What is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy?

What Is the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor muscles sit at the bottom of the pelvis and help with:

  • Supporting the pelvic organs

  • Maintaining bladder and bowel continence

  • Core stability

  • Sexual functions like arousal and orgasm

  • Circulation of blood from the legs back to the heart

What is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy (PFPT)?

PFPT is a specialized branch of physiotherapy that directly assesses and treats the pelvic floor muscles. PFPT involves:

  • A detailed conversation about your symptoms and medical history. We also ask about bladder and bowel health, sexual health, gynecological and/or pregnancy history, and penile/prostate history (as applicable)

  • Assessment of posture/alignment, functional movements, strength and mobility of the spine, hips, pelvis and abdomen

  • Internal vaginal and/or rectal exam to assess the strength, endurance, length and tone of the pelvic floor muscles

PF physiotherapists are certified to perform internal pelvic exams because the pelvic floor muscles cannot be fully assessed externally. Internal exams help the physiotherapist make an accurate diagnosis and create an individualized treatment plan based on each patient’s needs. Learn more about internal exams here

Treatment

The goal of treatment is always self-management. A successful outcome is when the patient no longer needs to continue seeing the physiotherapist for his/her symptoms. If the condition is chronic, the therapist’s goal is to provide the patient with tools and strategies to manage the symptoms on his/her own, with occasional follow-up as needed.

Treatment plans may include the following:

  • education

  • manual therapy

  • habit retraining

  • lifestyle changes

  • exercises

  • mindfulness-based and body awareness exercises

  • toileting strategies

  • dry needling (large muscle groups not including the pelvic floor)

  • any treatment needed for other orthopedic injuries that may be contributing to pelvic floor dysfunction

Do Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists Only Treat the Pelvic Floor?

No!

There is so much more to pelvic floor physiotherapy than just the pelvic floor muscles, though they are often the starting point. Pelvic floor physiotherapists are orthopedic physiotherapists first, so we can help you figure out how your pelvic dysfunction may be related to other aches, pains and injuries in your body. In addition, the proper functioning of your pelvic floor muscles relies on good alignment and posture, proper breathing mechanics, coordination with the rest of the core muscles, hip strength and mobility, visceral mobility, ankle mobility, etc. A thorough “pelvic floor” assessment will also include some of the above elements, depending on the patient’s symptoms.