What should you expect at pelvic floor therapy?
What should you expect at pelvic floor therapy?
Do you feel welcomed when you walk in the door?
Pelvic floor PT is a pretty personal and intimate experience. You should feel comfortable from the moment you walk in the door. At Empower Your Pelvis we like to refer to this as the “teal carpet experience.” We want our patients to feel welcomed by the staff and the environment. We make a conscious effort from the set up of our lobby, private treatment rooms, and dedicated 60 minute individual sessions to make each person feel heard and safe.
2. Does your therapist talk about YOUR goals?
We truly believe your goals as the patient are the most important goals for us to focus on during your PT sessions. Your goals can be as modest or ambitious as you want. Do you want to stop leaking urine when you’re jumping on the trampoline with your kids? Great, we’ve got you. Do you want to train for a triathlon without pelvic pain? Great! We’ve got you too. Do you want to have more regular bowel movements without pain? Fantastic, let’s work on that. Do you want to feel stronger after you’ve had your baby? Super, we can get you there. Or, do you want to stop leaking a bit of urine every time you sneeze? Yes, we can improve that too.
The ball is in your court. We’re going to guide you and help you work toward whatever goals are most important to you.
3. Do you have the ability to talk to your therapist outside of appointments?
You are here to improve your symptoms. And, we believe our patients need to understand their home exercise programs, bring new symptoms to our attention, and share their wins in order to be successful. We are available via email during the work week to check in on your progress, review parts of your home exercise programs, and guide you on any changes you may experience between visits.
4. Does your therapy clinic offer a variety of interventions?
Your concern that brought you into pelvic floor therapy may not be solved with only one type of therapy approach. You need to have access to several types of interventions to address the whole problem. At Empower Your Pelvis we provide soft tissue and myofascial techniques, joint mobilizations, visceral techniques, functional dry needling, assessment and modification of functional movements, therapeutic exercises, and neuromuscular reeducation to treat the whole body and assist you on your road to recovery.
5. Do you practice your exercises in positions that are applicable to your daily life?
You need to be practicing your habits, movements, and exercises in positions that you're struggling with during the day. If you’re constantly having vaginal pressure when you go to pick up your baby, that’s exactly what we want to be working on. If you’re leaking urine every time you stand up from a sitting position, we’re going to practice your exercises during this sit to stand movement to make you successful. Our bodies can be retrained, but you have to train specifically for what you want to improve.
6. Do you discuss your bowel function during pelvic floor therapy?
Yes, your bowel health is relevant and important to discuss. Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles, and these muscles are involved in your bladder, bowel, and sexual health. Discussing your bowel health helps to put the whole picture together and provide you the best treatment.
7. Does your therapist talk about your daily routines and train you in functional movements?
Quite possibly the most important piece of the puzzle is how you’re moving during daily life, because this is what you’re doing the most! We are movement experts. All the therapists at Empower Your Pelvis have earned a doctorate degree in physical therapy, so you could say we’re pretty into analyzing and optimizing people’s movements. Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and is significantly impacted by how you move throughout the day. We want to look at how you’re moving to unload the dishwasher, pick your baby up out of the crib, or lift a box off the floor for your work. We want to talk about some helpful positions you can sit in while you're on the floor playing with kids or grandkids.If you enjoy exercise we want to look at those movements too! We want to fine tune your posture during your squat or warrior two. We want to talk about how your muscles should be engaging while you’re running, walking, or riding your bike. This is what’s going to help you be successful long term and continue participating in the activities you love.
8. Do you have a plan to continue progressing your pelvic health after you “graduate” PT?
Lastly, we want to send you off with all the tools and knowledge for you to stay healthy and participate in the activities you enjoy! We will help you set up a long term plan of what your pelvic floor needs to stay healthy, and how you can incorporate these things into your daily life.
These are a few of the ways we believe we stand out as a clinic. You attaining your goals is our top priority, and we do our best to facilitate your success.
Please reach out to the clinic if you have any questions about how we can help you with your pelvic health! We offer free 15 minute phone consults, and love to answer any questions you may have about your pelvic health! 816-434-5180
Best, Dr. Erica Magruder, DPT