Whenever someone learns that I am a pelvic floor physical therapist, the question inevitably comes up, typically with some hesitation but intense curiosity – “So wait, what exactly do you do?” Or from my patients, I almost always get the question at some point – “So how exactly did you end up doing this type of physical therapy?” I love and welcome these questions!
Most people don’t even know what their pelvic floor is, never mind knowing you can get physical therapy for it! I always describe it like a knee injury. If you had pain, an injury, or surgery at your knee, you would expect to have physical therapy to recover from that. For some reason, our culture does not seem to apply the same to the pelvic floor – Europe on the other hand seems to have this figured out.
Pelvic floor physical therapists treat a variety of conditions related to the pelvis including but not limited to urinary incontinence, pregnancy related pain, vaginismus, diastasis recti, constipation, pain with intercourse, low back/SI joint pain, and fecal incontinence. We can also help prepare the body for pregnancy, labor, and delivery in addition to help with the healing process postpartum. This is done through a variety of techniques such as manual therapy, strength training, retraining the nervous system, relaxation and stress management strategies, lifestyle modifications, and functional movement training.
The pelvis is FILLED with muscles, connective tissue, nerves, and blood vessels – just like the knee (see image below). So, if there is damage to this area, say from carrying a baby for 9 months then pushing it out of your vagina or having a cesarean section (hello, tissue damage!), why would we not expect to rehab and heal the muscles, nerves, and connective tissue of that area? And this is just one example, pelvic floor rehab is not limited to pregnant and postpartum women in the slightest! I have seen patients ranging from the age of 7 to over 90 years old with a variety of different diagnoses, and the treatment plan for each patient varies just as much.
One reason I landed in this area of physical therapy is because it is very specific and very needed, but few people know about it. I wanted to be able to help those who did not know help existed for their problem, while also being a part of advocating for this area of physical therapy to become part of the norm. To me, the vagina and the pelvis are not “weird” – society and culture has created that stigma. It is NORMAL to pee, poop, have a period, and have sex, and your vulva, your vagina, and your rectum are simply ANATOMY – it’s only awkward if you make it awkward! I found that I could talk about these subjects in a way that seemed to normalize them for most people and could allow for a safe space to talk about vulnerable topics.
So therein lies another reason to start this blog! A place to discuss and learn about the pelvic floor and all of the body systems related to it – how they should work, what can go wrong, and how almost any pelvic dysfunction can be treated and managed. My goal is to guide others as much as I can along the way.
Onward & Upward,
Allison
Well + Woman 