What to Expect: First Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Visit

We get it.

It’s not the most glamorous experience when you go to Physical Therapy for an assessment “down there.” We know that a lot of you out there know you need to come see a Pelvic Floor PT, but are just dreading the appointment or even putting it off all together. To us, it’s no big deal because we treat the pelvic floor all the time like an elbow or knee, but we do understand how awkward it can be, so we prioritize your comfort through the entire experience.

We want you to know what to expect.  

We can absolutely promise you that your therapist will get to know you first and make sure a pelvic floor assessment is appropriate for your current concerns. If we think a pelvic floor exam is beneficial, we will tell you everything to expect, even showing you an anatomy model to explain why it relates to you and your symptoms. If you’re feeling nervous or unsure, we can always hold off on the internal assessment for another visit. You are in control of your health! We are just your professional guides.

We don’t have stirrups.

You won’t feel the indignity of having your feet up in the air. We also don’t have speculums, because we’re not examining your cervix or uterus. And, most of the time, we are assessing more superficially than you think.  

Our rooms are comfortable and not clinical.  

Our clinics always have essential oils diffusing. We call our front room the living room because it feels cozy. Our private treatment rooms have soft lights and the table sheets are soft and comfortable – emphasis on private, the space is yours for the time of your appointment.

Here’s what you CAN expect.

We use our palpation skills to feel your pelvic floor muscles and measure how well they are working. This is particularly important because depending on what we find, it can change the entire trajectory of your treatment plan. For example, maybe you think your muscles are really weak. If your muscles are actually really tense, strengthening exercises (think: kegels!) could potentially make the problem worse if we didn’t have this important information from our exam.

Things we are specifically assessing in a Pelvic Floor exam:

Most of the time, we get a LOT of the information we need by assessing vaginally, but occasionally it is necessary to feel and measure the muscles rectally–especially if the problem your experiencing has to do with anal or rectal pain, tailbone pain, constipation or loss of fecal control (or if you have male anatomy)!

Yes, this muscle check might be a little uncomfortable (mentally, physically, or even emotionally), but we can assure you that our assessments are MUCH more gentle than your traditional OB-GYN visit.
If you have ANY questions or concerns about this assessment, please share them with your physical therapist, or call ahead of time. We would love to chat with you about it first to make sure you get the best care you deserve.