FAQ

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Conditions treated

What conditions do you treat?

• Bladder problems such as overactive bladder—i.e. the urge to pee all the time, stress incontinence; leaking urine when you cough/sneeze/bend down; urge incontinence—i.e. leaking urine when you have the urge to go, or run to the bathroom to pee; urgency—i.e. you pee often (more than every 2-4 hours: nocturia—i.e. you pee more than once a night; mixed incontinence; urine retention; interstitial cystitis—i.e. painful bladder syndrome.

• Bowel problems such as fecal urgency—i.e. feeling like you have to run to the bathroom to poop; fecal incontinence—i.e. poop coming out before you sit down on the toilet; incomplete or difficult defecation—i.e. feeling like you can’t have a full bowel movement, or having to strain or push to poop.

• Pelvic pain syndromes such as pudendal neuralgia; painful bladder syndrome (also called interstitial cystitis); coccygodynia; genitourinary syndrome of menopause; coccygodynia; and lichens sclerosis (a dermatologic condition), among others—i.e. I can’t wear tight underwear or pants, my bladder hurts, my vagina is always dry, I get bladder infections (urinary tract infections) all the time, my lady parts itch and hurt, it hurts to sit, I can’t sit without a lot of pain, it hurts to have a gynecological exam, I’ve never been able to wear tampons, it hurts down there.

  Our work together is likely to include plenty of education, so that you understand what’s going on with you and how you can get better. Manual therapy—hands on treatment focused on improving the mobility of your soft tissue and joints—is a powerful tool. I will design an exercise program especially for you aimed at stretching and strengthening, and teaching your muscles how to work properly. We may use biofeedback to help you learn how to use your muscles more effectively.

• Sex such as vaginismus and dyspareunia—i.e. sex hurts or is impossible, you can’t wear tampons, gynecologic exams are extremely painful; vulvodynia and vestibulodynia i.e. pain on the “outside” of your genital area that makes sitting and sex uncomfortable/painful/impossible.

• Men 10% of men experience pelvic pain symptoms due to pelvic floor dysfunction. They are often misdiagnosed as prostatitis, leading to unnecessary use of antibiotics. 74% of men with chronic pelvic pain and prostatitis experience painful ejaculation. After prostate cancer treatment, men often experience urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Physical therapy can help.

• Pelvic organ prolapse problems such as cystocele, uterine prolapse, enterocele, and rectocele—i.e. Your bladder or uterus feel like they’re falling out; you can see your bladder or uterus at the opening of your vagina; there’s a bulge in your vagina/rectum;It feels heavy down there. Prolapse is a general term for a type of hernia in which a pelvic organ (uterus, vagina, bladder, small bowel, or rectum) has lost its structural support and falls or protrudes into the vagina or through the vaginal opening. Often, more than one organ is involved in prolapse. Contributing factors include childbirth, especially with 3rd or 4th degree tears or forceps use; obesity; genetics; constipation and pushing to poop; menopause; and age-related changes. All too often, prolapse problems don’t get treated until they’re so advanced that you may need surgery. Physical therapy can help you learn to reduce the prolapse and slow the progression. The sooner you get started with treatment, the better.

• Pregnancy-related Pregnancy is a huge transformation for the human body. Pelvic health physical therapy can not only help manage pregnancy-related low back pain, pubic bone pain and urinary leakage, but also help prepare your body for childbirth. Whether you’re planning to have a vaginal or cesarean birth, my goal is to help empower you for birth and prepare for postpartum recovery.

• Postpartum Recovery starts on day one and continues for months or years. You may have weak abdominal muscles or diastasis recti following pregnancy, neuralgias following delivery, weak muscles or perineal tears from delivery, or low back pain. You may be leaking pee or poop—especially common after Grade III or IV tears or forceps use—and have been told that it’s normal or it will go away.Whether you are days or decades postpartum, pelvic health physical therapy can help you regain strength and mobility to lead a pain-free and leak-free life.

• Transgender When transgender or gender non-conforming people utilize packing, tucking, or binding techniques or undergo gender affirming surgical procedures, it can have negative effects on the trunk, lower extremities, pelvic floor and surrounding structures resulting in pain and dysfunction. Pelvic floor physical therapy can assist in minimizing or eliminating the pelvic, back, and chest pain and urinary, bowel and/or sexual dysfunction that can arise from these techniques and surgical procedures.

• Cancer treatment-related  Treatment for cancer often results in both pelvic health issues and declines in overall function.  These can include pain, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, and deconditioning.  Physical therapy can help you on your journey through and beyond cancer treatment.