Cancer treatments are life-saving and necessary, but the effects of these treatments are often impactful and long lasting on your body. Many cancer survivors find themselves facing challenges after their treatments are complete. The radiation, chemotherapy, and surgeries you may go through can change the tissue of your vaginal skin and pelvic floor muscles. This can lead to dysfunctions of your pelvic floor that can leave you struggling with issues that impact your quality of life. You may experience bladder and bowel control issues, pelvic pain, or sexual dysfunction.
How Cancer Treatments Affect the Pelvic Floor
Treatments for cancers in the pelvic region frequently have a direct impact on the muscles, nerves, and tissues in that area. Your pelvic floor can be indirectly impacted by treatment for cancers outside of the pelvic area due to muscle loss from prolonged inactivity and hormonal changes from medications that stop estrogen production.
Surgeries for cancers that involve the pelvic region can directly change or impact the important muscles and nerves controlling body functions. As your care team works to remove cancer, your muscles and nerves controlling bowel and bladder function are often affected as well. For example, in pelvic PT we often work with survivors after bladder cancer as they work to get continent with a neobladder.
Radiation therapy can damage healthy tissue while working to destroy the cancer cells. This is particularly impactful when the therapy is directed at the lower abdomen or pelvic region. Radiation, by definition, alters any skin, muscle, or nerves it hits. Soft tissue may get stiffer, scarred, have reduced flexibility, or be painful. Pelvic PT is often helpful following pelvic radiation to gain back the ability to have pain free sex.
Chemotherapy drugs can have side effects that indirectly impact your pelvic floor. The fatigue and muscle weakness you may experience from the drugs can impact your overall muscle tone. They can also cause hormonal changes which can affect the elasticity and strength of your pelvic floor.
Hormonal blocking therapies are used to decrease estrogen in cancers that are driven by estrogen. The tissues in our pelvic region are dependent on estrogen to maintain blood flow and flexibility. Hormone blocking medications can cause vaginal dryness, thinning of vaginal tissues, and weakened muscles. Dryness and thinning of the vagina can lead to irritation and pain which often results in muscle guarding or tightness.
Recover With Pelvic Floor Therapy
Restoring Strength
Following a proper assessment, your pelvic floor therapist can develop a personalized treatment plan to target your specific areas of dysfunction. They will guide you through performing exercises using proper techniques to begin to strengthen or release your pelvic floor muscles.
Improving Bladder & Bowel Function
Your therapist can help you learn to retrain your bladder and bowel through exercises and lifestyle modifications. They will work to help restore your control of these organs which is crucial for the quality of your daily life.
Relieving Pain & Discomfort
Using a combination of manual therapy techniques and relaxation, a pelvic floor therapist can help alleviate pain. The techniques focus on tension, scar tissue and tight muscles that not only cause discomfort, but can impair your mobility. You will see improved flexibility and coordination.
Supporting Sexual Health
With a focus on improving blood flow, muscle relaxation, and the overall function of the pelvic region, pelvic floor physical therapy can help with improved sexual comfort and performance. As you regain your sexual function, your ability to enjoy intimacy will increase.
Personalized Care
Recovery from the effects of cancer treatments can be long and is certainly a personal journey. Cancer survivors often finish active cancer treatments like surgery and believe they are on their own. However, there is much to be done to improve your life after treatment.
No two survivors have the same experience. If you are struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction, working with a pelvic floor therapist can make all the difference as you navigate your path to healing. Pelvic floor therapy offers a non-invasive, holistic approach to rehabilitate your pelvic floor. This specialized care focused on restoring your pelvic health can help you reclaim your confidence.
If you've never experienced pelvic floor therapy and would like to know more about what to expect, you can learn more here.
If you have pelvic health concerns and would like to see how our therapists at
Embrace can help, follow the link to schedule your free discovery call.
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