Postpartum Pelvic Therapy

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a speciality physical therapy that is perfect for people who are struggling with conditions related to the pelvis or pelvic floor. Some of these common issues have to do with bladder leakage, bowel issues, or sexual dysfunction related to the muscles of the pelvic floor. We work on eliminating pain, stopping these embarrassing symptoms, and getting you back to activities and goals specific to you.

At Movement Physio and Wellness, we help adults struggling with bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction. We most typically see women during pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause. We also treat men struggling with pelvic floor problems like pelvic pain, urinary urgency, and constipation. We do not treat pediatrics but will see teenagers on a case by case basis.

The people that come to see us for pelvic floor therapy are often dealing with an issue related to the muscles of the pelvic floor. Most often, people struggle with bladder leakage, pelvic pain, bowel issues, and pregnancy/postpartum recovery. You can take this short 10 question quiz HERE to see if you’d be a good candidate to come in for therapy!

Prior to your first visit, please fill out your intake form that is emailed to you via our Jane booking system. At your first visit, you can expect to be evaluated and treated in a private room by one of our female pelvic health therapists. We look at how the body moves, especially your hips, back, core, and anything that has to do with your specific pelvic condition. With your consent, the therapists may ask to perform an internal exam to check if the pelvic floor muscles are tight, weak, or painful. Then, we come up with an expert treatment plan in order to meet your specific goals.

We are an out-of-network provider, which allows us to provide the highest level of one-on-one care without insurance restrictions. This means longer treatment sessions, a personalized plan designed just for you, and faster results. Many of our patients use HSA/FSA funds or submit for reimbursement through their insurance. We'd be happy to guide you through that process.

As pelvic floor therapists, we believe that an important part of our exam process is a pelvic floor muscle exam done via the vaginal canal or rectum. This is one way we can truly feel if the muscles are tight, weak, or painful. Deciding to perform the internal exam is a decision made by YOU and your therapist! Obviously, if you are not ready to have this exam done yet, no worries! Your therapist will explain all the options to you. We always ask for ongoing, informed consent to evaluate your body!

In many cases, we are a patient’s second or third pelvic floor therapist they have seen. When someone hasn’t had luck with pelvic therapy in the past, first we want to understand their experience and how they responded to treatment. We also want to understand how invested they were in their own care. We use this information and take a different approach to make sure you are given a new and improved plan to tackle these annoying bladder and bowel issues. We love collaborating with past therapists and other medical providers to make sure YOU are at the center of your care.

If you find yourself having very frequent urges to urinate, most often what is going on is the nerves that control the bladder are “sensitive” to filling, especially if we are always using the restroom “just in case!” This issue is treated by changing your bladder habits and treating the pelvic floor muscles to make sure they can LENGTHEN and strengthen! Usually, the pelvic floor muscles are tight and put pressure on the bladder, since the bladder sits right above the pelvic floor! This is something we treat all the time in the clinic!

Absolutely! Our bodies are incredible and it is so rewarding to see our patients who have struggled with bladder leakage for so many years, finally see improvements with less volume and fewer instances of leaks. We like to say that it is never too late!

When someone has dealt with chronic constipation for years, often we see a pelvic floor that is overly tight, or has difficulty with coordinating muscle relaxation to allow a bowel movement to happen. We also love to assess the abdominal wall when someone has constipation. Often it is tight and grippy! And abdominal massage is a great way to encourage a bowel movement to happen. We also teach you how to massage your abdomen yourself.