What is Pelvic Floor PT and Do I Need It?

This term ‘pelvic floor PT’ may be one that you have heard tossed around here and there. It is definitely mentioned more today than in the past, but still most people are at a loss for what it actually is… and who does it help?

First, let’s talk about what the pelvic floor actually is - a group of small muscles all on the underside of our pelvis. One of their main functions is important to all of us - continence. These muscles work to help hold everything in until we are ready to use the restroom. They also play a very important role in core stability and supporting all of the organs inside our body. 

What happens if my pelvic floor is not working well? Aside from not being able to adequately hold back urine and/or stool we can experience a variety of other symptoms that can be just as disturbing. Since our pelvic floor and bladder live so close to each other, they can mimic each other’s symptoms. An irritated pelvic floor can give us urinary symptoms such as urgency, frequency, leaking, or make us feel like we have to strain. It can have the same effect on our bowels giving us feelings of constipation, need to strain, or not be able to fully hold our stool back when we need it to. 

Sound familiar to anyone?? It is nothing to be embarrassed about, and certainly not something you want to keep to yourself. The sooner you address any of these issues, the sooner you can be on the road to recovery. Wonder if you really need pelvic PT or have questions? Ask away! You never know the answers to your questions unless you ask.

What do you do in Pelvic Floor PT? It depends! We hear that all the time right? But it is true. Everyone is different and it is DEFINITELY not all about kegels. Our pelvic floor is a vital part of what we call our ‘core’ and it is super important to make sure all of our other ‘core’ muscles are working well for good support. It is amazing how we can develop a few bad habits with our core that can make these muscle groups not work as well together as they could, and a few little changes can make such a difference! Some people truly just need strengthening, but more people than not will fall into this ‘irritated group’ - whether it is because of stress, an injury, muscle imbalance, or so many other different causes. In these cases we want to work on calming our nervous system down and getting these muscles in a better position to do their job. This often means soft tissue work, diaphragmatic breathing (the only way you can work on stretching these pelvic floor muscles.. plus it helps with stress!), and stretching surrounding muscles. Dry needling can also be an incredibly helpful treatment in terms of muscle release and improving function. 

Clear as mud? Still wonder if you are a good candidate for pelvic PT? Call and talk to a pelvic PT. Ask your questions. You can get a good sense in just a 5-10 min conversation whether pelvic PT can help your symptoms.