Evaluation Strategies for the Pelvic Floor
Presented by Heather Rader
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Most rehabilitation professionals lack understanding of basic skills in screening and evaluating for pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, despite high prevalence in most therapy settings. This course will introduce multiple methods to determine the health of the pelvic floor region and its muscles, focusing on external strategies. Participants will also learn how to identify pelvic floor dysfunction risk factors from the patient’s history and integrate basic pelvic floor assessment into clinical practice.
Meet your instructor
Heather Rader
Dr. Heather Rader is the owner of Rader Pelvic Physical Therapy, a practice devoted to the treatment of pregnancy-related pain and dysfunction, incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and complex pelvic pain in all genders. A physical therapist since 1994, she graduated from the University of Miami with a master’s degree in…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Risk Factors for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
This chapter will identify health-related risk factors for pelvic floor dysfunction. Comorbidities for pelvic floor dysfunction as they relate to medical history will be presented. An overview of basic pelvic health screening questions will be demonstrated.
2. Optimal Pelvic Floor Contraction
This chapter will describe the components of an optimal pelvic floor contraction. The participant will understand the three elements of a pelvic floor muscle contraction—contract, relax, and bulge. Common substitution patterns will be demonstrated.
3. Pelvic Floor Muscle Assessment
This chapter will identify ways pelvic floor muscles are assessed in clinical practice, including manual muscle testing, sEMG, and real-time ultrasound (RTUS). Description of pelvic floor muscle assessment techniques will be presented. Benefits and limitations of each will be identified.
4. Pelvic Girdle Scan Exam
This chapter will help the participant locate external elements of the pelvic floor during a pelvic girdle scan examination. Boundaries and palpable structures of the pelvic girdle and pelvic floor relevant to dysfunction will be presented. Demonstration of how a pelvic scan exam is performed will be presented.
More courses in this series
Functions and Dysfunctions of the Pelvic Girdle and Pelvic Floor
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Orthopedic Connections to Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
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Evaluation Strategies for the Pelvic Floor
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Treatment Strategies for the Pelvic Girdle and Pelvic Floor
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