Normally when we talk about pelvic floor dysfunctions, we tend to believe they are associated with weak pelvic floor muscles. A weak or not very toned pelvic floor can cause organ prolapse, urinary or fecal incontinence and even anorgasmia.
But very often, the problem is the exact opposite. An excessive increase of the muscle tone can also cause problems. It’s known as hypertonic pelvic floor.
What is hypertonic pelvic floor?
Hypertonic pelvic floor is an excessive increase of the pelvic muscle tone, causing the muscles to be unable to relax. On many occasions it comes with contractures, not only of the perineal muscles but also in the buttocks and/or lumbopelvic region. The muscles are so tense that it affects flexibility, thus inhibiting or hindering urination, defecation and even sexual intercourse.
What are the causes of hypertonic pelvic floor?
Hypertonic pelvic floor has multiple causes, of both physiological and psychological origin:
- Physiological causes:
- Hormonal changes
- Menopause
- Surgery
- Traumatic injuries
- Scars
- Episiotomy during childbirth
- Higiene postural deficiente
- Practicing high impact sports or sports that imply lifting heavy weights such as weightlifting.
- Incorrect performance of Kegel exercises
- Obesity
- Psychological causes
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Traumatic experiences
Most common symptoms of hypertonic pelvic floor
These are the main symptoms of hypertonic pelvic floor:
- Pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).
- Pain when introducing a tampon or menstrual cup.
- Voiding dysfunction when urinating: incomplete voiding, discontinuity of the urine stream and or painful bladder voiding.
- Urinary frequency and / or urgency (which is also a symptom of muscle weakness)
- Constipation and pain during or after defecation.
- Pelvic pain
- Lumbopelvic pain.
How to treat hypertonic pelvic floor
The treatment of hypertonic pelvic floor will differ for each specific case, based on its causes.
The current treatments include a wide variety of options, among which the following stand out: biofeedback, manual perineal massage or with devices such as vibrators, vibrating bullets, vaginal dilators, vaginal or anal massagers, relaxation techniques that combine diaphragmatic breathing and conscient movements to relax the pelvic floor muscles, hypopressive abdominal gymnastics, exercises to improve postural hygiene, overweight or obesity treatments, psychological treatment,…
Treatment of hypertonic pelvic floor with TecarEvolution
Capenergy has developed second generation radiofrequency devices that help reduce the pelvic floor muscle tension. They increase the local blood supply and therefore the supply of nutrients, improving tissue elasticity.
Our MJS probe allows carrying out an intracavitary treatment with a known application temperature, which means we can know for sure we’re stimulating collagen production. Here are some of the benefits that can be obtained:
- Increase of the blood flow
- Increase of the nutrient supply
- Improvement of the tissue elasticity
It is a painless technique, very pleasant for the patient, that offers satisfactory results from the first session on.
Would you like to know more about Capenergy’s 2nd generation radiofrequency and how it can help you treat your patient’s hypertonic pelvic floor? Request a free demo.
