Regain your Confidence with Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

By Kim Vopni, The Vagina Coach — Certified Pelvic Floor Fitness Specialist · Published August 12, 2022

Direct Answer

Pelvic floor physiotherapy (PFPT) is a specialized branch of physical therapy that rehabilitates the pelvic floor muscles after injury or dysfunction. It helps with incontinence (leaking during exercise, coughing, or laughing) and pelvic organ prolapse (a feeling of heaviness or bulging at the vaginal or rectal opening). A typical assessment includes a detailed history, an external exam, and an internal exam. Mild symptoms are much easier to correct early, so it's worth booking an appointment as soon as you notice signs your pelvic floor isn't working optimally.

Key Takeaways

• Pelvic floor physiotherapy (PFPT) is a specialized area of physical therapy focused on rehabilitating pelvic floor muscles after injury or dysfunction.
• It can help with incontinence (leaking during exercise, coughing, or laughing) and pelvic organ prolapse (heaviness or bulging at the vaginal/rectal opening).
• Leaking and heaviness are common after childbirth, but they aren't something you have to just live with.
• A pelvic floor physiotherapy assessment typically includes a detailed history, an external exam of the abdomen, lower back and inner thighs, and an internal exam.
• Mild prolapse or incontinence is much easier to correct early than after it has worsened over multiple years — book an appointment as soon as you notice symptoms.

Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst 

Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help with challenges like incontinence and organ prolapse to regain control and confidence in your life.

Pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) is a specialty area within physical therapy focusing on the rehabilitation of muscles in the pelvic floor after injury or dysfunction. 

Physical therapists with specialized pelvic floor physical therapy training can address dysfunction in individuals across the gender and sex spectra; however, PFPT is often associated with women's health.

If you are a health or fitness professional and want to be the in-demand pelvic floor expert women trust, to help them prevent and heal common core challenges like incontinence, prolapse and diastasis recti, you may be interested in the Core Confidence Women's Pelvic Floor Health & Fitness Certification.

Benefits of Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

You may benefit from pelvic floor physiotherapy when you have any type of pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor dysfunction is commonly grouped into two areas of concern: 

• tight muscles or 
• they are too weak

A tight pelvic floor can result in frequent urinating and can make urination painful or incomplete. It can wake you up at night and disturb your sleep with the need to pee. 

When you find yourself saying, “Oops! I just peed a little,” or you can’t make it to the washroom in time, it may be urinary incontinence.

Article: Oops, I think I spring a Leak!!

A tight pelvic floor can present as constipation, straining during bowel movements and painful bowel movements. You may experience sexual dysfunction. feeling pain with penetration, pain with or inability to orgasm, and pain with sexual stimulation. 

Article: Constipation: The Pelvic Floor and Vaginal Villain

A weak pelvic floor can lead to stress incontinence (an involuntary loss of urine or stool during or after sports, exercise activity, coughing and laughing). It can also contribute to pelvic organ prolapse when one of the pelvic organs starts to shift out of place, and you feel a heaviness or bulging at the vaginal or rectal opening. This can happen after women give birth.

Women often think this is normal, but it doesn’t have to be!

Working with a Pelvic Floor Therapist will give you a number of management options to get your life back. 

Article: What you need to know about Pelvic Organ Prolapse

What to expect when you see a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist

An assessment is tailored to the needs of each client. The therapist will ask about your symptoms and the extent of their severity and collect a detailed history. Questions may be discussed about other potential symptoms that go along with pelvic floor dysfunction. There is an external examination component where the skin, fascia, and muscles of the abdomen, lower back, and inner thighs are assessed. There is also an internal component to the exam, which is done via a digital (finger) vaginal and/or rectal exam.

An internal exam is not always necessary; however, it can give a better picture of the issues you may have. It also adds valuable insight to enhance your treatment plan better and reach the best outcomes possible in the shortest amount of time.

 It is much easier to correct a minor prolapse or mild incontinence than correct a problem that has been worsening over multiple years! 

It is best to book an appointment when you begin to notice any signs that your pelvic floor is not working optimally.

Related Reading

• About Incontinence
• About Prolapse
• About Pelvic Pain
• You CAN fix incontinence and prolapse!
• Daily life can be challenging with Rectocele Prolapse

If you want expert-led pelvic floor muscle training to complement your physiotherapy care, join the Buff Muff membership for guided programs built to strengthen your pelvic floor from the inside out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pelvic floor physiotherapy?
A specialized area of physical therapy focused on rehabilitating pelvic floor muscles after injury or dysfunction, addressing issues like incontinence, prolapse, and pelvic pain.

Who can benefit from pelvic floor physiotherapy?
Anyone with pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms, including urinary leaking during exercise, coughing, or laughing, or a feeling of heaviness or bulging from pelvic organ prolapse.

What happens during a pelvic floor physiotherapy assessment?
The therapist takes a detailed history, performs an external exam of the abdomen, lower back, and inner thighs, and typically includes an internal exam to assess the pelvic floor muscles directly.

Is leaking or heaviness after childbirth normal?
It's common, but it isn't something you have to just accept — a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you regain control and confidence.

When should I see a pelvic floor physiotherapist?
As soon as you notice signs your pelvic floor isn't working optimally — mild symptoms are much easier to correct early than after they've worsened over multiple years.

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