may get worse as the bladder fills up. Your pain may go away for a short time when you urinate and empty the bladder

• Feeling like you need to urinate right away (urgency), often (frequency), or both

• Pain, pressure, or tenderness in the bladder, urethra, vulva, vagina, or rectum

• Pain in the muscles of the pelvic floor, lower abdomen, and lower back

• Pain that may get worse during your menstrual period

• Pain during sexual intercourse

• Ulcers, sores, and/or bleeding in the bladder

Steps you can take at home

• Quit smoking

• Bladder training (training your bladder to go longer between bathroom visits)

• Sometimes, changing what you eat, such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, or spicy foods, can help make your symptoms go away

Can pelvic floor physical therapy help?

Absolutely! Here at Shift Physical Therapy, we can help improve symptoms by:

• Lengthening the pelvic floor muscles

• Bladder retraining

• Dietary recommendations

• Healthy movement

• Pain education

• Stress management

• Improve painful sex

Are you needing a little more help?

If you are needing a little more help, we set aside time in our schedule where you can talk directly with a healthcare professional who specializes in urinary incontinence and helping women get back to running and jumping without symptoms.

We offer this as a courtesy to our clients so can get your questions answered before committing to booking an appointment. If you a ready to take action, let’s chat. Schedule a consultation now.