What to expect on day one
On your first day of pelvic floor physical therapy, your therapist will evaluate your condition, prepare you for treatment, and teach you how to perform exercises, all aimed at helping you get the most out of your care. A full course of pelvic floor physical therapy typically takes around 6 to 8 sessions to help you heal, feel better, and learn safe, effective activities that help you avoid chronic pain and regain control over your day-to-day life.
Preparation
To prepare for your first session, wear comfortable clothes and make sure your genital area is clean, your therapist will give you specific instructions on this. They'll also ask about your health history, including any medications, past surgeries, or other pelvic floor problems, as well as your daily activities and sleep habits, such as how long you typically sleep and how you feel during the day. They'll also ask whether you've had any issues with urination or sexual intercourse.
Evaluation
Your first visit typically includes an evaluation, which can range from a simple strength test to a more comprehensive look at mobility, joint integrity, and muscle performance, helping you and your therapist understand your pelvic floor and identify what needs to be addressed. It usually starts with questions about your history and symptoms, which help determine what tests are needed, along with questions about exercise, diet, stress, bowel movements, and bladder function.
Your therapist will also perform a pelvic floor strength test, gently pressing on the pelvic floor with one or two fingers to feel for muscle tightness, this can take several minutes and is often graded on a 0 to 5 scale.
Vaginal dilators
Vaginal dilators may be introduced on the first day to help improve sexual intercourse by stretching the vaginal muscles and reducing pain during sex, their use has been shown to relieve pain and improve the quality of intercourse for many women. Dilators are commonly made of hard plastic or silicone, are used with lubricant, and come in a range of sizes.
They should never be inserted forcefully: insert slowly until you feel some tension, then rotate the dilator in a wide circle at the back of the vagina and leave it in place for about 5 minutes. If you feel pain or irritation during sex, stop using the dilator right away, and call your physician if discomfort continues or if you experience heavy bleeding.
Treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction
During treatment, your physical therapist assesses the pelvic floor and surrounding muscles to determine what's causing your pain, with the goal of helping you learn to better coordinate these muscles so they stop causing discomfort. Treatment may include biofeedback, using sensors that measure how the pelvic floor muscles are working and give you real-time feedback to help strengthen or relax them; manual techniques such as trigger point therapy, applying pressure to specific points to help break up scar tissue and ease pain; and electrical stimulation, which delivers a mild impulse to treat pain and muscle weakness and can be combined with prescribed exercises.
Individualized care
Our clinic specializes in pelvic floor therapy, using the latest research to offer each patient innovative, up-to-date treatment methods. Every patient receives individualized, one-on-one care, and treatment plans are tailored to each person's specific needs. Contact us to schedule an appointment.