During your initial evaluation, plan to meet with me for an hour where I will do a comprehensive, head to toe examination. We will then work together discussing your wants, needs, and goals to come up with the best plan of care made specifically for you!
Before we do any external or internal exam, I will show you examples of the pelvis and the muscles and structures I will be assessing. You will be asked to provide consent before any assessment or treatment, and most importantly, you can change your mind at any time. Please note - not everyone is in need of a pelvic floor examination. For example, if you are seeing me because of poor core strength and back pain after having a baby, there may be no need for me to perform an internal examination. As always, this is something that we will discuss together!A
There are no stirrups or speculums involved in pelvic floor physical therapy. I’ll use clean, non-latex gloves and first observe your pelvic floor muscles externally, assessing tissue quality and health, as well as muscle coordination. The internal exam involves inserting a gloved finger into the vaginal canal in order to assess your pelvic floor muscles. I will be examining the strength, endurance, muscle tone, coordination, connective tissue and tissue quality of these areas. While I talk you through the entire exam, you will provide me with feedback about any areas of discomfort, altered sensation, or limited mobility. We can stop at any time, and may not even get to the internal exam on your first visit, depending on your comfort level or our time constraints.
Not everyone is comfortable with an internal exam, and your job is to let me know what those boundaries are so we can determine if it is appropriate to proceed. Discomfort, pain, fear, or simply not wanting it is a perfectly acceptable reason. Just let me know! There are several conditions that can be treated successfully using external techniques if you don’t wish to have an internal exam, though in some cases we may plateau in your progress if we only do external work.
I suggest wearing comfortable clothing that you do not mind moving around in!
If you are suffering from things such as urinary frequency or leakage, postpartum abdominal muscle separation (diastasis recti), episiotomy pain or other postpartum scar tissue buildup, pelvic or back pain before, during, or after pregnancy, vulvar or vaginal pain, pain or discomfort with intercourse, feeling of “heaviness” possibly due to a pelvic organ prolapse, or simply just wanting guidance towards your health and wellness goals — physical therapy can help!
Even if things just “do not feel right” or things “do not feel like they used to” down there or elsewhere, you do not have to suffer in silence and accept this as your new normal. Please reach out to me if any of the above apply to you!
If you have any questions or concerns and are unsure as to whether or not pelvic floor rehabilitation is something that can help you, please sign up for a free 15 minute consultation call with me! Even if we do not end up working together, I can give you some tips and advice depending on your wants/needs and symptoms.
