How Do You Know If You Need Pelvic Floor Therapy?
You may have heard people talk about pelvic floor therapy. While it is becoming more common, many still wonder what exactly it is and how do you know if you need pelvic floor therapy?
What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments and connective tissue at the base of the pelvis. They help hold the pelvic organs in place and provide stability to your back and pelvis. They can affect bowel and bladder function, sexual function and core stability. When there's an issue with the pelvic floor muscles, whether too tight, weak or uncoordinated, it can cause issues in your daily life!
Although many pelvic floor issues are normalized as a part of aging, #momlife or are considered “too taboo to talk about”, they shouldn’t be something that you have to suffer through. I believe that educating people on all their options for treatment is empowering! That's why I feel it's important to answer the question “How do you know if you need pelvic floor therapy”!
What is Pelvic Floor Therapy?
Pelvic floor therapy is rehab that can be done by a trained occupational or physical therapist (OT/PT). Any one, any age or gender can benefit from pelvic floor therapy as we all have pelvic floor muscles!
In my practice, I most often work with women in their 30s–60s, many of whom are moms or active women who want to get back to exercise without worrying about bladder leaks, core weakness or pelvic organ prolapse. However, I often see women of all ages—whether prenatal, postpartum, recovering from pelvic surgery, experiencing changes with menopause, or returning to exercise.
To get an in depth look at what all pelvic floor therapy entails, you can read more on my blog here. A quick synopsis is that pelvic floor therapy typically includes patient education, corrective exercise, manual therapy and lifestyle modifications.
Signs You May Benefit From Pelvic Floor Therapy:
Bladder symptoms: Urinary urgency and/or frequency, leaking with cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise,
Bowel Symptoms: Chronic constipation, straining, stool leakage, difficulty holding in gas
Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Heaviness, bulging or pressure in the vagina
Pain: Pain with intercourse, pelvic pain, tailbone pain, low back pain or hip pain
Core Weakness: Diastasis recti or separation of the rectus muscle, difficulty engaging the core–especially after c-section or hysterectomy
Fertility Optimization: supporting patients with fertility concerns such as post gyne surgeries, PCOS, Endometriosis and other conditions
Prenatal Concerns/Birth Prep: SI joint pain, pubic symphysis pain, ligament pain, prep for birth and early postpartum care
Postpartum Recovery: challenges returning to exercise, painful scar tissue (C-section, perineal tears), pelvic floor weakness.
Exercise or Daily Activity Limitations: avoiding certain workouts, not trusting your body, or feeling restricted in life.
Common Myths That Hold People Back
I often hear myths that try to normalize pelvic floor symptoms. As a pelvic floor therapist, I am clearly biased but I believe everyone can benefit from pelvic floor therapy and I love busting these myths! Here are a few of the most common ones that I hear:
Myth 1: “I’ve had kids, leaking urine is normal”
Truth: Just because you’ve had kids, doesn't mean your pelvic floor and core muscles aren’t capable of being strong and coordinated. Pelvic floor therapy can help you to retrain your body’s patterns, increase strength and adapt behaviors so you don’t leak urine, have fecal smearing or difficulty holding in gas. Listen – if your child is peeing their pants, you’d want the issue to be solved. So why is it different for yourself?!
Myth 2: “I’m too old/its been an issue for too long to fix this”
Truth: Pelvic floor therapy can help at any age. Whether it's through strengthening, retraining the mind/body connection or using supportive devices such as a pessary, it is never too late to work on your symptoms.
Myth 3: “Surgery is the only option”
Truth: Many women are told that surgery is the only option for the bladder leaks, prolapse or diastasis recti. I’ll be honest, this is the one that really grinds my gears! As professionals, we should be presenting our patients with all of their options and then letting them make an educated decision. I believe that pelvic floor therapy is often overlooked as a least invasive treatment.
Myth 4: “I’ve never had kids, I can’t have pelvic floor issues”
Truth: If you have a pelvic floor, you can have pelvic floor issues. Hint: everyone has a pelvic floor! In actuality, sports such as cheerleading and gymnastics have athletes that have urinary leakage in their sport.
Myth 5: “Its just kegels”
Truth: Ok, I said the myth 3 was the one that grinds my gears but THIS ONE makes me insane! If pelvic floor therapy was as easy as just “do your kegels” then why would it even be a specialty? I mean, c’mon! It is SO MUCH MORE than just kegels.
I look at the whole body –how it functions and coordinates movement, pressure, mobility and daily habits, roles and routines. Kegels might be a part of your plan, but it might also look like strengthening other muscles, relaxing and coordinating through a variety of exercises–sometimes not even including the pelvic floor muscles!
Benefits of Pelvic Floor Therapy
As I mentioned above, pelvic floor therapy is a non-invasive treatment strategy to address pelvic floor symptoms. With a whole body approach, pelvic floor therapy helps to eliminate or reduce your symptoms that affect your daily life. Whether you want to gain strength and function, return to exercise or activities that you love, eliminate pain or discomfort or get rid of embarrassing bowel or bladder leaks, pelvic floor therapy can help!
When To Reach Out
Symptoms don’t have to be severe to receive pelvic floor therapy! Actually, it's typically easier to fix an issue when it is smaller rather than waiting. You can take this free questionnaire to see if you have any symptoms that need to be addressed.
How to get started
If you’ve noticed symptoms like bladder leaking, pain, pelvic heaviness, or core weakness, know that you don’t have to just live with them. Pelvic floor therapy can help at any stage of life, whether you’re newly postpartum, years past childbirth, navigating peri/menopause, or simply wanting to feel stronger and more supported.
If you’re located near Lancaster, OH, I also provide free phone consultations where we can discuss your symptoms and how my treatment can help.
If you’re ready to start treatment, you can schedule an initial evaluation here.
Although pelvic floor therapy can feel intimidating, it is my goal to make it as stress free as possible!
Next On Reading List:
Pelvic Floor Therapy: What To Expect
What Is Diastasis Recti?
Why Aren't Kegels Making Me Better?
