What is Pelvic Health Physiotherapy?
Did you even know that there is such a thing? Or maybe you know it exists but aren’t sure what it really means or involves? OR, maybe you’ve done it before but didn’t realize we did pelvic physio at The Movement.
Well now we do, so that’s why I wanted to talk about it with you. My name is Jess, I’m one of the physiotherapists at The Movement and I am certified in pelvic health physiotherapy.
Let’s talk about it…
What is Pelvic Health Physiotherapy:
The pelvic floor consists of 3 layers of muscles that run from your tailbone to your pubic bone. They have 5 main functions: stability (an important part of your core canister), sphincteric function (urinary and fecal control), organ support, sexual function and circulation. Pelvic floor issues can affect your exercise, relationships and everyday life….
Common Issues:
Incontinence (ex. Peeing while you skip, run, lift or sneeze)
Pelvic organ prolapse
Pregnancy (exercise, pelvic pain)
Post Partum (exercise, education, diastasis recti)
Pain
Your Pelvic Floor Appointments
Getting to know you:
Your pelvic floor assessment will start a lot like any other physiotherapy assessment…with a conversation around your goals and symptoms. As part of the assessment you’ll be asked some more personal questions around bowel and bladder habits, fluid intake, and diet. All these can aid in determining a plan to help you reach your goals.
Objective assessment:
This is the fun part where we get you moving. Depending on your presentation and goal it could include assessment of your back/hip mobility, strength (core and lower limb), breathing patterns and movement (ex. Your movement strategies when you skip, run or lift)
An internal assessment of your pelvic floor muscles may be included. However, this is not necessary for your treatment. They’re useful examinations but won’t be performed if you’re not comfortable with it/prefer not to. This will be discussed with your physio during your first appointment.
The next step is to assess the pelvic floor muscles. This will be done with an external and/or internal exam, depending on your comfort level. Lots of information can be gathered from an external exam, but the internal exam is the best way to assess the muscles as they are located inside the pelvic.
Internal exam:
Physio leaves the room to give you time to undress (bottoms only) and drape yourself with a sheet on the table
When the physio returns they’ll put on a clean glove and assess the pelvic floor internally using 1-2 fingers to palpate the 3 layers of the pelvic floor muscles. They’ll assess for pain, tone, strength, ability to relax and coordination. They’ll educate you how to perform and feel proper muscle contractions and relaxations.
The exam may be stopped at any time if you’re uncomfortable
*Assessment and treatments may include an internal assessment of your pelvic floor muscles. These are not necessary for care. Your preferences and needs are always respected. Plan to discuss this with your physio at your first appointment.
Treatment:
It all starts with an individualized plan to meet your goals
Education about what exactly is going on and what you can do to reach your goals
In-person treatments will have a combination of exercise in private room and gym
Return to sport/fitness plan (ex. Run progressions, lifting progressions)
Our Mission
When I graduated physio school, I took an external pelvic health course for awareness but never thought I would end up pursuing it any further. Throughout my years of practice I realized I really enjoy treating female athletes or females looking to get into exercise. More and more of them would have pelvic floor complaints or comments. I started listening to more podcasts and researching more about the area. I came across a statistic that blew my mind…
1 in 4 women report at least one pelvic floor disorder and this caused 46% to stop some form of exercise.
This includes women of all ages, not just postpartum. It made me mad that this isn’t talked about more and we as health care providers aren’t doing more to spread the word because these disorders are treatable. There are also SO many myths out there around the pelvic floor that scare females. Some that stood out were:
You cannot lift more than 20lbs during pregnancy
A prolapse means your pelvic organs are falling out
Don’t vaslva/hold your breath while lifting postpartum or during pregnancy
Peeing during running and crossfit is normal (it’s common, but it can be addressed)
‘X’ exercises are the worst for diastasis recti or ‘x’ exercise during pregnancy will give you diastasis recti
I want females to understand their bodies and stop being afraid. So much education and awareness is needed in this area and as a female athlete I want to help. It’s time for us to take control of our pelvic health.
If this resonated with you, I hope to see you at The Movement soon. Please click the link below and our client experience manager will reach out to you to get you in to work with me.
