Pelvic floor physical therapy in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction and the pelvic pain that typically accompanies it can profoundly affect the lives of the many men and women who suffer from these disorders. This is a prevalent issue: In a study of 112 women with genital pain, 78 of them—67.8 % (P < 0.0001)—suffered some form of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). The most prevalent form of FSD, affecting 58 of the 78, or 74.3 %, was dyspareunia. Similarly, in a study of men with pelvic pain, 88.3 % suffered pelvic floor myalgia and pelvic floor dysfunction. The consequences for these individuals can be far reaching. Loving relationships are strained, and the individual’s sense of self-worth as a fully functioning human and sexual being can be severely impaired. Yet this is an issue that rarely gets attention from either clinicians or the public at large.