Pelvic floor physical therapy is a highly effective approach to addressing delicate issues. Often overlooked, women’s pelvic health is an essential aspect of our well-being. The pelvic region plays a crucial role in functions such bladder and bowel control, sexual health, pregnancy, and core stability. However, many of us experience pelvic pain, incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse. While common, these problems are not normal and can seriously impact quality of life. Fortunately, pelvic floor physical therapy addresses these concerns and restores the confidence to return to activities of daily living.
What is pelvic floor physical therapy?
Pelvic floor therapy is a specialty that focuses on the group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that support the bladder, uterus, and rectum. These muscles are responsible for maintaining continence, supporting internal organs, and contributing to core strength. Pelvic floor physical therapy can include working with muscles and fascia in the pelvis, hips, back, and thorax or rib cage.
Physical therapists who specialize in the treatment of pelvic floor focus on issues such as the following:
Pelvic floor physical therapy gets patients back to doing what they love to do.
- Urinary incontinence including leakage with activities such as coughing, sneezing, or exercising
- Pelvic organ prolapse which is the descent of the bladder, uterus or rectum into the vaginal canal
- Pelvic pain caused by muscle tension, scar tissue or nerve irritation
- Painful intercourse due to muscle tension or scarring
- Postpartum recovery challenges including weakened core and pelvic floor muscles
Many physical therapists see women and men for pelvic health.
Who should seek pelvic floor therapy?
Anyone -males and females – who experience pain in the pelvic area, urinary or fecal incontinence or leakage. Pregnant women. Women who are postpartum to postmenopausal. Men or women suffering from sexual dysfunction. Men suffering from prostate cancer. Anyone who has a weakened core and pelvic floors muscles. Anyone who wants relief from the embarrassment of pelvic floor issues.
What should I expect in the evaluation?
Most importantly, a pelvic floor physical therapy session will be private, one-on-one care in a welcoming environment. The comfort of the patient is of utmost concern. The basic formula for a physical therapy pelvic floor evaluation is to go over the patient’s history, then evaluate the symptoms and assess the overall condition. The history, simply a conversation between the patient and the physical therapist, is meant to uncover the symptoms, complaints, time frames in which the symptoms have occurred, and what the patient’s goals are for recovery.
Pelvic floor therapy can help women of all ages handle incontinence.
In the first session, it is important for the individual to become comfortable with the physical therapist. Studies have shown that the most important factor for therapy treatment to be successful is how much the individual trusts the provider.
The physical therapist listens and then often explains how symptoms relate to pelvic floor muscles. Generally, a physical therapist that specializes in pelvic floor muscles will ask you about bowel, bladder, and sexual function. He or she may ask additional questions to help paint a clearer picture about you and your diet, exercise habits, stress levels, self-care, trauma history, how long your problem has been going on, what you have tried previously and what, if anything, has been effective.
If you have sexual concerns, the physical therapist may ask you about your sexual activity. Frequently, hip pain or back pain may be present and are asked about and assessed as well.
After the history conversation, the evaluation continues to a physical examination, which may be both internal and external, depending on patient symptoms and the patient’s comfort level. The physical therapist will also examine back/hips/rib cage depending on the individual’s symptoms and then assesses the pelvic floor muscles.
Often, there is an education section: the physical therapist teaches about the muscles of the pelvis and the actions of the muscles and how they work.
This can all happen during the first session or may be spread over the first few sessions, depending on the complications of the case and the comfort of the patient.
What should I wear to pelvic health physical therapy?
As with any aspect of physical therapy, the patient can wear what is most comfortable.
Pelvic floor therapy at our Clifton Street clinic is a private one-on-one session with a qualified physical therapist.
What else should I keep in mind?
This type of therapy can be challenging. Often, there is a slowing down and pausing, which can be hard in our fast-paced culture. If you have a history of trauma (this includes medical trauma), it is not uncommon for flashbacks to occur. In general, it is strongly recommended that you have a good team working with you and on your side. Your physical therapist is only one member. Having additional resources like friends/family, a mental health therapist, your primary care provider, and others can help tremendously. Your comfort level is key. Be sure to communicate with your pelvic health physical therapist so that he is she is aware of comfort level and meets your needs.
Will I experience pain during an evaluation?
If pain is the reason that you are going to therapy, then you may feel some discomfort as the therapist learns about you and your symptoms. Discomfort is more likely to be felt on the first day, but from then on, the goal is to decrease your pain. However, if you feel pain or discomfort beyond your comfort level, please tell your physical therapist. Physical therapists have lots of tools, and if you don’t feel comfortable with a specific exercise or technique, ask if there is another way to achieve the goal!
Women often believe that pelvic floor dysfunction is a normal part of aging, childbirth, or menopause. Though common, they are not normal. A qualified pelvic floor physical therapist can significantly improve quality of life. Pelvic floor physical therapy is a powerful, evidence-based approach to giving women the tools for living pain-free, empowered lives.
Rehab Associates offers quality pelvic health physical therapy for women and men at our Clifton Street practice. We take most insurances and are fully transparent with the cost of care. In addition to Dr. Murphy, Dr. Andy Tatom treats male pelvic floor patients. Please call for an appointment today at 855-722-8478! For more information about pelvic floor physical therapy, see https://racva.com/womens-health/
Dr. Brenda Murphy treats pelvic floor dysfunction at our Clifton Street clinic.
Dr. Brenda Murphy treats women and men for pelvic floor dysfunction in our Clifton Street clinic. In 2002, Dr. Murphy was the first physical therapist to specialize in the treatment of pelvic dysfunctions in the Lynchburg, Virginia, area. She has completed extensive training in pelvic floor physical therapy and has helped thousands of patients overcome pelvic floor dysfunctions.
