What You Need to Know Before Seeing a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
1. What is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist?
Depending on where you live you may see a lot of different names or titles that are meant to describe the same thing - a physical therapist who treats people with pelvic floor dysfunction. Physical therapists in this specialty may be called Pelvic Floor PT, Pelvic Health PT, Pelvic PT, Women’s Health PT, Men’s Health PT, or even abbreviate to PFPT depending on the services they offer and where they work.
Here at Pelvic Health and Wellness Physical Therapy we treat people of all genders and ages with pelvic floor related troubles so we refer to ourselves as pelvic floor physical therapists.
2. Can a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist really help me?
By nature, many Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists are problem solvers. Our first job is to listen to you and begin to understand everything that you have experienced leading up to the moment when you are sitting in our office (or on the other side of our computer screen). We can help you with everything from peeing your pants when you run or sneeze to pain with sex! Do you have to race to the bathroom or feel like you’re going to the bathroom every 20 minutes? We can help with that too. Do you have a child that’s constipated or wets the bed? Yep, we can help with that too!
3. When should I start Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?
If you’re reading this, the answer is probably NOW! You can see a pelvic floor PT proactively or if you are currently experiencing problems. We often see people who are planning to conceive, currently pregnant, or planning for a VBAC even if they aren’t having “problems” to help them better understand their pelvic floor muscles and prepare for pregnancy and birth. If you are experiencing abdominal or pelvic pain, incontinence or constipation, have a prolapse, or things aren’t what they used to be in the bedroom we’re here to help today!
4. What should I expect at my first pelvic floor physical therapy appointment?
Your first pelvic floor PT appointment is all about us getting to know you so we can develop a treatment plan that is tailored to meet your needs and help you get back to doing what you love! We will have a detailed conversation about your history and day to day struggles. From there we may take a look at your posture and how everything moves throughout your hips and back and talk about some strategies that you can start to use right away!
5. What does pelvic floor physical therapy treatment include?
Treatment varies from person to person. We may modify what you are drinking or eating or work on techniques to help you control your bladder. Sometimes we work on relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, other times we recommend kegels to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Treatment often includes hands on work at the muscles of the abdomen and back as well as external or internal work at the pelvic floor muscles.
Ready to get started? Book your free consultation or first appointment today!