Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized form of physical therapy aimed at assessing and healing dysfunctions related to your pelvic region. Your pelvic floor muscles control or impact many important functions of your body from bladder control to sexual pleasure. Pelvic floor therapy can be a crucial step toward addressing issues like incontinence, pelvic pain or postpartum recovery. If you’ve never experienced pelvic floor therapy, you may be curious about exactly how it works. Let’s explore what you can expect to help you feel more at ease with working with a pelvic floor therapist.
Initial Assessment
Many pelvic health issues that people will simply live with and think of as common can be helped and healed through therapy. Your first pelvic floor therapy session will include an in depth conversation so your therapist can better understand what is happening with you. This is a great time to mention any issues you are experiencing. Be as detailed as possible to help your therapist create a treatment plan that will be the most helpful for you.
This is followed by a physical assessment. Your therapist will assess your posture, review your bowel and bladder habits, check your muscle strength and test your pelvic floor coordination. It’s also important to assess your ability to relax and strengthen these muscles. An internal examination may be helpful, but at Embrace it’s not required. And we only used a gloved finger, no speculums here. It’s important to note that your comfort, both physically and emotionally, should always be the first priority of your therapist.
Treatment Plan
The initial assessment is a critical piece of the process in working towards a treatment plan. Many times, people will think they have weak muscles that are causing problems when in fact their muscles are too tight. Your therapist will learn if your pelvic floor muscles are in fact weak. Having the right answers to these questions, gained during the initial assessment, can make all the difference in the healing process. If you are performing strengthening exercises with tight muscles, you may make the problem worse.
Pelvic floor therapy goes well beyond the pelvic floor. Many parts of our bodies are connected to and related to the health of our pelvic floor. Your therapist checks your posture, core strength and pelvic alignment during the assessment because any misalignment or imbalance could be a contributing factor to pelvic floor dysfunction, particularly if you are experiencing hip or back pain.
Your treatment plan will include exercises and manual therapy to begin to guide you toward healing. And yes, you will likely have “homework”. Performing the exercises to work your pelvic floor and core muscles using the correct exercise program provided by your therapist at home will help you heal more quickly. You may experience muscle pain or discomfort as you work to strengthen your muscles during the session, but the pain should not be intense. Let your therapist know if you experience sudden or intense pain.
Your initial assessment with a pelvic floor therapist is the foundation for your treatment journey. It should be an informative and supportive experience. Your therapist has the experience, tools and techniques to provide you with a customized plan to take you one step closer to relief and recovery. Your pelvic health is important, and it’s never too early or too late to start your pelvic health journey.
If you have pelvic health concerns and would like to see how our therapists at
Embrace can help, follow the link to schedule your free discovery call.
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