What is pelvic floor physical therapy?

You might have heard that you need to do Kegels or that pelvic floor therapy is just for after having a baby. Both of those may be correct, but there is more to pelvic floor physical therapy than doing a few Kegels in the postpartum days. If you have a pelvis, you have a pelvic floor, regardless of your gender or your age, and physical therapy can help with many symptoms you may be experiencing “down there.” 

Physical therapy helps you improve your quality of life by maximizing your movement. Physical therapy uses prescribed movement, hands-on care, and patient education to help relieve pain and improve function. Physical therapists are experts on the muscles of your body and how your muscles help you move. The pelvic floor consists of a group of muscles that support your organs and assist with core stability as well as bowel, bladder, and sexual function. Other than their unique function and intimate location, they are just like other muscles in your body that help you move and perform desired functions. 

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialty of physical therapy that evaluates and treats the muscles of the pelvic floor and how they interact with the surrounding muscles and joints. A lot happens in your pelvis. Your legs and spine connect to the pelvic bones and all the muscles surrounding the area can impact how you move, sit, use the bathroom, and many other things. 

If you have any of the following symptoms, contact our office or ask your doctor for a physical therapy referral… 

• Pain with sexual activity

• Tailbone pain with sitting

• Feels like you are sitting on a ball

• Pelvic heaviness or pressure

• Difficulty emptying your bladder

• Urinary leakage

• Bladder pain

• Frequent UTIs

• Constipation

• Incomplete bowel movements

• Bowel leakage or streaking