How Physical Therapy Can Improve Your Sex Life
It may be glamorous to think that sex is as smooth as in the movies, but oftentimes things can be muddied by obstacles like pain or our general health. While conversations about this topic are frequently avoided due to the awkward nature, a physical therapist is a health care professional who can evaluate and treat many physical impairments that limit our pleasure or participation in sex. Although sex has an obvious role in reproduction, it also plays a role in other aspects of our lives, such as mental health. Even though each person’s desire and want for sexual activity is different, physical restrictions or pain do not have the be the limiting factor!
Physical therapy is often thought of as massage or exercise to decrease pain or prevent an injury to muscles and bones, but physical therapy also includes assessment and treatment of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems as well. Sex without dysfunction or limitation will require proper function of the systems above including the musculoskeletal system. A healthy nervous sytem, as well as good cardiovascular and muscular strength and endurance, are important for your tolerance and even pleasure during sexual activity. At Summit Physical Therapy we respect every patient’s privacy and can speak with you in a private evaluation room to help you feel more comfortable speaking about your health concerns.
“Sometimes the problem is not that you are unable to participate in sexual activity, but that you are limited in performance or pleasure.”
Low back pain, hip pain, and pelvic pain are some common conditions physical therapists treat that can sometimes lead to decreased sexual activity or performance.
There are many conditions that can affect a pleasurable sexual experience such as pain, decreased mobility, limited muscular or cardiovascular endurance. People dealing with painful conditions may begin to avoid activities they once enjoyed to prevent increasing their pain. On the other hand, you may not be in pain but your limited hip mobility may prevent you from achieving your preferred positions. Sometimes the problem is not that you are unable to participate in sexual activity, but that you are limited in performance or pleasure. For example, your back pain may limit your tolerance to particular positions. Sometimes pain-relief techniques such as manual therapy, relaxation techniques, pain modalities, and/or targeted mobility and strength exercises are adequate in getting you back to doing the things you love! We wouldn’t let you leave our office without understanding your condition and how we will work together to try to make things better!
In most cases, there are issues such as limited range of motion or poor movement patterns that need to be addressed in order to prevent recurrence. Decreased joint mobility might present as a sensation of pinching or stiffness while decreased muscle flexibility can feel more like a mild to severe stretching sensation. Joint mobilizations or positional modifications can be helpful in preventing injury and reducing joint symptoms. On the other hand, muscle relaxation techniques or stretches can address muscle flexibility. Physical therapists use a combination of manual therapy and exercise to address these restrictions in a manner that is specific to your goals.
Examples of performance issues are the inability to participate for the duration you would like, get out of breath very easily, or your muscles get tired and you need to rest. Being deconditioned or sedentary may negatively affect your cardiovascular endurance which means you might feel tired quickly or feel like your working very hard during sex. Decreased muscle performance can manifest as inability to support the body weight of you or your partner, quick fatigue of muscles working or onset of muscle cramping with repetitive movements. These types of barriers can really interfere with sexual activity. Therapeutic exercises addressing specific muscle weakness can improve muscle strength and endurance, improving your situation. Once your pain and movement quality is addressed, physical therapy can help to optimize your cardiovascular and muscular endurance to help improve your sexual experience.
Our goals as physical therapists are to restore and/or increase your functional capacity as well as improve your overall quality of life.
This include activities of daily living, occupational activities, and recreational activities such as sports and sex. I highly encourage you to bring up these topics with a trusted health care provider if you have any questions or concerns. If that provider does not have the answers you are looking for, they should be able to direct you to someone who can. A physical therapist can be a great place to start because we can help identify if you are having a musculoskeletal issue or if another medical professional would be more appropriate for you.
Give us a call at 908-598-9009 to see if direct access in physical therapy can help you. Many individuals do not even need a prescription from their doctor prior to an initial evaluation. Here at Summit Physical Therapy, we offer free 15-minute consultations so you can speak with a physical therapist who can help you decide if physical therapy is appropriate for you.