Pregnancy Physical 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.

Yes, absolutely! We have seen women in pregnancy who are struggling with pelvic pain, back pain, sciatica, bladder leakage, and constipation. We also love treating pregnant women who have minimal pain or leaks and want to feel prepared and confident for birth. We do birth prep sessions to help make sure the pelvis and hips have good flexibility for baby to have a safe delivery. We also like to do “Push Prep” to ensure you know how to push!

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!

The number of session you require is better determined after your initial evaluation. We recommend at least all pregnant women get a few sessions in before their birth to feel adequately prepared and ready!

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.

In our clinic, we have seen people as early as 5 weeks pregnant to 40 weeks pregnant! Ideally if you can get evaluated in the second trimester, you can have plenty of time to prepare for helping your body prepare for birth. If you have pain or leaks, I’d recommend getting an evaluation as soon as possible, no matter what trimester you are in.

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 pregnant women, we will not perform the exam if you are on pelvic rest and we like to wait until the second trimester.

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 issues. We love collaborating with past therapists and other medical providers to make sure YOU are at the center of your care.

It is common to deal with constipation while pregnant due to the lack of space for the bowels to move and an overly tensed pelvic floor due to holding up the extra weight of baby. 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 make sure you have good bowel habits and a flexible pelvic floor to eliminate bowels easier.