Do I need Pelvic Health Therapy?!

Pelvic health PT is for everyone!

I'm biased as an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist, but I would say likely YES! I believe truly anyone can benefit from pelvic health therapy, but especially if you are navigating preconception/fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery/return to exercise, or perimenopause/menopause!

Pelvic health is often overlooked and not talked about enough, but it plays a huge role in our overall wellness and influences so many things! I believe everyone can benefit from seeing a pelvic health therapist (even if you don't have any symptoms)!

Use the checklist below to assess your own pelvic floor health.

If you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions, you should definitely seek out a good Pelvic Health Physical Therapist in your area! If you're local to Columbus, Ohio, I'd love to help you! I also offer virtual services for those that are not in the area!

Bladder

• Do you leak urine with any activity or exercise?

• Do you go to the toilet more than once every 2-3 hours?

• Do you experience a strong urge to go to the bathroom and difficulty holding on?

• Are you unable to stop the flow of urine? (Please note that we do NOT encourage this as an exercise but can be a helpful once-off test)  

• Do you have difficulty starting the stream of urine?

• Are you unable to completely empty your bladder?

Bowel

• Do you experience difficulty holding stool in?

• Do you have any trouble getting everything out?

• Do you experience constipation and require to strain to empty your bowels?

Sexual

• Do you have ANY pain with sex? Keep in mind that 'pain' can range from mild discomfort to intense, sharp burning pain.

• Do you struggle to reach orgasm?

Pain

• Do you have any discomfort or pain around the vulva (or labia) with tight clothing or light touch to the area?

• Do you experience any pain with the use of tampons or during a pap smear?

• Do you have any pain with urinating or bowel movements?

• Do you have any pain in the vagina?

• Do you have any sharp stabbing pains into the rectum OR abdomen?

Prolapse

• Do you feel any heaviness or pressure in the vagina or rectum?

• Have you noticed a bulge into the vagina or the feeling of something 'falling out'?

Other

• Do you have tailbone pain lasting more than one month?

• Do you have pain in your pubic bone, sacro-iliac joint (SIJ), lower back, hip or groin that doesn't respond to regular treatment?

• Do you experience a lot of abdominal cramping pain with periods?

Proactive Pelvic Health (my favorite :))

• Do you have a desire to learn more about your body and optimize your pelvic health and overall wellness?

• Do you want to learn how to properly breathe and activate your deep core system to minimize severity of diastasis recti in pregnancy & facilitate recovery postpartum?

• Do you want to prepare your body and pelvic floor physically & mentally for labor and birth?

• Have you recently had a baby and feel pretty good but want to make sure you are giving your own body the care and attention it needs to recover properly postpartum?

• Do you want to return to high level exercise postpartum and want to make sure you are doing so appropriately with regards to healing?

• Do you want to try to conceive in the next year and want to learn more about a holistic, whole body approach to fertility and the preconception period?

  
  

 If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, please know that a lot of these issues can be treated and completely resolved! There is no need to suffer endlessly with pelvic floor dysfunction. It is never too late to start pelvic health therapy & reap the benefits!

If you're ready to get started or want to learn more, please fill out the contact form on my website and I'll be in touch! You can also email me directly at restore.physicaltherapy614@gmail.com with any questions! I'm here to help guide you every step of the way and I would be honored to be a part of your journey, wherever you are at in Motherhood!

Dr. Kaitlin