What is women’s health physical therapy?
Have you wondered that? Maybe you were too embarrassed to ask?
Women’s Health Physical Therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy that is comprised of A LOT of various diagnoses women may experience throughout our lives.
A women’s health physical therapist enrolls in additional training after their college education and licensing in order to evaluate and treat conditions specific to women. These conditions can include:
Incontinence or “leaking”
Pain lifting a child or even a bag of groceries
Pain during sexual activity
Issues during menopause
Issues during pregnancy and post-partum
One of the things we learn in the specific women’s health training we take is to perform a pelvic examination in order to assess the muscles of the pelvic floor. Just like any other muscle in your body we are checking for weakness which can cause leaking, instability of pelvis/hip girdle, and organ prolapse. We are checking to see if muscles are short and tight-which can cause a restriction in range of motion and/or pain. We can also assess levels of pelvic organ prolapse.
While an internal exam may be part of your treatment, it does not necessarily need to be. It’s all depending on your needs and what you are comfortable with. Make sure you talk this through with your therapist. This is extremely beneficial in understanding your condition and creating a plan of care specific to you!
The goal of women’s health physical therapy is to restore normal function, relieve your pains, restore your confidence, and get you back doing the activities you enjoy.
Who can benefit from a women’s health physical therapist?
A wide range of things can affect you pelvic floor strength. It is a group of muscles after all and things that affect all the muscles in your body affects the pelvic floor muscles too. We women who are athletes, who are post-childbirth, women who are post-menopausal, and every stage in between.
We see patients following a car accident, a surgery, or sports injury. Luckily pelvic floor rehab can provide relief.
WHAT IS THE PELVIC FLOOR?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attach from your pubic bone to the coccyx (tailbone) and in between your ischial tuberosities (“sit bones”). It makes up the “floor” of your core, so it has an important role in:
Supporting our pelvic organs
Closing the urinary and anal sphincters
Sexual function
Posture
These muscles can become dysfunctional (weak, tight, inhibited, etc.) for a variety of reasons. Dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles can cause some of these issues:
Urinary incontinence
Bowel incontinence
Pelvic organ prolapse (prolapse of bladder, uterus and / or rectum)
Pelvic pain
Constipation
Issues during pregnancy and post-partum
Low back and/or SI joint pain
And many more diagnoses!
All of these conditions are common, but they are not NORMAL, and they can be treated with physical therapy by a women’s health physical therapist.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction can interfere with your everyday life and prevent you from participating fully in it. The good news? Women’s Health Physical Therapy in one of our 3 locations can help! There’s no need to be embarrassed. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction is common and treatable. Get relief. By addressing the cause and its symptoms, we can restore strength to your pelvic floor and ultimately free you from the symptoms that keep you from living your best life.
Give us a call to set up an appointment at one of our clinics nearest to you:
Whitman Physical Therapy (781) 447-3060
Hingham Physical Therapy (781) 740-4900
South End Physical Therapy (617) 262-7555