Tired of Peeing Your Pants?

Frequently Asked Questions

About Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

What is the pelvic floor?

• The pelvic floor is a group of 14 muscles that sits at the bottom of the pelvis.
• These muscles play a role in going to the bathroom, supporting your internal organs, and stabilizing the spine and hips.
• Pelvic floor muscles work similar to other muscles – they are just located in areas that can be sensitive and are private.

Are Kegels helpful?

• It depends.
• Kegels are helpful if you have a weak pelvic floor or struggle with coordinating your pelvic floor.
• On the other hand, Kegels can make symptoms worse if you have a tight pelvic floor.
• The best way to assess the muscles of the pelvic floor is through an internal examination.

What is an internal examination?

• Before an internal exam is done, Dr. Emily uses a pelvic floor model to show you what she’ll be looking for and where the structures are located.
• The exam is very gentle in nature and involves inserting a gloved finger into the vagina. This allows access to muscles that are unable to be examined externally.
• Muscles are assessed to determine tension, weakness, and coordination.

Is an internal examination necessary?

• While an internal examination can provide information that an external examination cannot, it is never a mandatory procedure.
• It is normal to feel a bit nervous about having an internal examination. Dr. Emily has also received pelvic floor physical therapy and was a bit nervous for her first internal examination!
• If you’re uncertain or apprehensive, Dr. Emily will do her best to make you feel relaxed. And, you’re in control. At any point in time, we can stop an internal exam or alter examination techniques to make you feel more comfortable.

How do I know if pelvic floor physical therapy will help me?

• We have unfortunately found that the large majority of women who are told they are beyond help experience significant – if not complete – relief of their symptoms with pelvic floor physical therapy.
• If you are experiencing pelvic floor symptoms, pelvic floor physical therapy can help.

If this works so well, why didn’t my OB-GYN tell me to see a pelvic floor physical therapist?

• That’s an excellent question. We truly don’t know.
• In France, every women receives 12 pelvic floor physical therapy visits after they give birth. And, France’s rates of incontinence are significantly lower than the US.
• We’re doing our best to educate people with pelvic floor difficulties and physicians, but the process is slow.

I had pelvic floor physical therapy and it didn’t work. What now?

• Unfortunately, many women echo this sentiment. In fact, a large majority of our clients have had physical therapy before and didn’t get better.
• But, the overwhelming majority get better when they see us.
• If you’ve had pelvic floor physical therapy in the past and it didn’t work, we urge to set up a free consultation so we can dig into why that might be.