What to Expect at Your First Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Appointment
So, you’re getting ready to see a pelvic health physiotherapist for your first appointment.
First of all, congratulate yourself on taking the first step to prioritizing your pelvic health today!
This guide will hopefully let you know what to expect from your first pelvic health physiotherapy appointment to calm some of your news for this important appointment.
How Do I Know if I Need to See a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist?
Chances are if you’re looking up what a pelvic health physiotherapist does, you likely have an issue that you think that a pelvic health physiotherapist can solve – and you would be correct!
Pelvic health physiotherapists see and treat people that have a wide range of pelvic floor related issues.
Here are just a few of the many conditions that pelvic health physiotherapists treat:
- Urinary incontinence
- Pain with intercourse
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Erectile dysfunction
- Diastasis recti
- Endometriosis and painful periods
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Chronic low back and tailbone pain
- Posture-related pain
- Post pelvic surgery pain
…and just about any other condition that can affect the way our pelvic floor functions!
Okay…I Think I Have a Pelvic Floor Related Condition. Now What?
Nowadays, pelvic health physiotherapy is becoming more popular and finding a pelvic health physiotherapist near you is easier than ever before.
You can ask your doctor for recommendations or do a quick online search for a pelvic health physiotherapist near you.
Some pelvic health physiotherapists offer a free phone call consultation so that you can ask questions, get some advice about treatment options and help you decide if it’s right for you.
I’ve Booked My Appointment. How Should I Prepare for My First Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Appointment?
1. Take Notes of Your Symptoms
It can be super helpful to write your pelvic symptoms and concerns down before your appointment so that your pelvic health physiotherapist can identify the cause of your problem and come up with a good treatment plan.
After all, pelvic health physiotherapy is all about finding solutions to your problems and making you feel better!
2. Internal or External Pelvic Exam
Your pelvic floor is a sling of muscles that’s inside your body, so an internal exam is typically performed by the pelvic floor physiotherapist during your appointment.
This internal exam helps your pelvic floor physiotherapist to get the most accurate information to treat your issue in the most effective way.
The pelvic health physiotherapist will do their best to make you feel comfortable during the internal. However, we know that not everyone might not be comfortable or ready for an internal exam.
This is why pelvic health physiotherapists also have training in many external techniques that can effectively assess your pelvic floor without an internal exam.
Now that you’re more aware of the possibility of an internal exam in addition to an external exam, let’s talk about what clothing you should wear for it.
3. Clothing and Attire
Try to wear comfortable, loose, and athletic clothing that allows for easy access to your areas of concern.
Your pelvic floor physiotherapist may ask you to do some movements like standing, squatting, and other light exercises, so it’s best to be dressed comfortably for it!
What Happens at My First Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Appointment?
1. We’ll ask you questions about your problem
First, the pelvic health physiotherapist will chat with you about your pelvic health symptoms and concerns. You’ll be asked about your symptoms, health history, pain, physical activity, sleep and other questions as well.
These questions will help us have a better understanding of how various factors may be affecting your current pelvic health symptoms. Don’t worry…if you’re not comfortable with any of the questions you can let us know or choose not to share that information! We understand the sensitive nature of some of the questions may make you feel awkward, but know that we’re just here to help!
2. Internal Exam
Your comfort is important to us and therefore we’ll always explain what we’re going to do and ask for your consent before we do it.
You’ll be in a private room, and you’ll be asked to undress from the waist down and lie down on your back. The pelvic health physiotherapist will use gloves to examine the structures at and around your pelvic floor.
Depending on your symptoms, your pelvic health physiotherapist may ask you to do some tasks like coughing, different breathing exercises, and clenching your muscles.
Remember that you’re always in control of your session and you can always ask questions, let the physiotherapist know you need a break or stop at any point.
3. External Exam
If you’re really not comfortable with the idea of an internal exam, your pelvic floor physiotherapist will assess your pelvic structures externally using different techniques in a different way that don’t use internal techniques.
Depending on your symptoms, your physiotherapist may also ask you to do some functional activities like sit, stand, walk, and squat to see how well your pelvic floor is working to support your pelvis, back, hips and the rest of your body as you move.
4. Treatment and Education
After your pelvis health physiotherapist has finished their assessment, they will talk to you about what they think is causing Your physiotherapist will go over your treatment options and talk about how to optimize your pelvic floor structures to get your pelvic floor working better again.
Some of these treatments may include pelvic floor exercises, soft tissue release and massage, stretching, breathing exercises, and other treatments to relieve pain.
Here’s a great example of an exercise that’s used in our clinic to manage your pelvic pain. Give it a try if you’d like!
5. Homework
Many people shudder at the word “homework”, but pelvic health issues are often not permanently fixed immediately after one session.
This is why the pelvic health physiotherapist may send you home with some exercises to do to practice what you learn in physiotherapy to reduce your symptoms and make your pelvic floor work better.
6. Follow-up Appointments
At the end of your appointment, your pelvic health physiotherapist will likely schedule a follow-up appointment to start the hands-on treatment, monitor your symptoms and check your progress.
Our ultimate goal is to help you manage your symptoms and pain…n and we want to do this in the most effective and efficient way possible to help you get back to your regular day-to-day activities.
Book your first appointment or follow-up appointment now to start managing your pelvic health symptoms today.
This blog was written by Anna Zheng, a Physiotherapy student at the University of Toronto
FAQ
What is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that run from your tailbone at the back of your body to your pubic bone at the front of your body.
This group of muscles is found in all genders, and you can consider them a basket that supports your internal pelvic organs like your bladder, uterus/prostate, and rectum.
They help with functions such as bowel and bladder control, sexual functions, pregnancy, labour, and more.
These pelvic floor muscles also work together with your stomach muscles, your back muscles, and your breathing muscles to control the pressure inside your body and protect your spine.
How do I know that you can treat my Pelvic Health condition?
All our pelvic health physiotherapists are highly educated, trained, and in good standing with their regulatory college known as the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.
Our pelvic floor physiotherapists hold a master’s degree in physiotherapy and have extensive training in anatomy, physiology, exercise and movement sciences, neurology, and other medical sciences as well.
In addition, our pelvic health physiotherapists have taken additional courses specific to the assessment and treatment of various pelvic health conditions.
We stay up to date with the latest research and the most effective pelvic health treatment approaches for so we can best treat your condition.
You can be confident that you’re in good hands to help you reach your goals, manage your pelvic symptoms, and get back to doing the things you love to do without pain.
Are Physiotherapy treatments uncomfortable?
Our ultimate goal is to provide you with both quick and long-lasting pain relief to help you return back to your regular activities.
Sometimes, treatment options like stretching or exercise can cause you to feel sore as you’re using muscles that are weak or haven’t been used optimally in a while. This is a normal feeling and will decrease as your body gets used to the treatment.
Your comfort and safety are important to us, so please let us know if anything needs to be addressed at any point during your treatment.