What is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (PFPT) is a specialized subset of physical therapy that focuses on restoring all functions of the pelvic region. Any pelvic pain or bladder, bowel, or sexual dysfunction you may be experiencing can be addressed with physical therapy — because your pelvic floor is made of muscle, and muscle responds to treatment.

What does the pelvic floor do for me?

The pelvic floor functions to help:

• Support your organs — bladder, uterus or prostate, and rectum
• Sphincteric control — the muscles that lift and squeeze your urethra and anus to control elimination
• Sexual function — muscle tone for the vaginal and rectal canals, and muscle contraction during orgasm
• Postural stability — it aids core stabilization, which is where our name comes from

So what is your therapist actually looking for?

Your pelvic floor physical therapist will look at your muscles, joints and bones, nerves, and fascia (connective tissue). The entire body is connected, so your therapist will also look at other areas — particularly the pelvic girdle — to see whether they are influencing your symptoms.

The pelvic girdle refers to any muscle or structure that connects onto the pelvis: your abdominal muscles, back muscles, diaphragm, and more. This region correlates directly with your pelvic floor and may be contributing to what you’re feeling.

This sounds different from typical physical therapy. What can I expect at a first visit?

A conversation about your symptoms and goals

Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist at Modern Core Health and Wellness, you can expect to begin by discussing the symptoms you’re experiencing. After that conversation, your therapist will explain what they recommend assessing and why.

The assessment

From there, your therapist takes objective measurements — range of motion, strength, motor control, and so on. What they assess depends entirely on your conversation and your symptoms. Sometimes an internal evaluation is warranted, and it is always optional and fully consent-based.

Your plan of care

After the conversation and the objective portion of the evaluation, your therapist will share their physical therapy diagnosis and work with you to build a plan of care. That plan outlines how often you’ll be seen, for how long, which treatment techniques will be used, and how progress will be measured. The details are grounded in evidence-based research on people who have been through experiences like yours.

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