Sex is supposed to be a comfortable and enjoyable experience, but the reality is that’s not always the case. In fact, for millions of women in America, sex is uncomfortable or even downright painful, and that can bring with it a significant mental and emotional burden that can cause issues in your relationship if not managed appropriately. Many women don’t know where to turn if they are experiencing uncomfortable intercourse, which can make overcoming the issue even more difficult.
We want to be a resource if you’ve found that sex has become physically uncomfortable. This issue has a name – dyspareunia – and it’s something we treat with regular frequency at OrthoRehab Specialists. In today’s blog, we explain how we can help you overcome painful intercourse with the help of physical therapy.
Physical Therapy For Dyspareunia
As we mentioned above, dyspareunia is a medical condition categorized by pain or discomfort in the pelvic floor muscles that occurs before, during or after sexual intercourse. Dyspareunia doesn’t require medication or surgery to address, but it isn’t a condition that will resolve on its own, so if you are suffering from painful intercourse, talk with a medical professional or seek out a physical therapist, because physical therapy is typically the standard course of treatment for the condition.
Please, don’t be shy or embarrassed about connecting with a professional if you have reason to believe that you’re dealing with dyspareunia, because it is incredibly common. Medical estimates suggest it affects between 10-20 percent of women at some point in their life, so know that it’s a condition we treat with high frequency. Don’t suffer in silence; seek treatment and get back to enjoying your love life.
Establishing a care plan will begin by talking with a physical therapist about your overall health and your issues before, during or after intercourse. Some women experience pain during entry, while others feel more discomfort with deeper penetration, and oftentimes these sensations are tied to muscle tightness or a similar pelvic floor issue. We’ll hone in on your specific issue and then develop an individualized care plan that helps to strengthen or stabilize key muscle groups to mitigate the underlying pelvic floor issue.
The specific course of treatment will be based on your individual needs. For example, some women deal with dyspareunia because of muscle weakness in specific areas, and these muscles will need to be strengthened. Other women have overly tight muscle groups, and treatment will focus on helping women find ways to relax and take some tension off these muscle groups. It’s not just about strengthening your entire pelvic floor complex, it’s about finding harmony between muscle groups so that you can have a comfortable, relaxed and stable pelvic floor. Again, this is why syncing up with a physical therapist in person is so important, because a one-size-fits-all care plan that you find online is unlikely to address your personal needs. You’ll want to connect with a real person who can pair an open and honest conversation with an in-person assessment to determine the right treatment strategy for you.
Sex isn’t a topic most people talk about opening, and that’s even more true when your intercourse is uncomfortable or painful. It shouldn’t be this way, and it doesn’t have to be if you’re willing to take the first step and reach out to a physical therapist like the ones you’ll find at OrthoRehab Specialists. Intimacy is an incredibly important part of a relationship, so let us help you get back to enjoying sex. For more information, or for help with a different physical issue, reach out to the team at OrthoRehab Specialists today at (612) 339-2041.