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Mend Physical Therapy Blog and Injury Information
How Biofeedback Can Improve Your Pelvic Health Symptoms

What is Biofeedback for the Pelvic Floor? Our Boulder and Lafayette clinics now offer surface EMG biofeedback for pelvic muscle training! Biofeedback for the pelvic floor, or specifically surface EMG (sEMG), is a device that senses muscle activity at the pelvic floor muscles via external electrodes. You can then visually view on the device when...

Exercise As Effective As Medications For Erectile Dysfunction

A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in October 2023 shows aerobic activity can be just as effective as medication for erectile dysfunction. The systematic review evaluated the effects of aerobic activity on erectile function and found men who participated in aerobic activity, such as cycling, running or walking, had better erectile...

Yes, men have a pelvic floor too! At Mend in Boulder and Lafayette, our pelvic health specialists treat all male pelvic health concerns. Some signs of a male pelvic health dysfunction could include: Frequent urination Strong urge to urinate Delayed start of stream or disrupted stream Erectile dysfunction Chronic constipation Pain in genitals or rectum...

5 Things You Didn’t Know That Pelvic Physical Therapy Treats

1. Testicular pain Yes, men can benefit from pelvic physical therapy. Testicular pain is often not an issue with the testicle itself, but rather a presentation of a pelvic floor dysfunction. This may be due to pelvic floor muscle overactivity. Referral patterns of pelvic floor or even abdominal muscles can be into the testicles and...

Should I Contract My Pelvic Floor While Jumping?

Quick answer: NO. Often what is seen clinically in those who experience urine leakage with something like walking, running, or jumping movements, is that these individuals will begin to clench and contract their pelvic floor during these activities to try to prevent leakage. While that seems to make logical sense, this technique often doesn’t solve...

What are Bladder Norms?

Patients coming to pelvic health physical therapy often have abnormalities with the bladder or bowel habits. And often, if these habits have been around for a while, it is difficult for someone to know what is normal. So what is a ‘normal’ bladder like? Frequency -Voids aka peeing, should occur 5-8 times in 24 hours....

How Physical Therapy Can Treat Athletic Pubalgia/Sports Hernias

What is athletic pubalgia/sport hernia? This diagnosis is essentially an imbalance of the adductor muscles and abdominal muscles at the pubis. Specifically the adductor longus and the rectus abdominis are the most important muscles involved in athletic pubalgia/sport hernia as they share fascial connections in what is called the pubic aponeurosis or the abdominal/adductor aponeurosis....

Research Backs Abdominal Massage for Functional Constipation

As pelvic physical therapists in Boulder County, functional constipation has been something treated in our clinics via various techniques. A new randomized controlled trial has shown one commonly performed intervention to be an effective first-line treatment for functional constipation. Functional constipation is defined by the Rome IV criteria. Rome IV criteria: Must include two or...

Why Men Need Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Too!

Yes men, you do have a pelvic floor. In fact, aside from different genitalia, all genders have the same pelvic floor muscle and nerve make up. Even in the absence of delivering babies, the male pelvic floor and surrounding area can be susceptible to dysfunction. The following diagnoses/presentations/symptoms can all be indicative of a pelvic...