All individuals have a pelvic floor, which consist of muscles, connective tissue and nerves that support the pelvic organs, assist in bowel and bladder control as well as contribute to sexual function. The pelvic floor muscles are located between the tailbone and the pubic bone.

The short answer is that many people of varying ages, gender and activity level could benefit from a pelvic health assessment.

Pelvic Dysfunctions are more common than people think. Approximately 25 million individuals suffer from pelvic floor dysfunctions, many of which never seek medical care due to embarrassment and/or belief that it is “Normal”.

However, anything outside of normal function is NOT NORMAL. Yes, with aging the body slows, however leakage, difficulty urinating or having a bowel movement and/or pain is not normal under any circumstances.
We often think that aging and pregnancy are the causes, however these are not the only population of individuals with pelvic floor dysfunction.

For example, Female Athletes specifically, are almost 3x more likely to suffer from a pelvic floor dysfunction compared to sedentary females. Athletes of all genders who participate in sports that involve high loads or high impacts such as CrossFit, weightlifting, running, gymnastics, ect, can potentially result in pelvic floor dysfunction. This is often due to the demands of the activity and increased intra-abdominal pressure due poor breathing coordination which results in increased pressure placed on the pelvic floor musculature. Overtime, this can result in leakage or other pelvic floor dysfunctions.

Several symptoms may be a sign that you have a  pelvic floor dysfunction. If you have any of these symptoms, you should tell your healthcare provider or schedule with our Pelvic Health Specialist.

• Frequently needing to use the bathroom
• Difficulty using the bathroom such as difficulty initiating urination or straining during bowel movements
• Leaking of urine or stool
• Pain with urination
• Pain with intercourse
• Low back pain without known cause
• Ongoing pain in pelvic region, genitals, or rectum with or without bowel movement

We currently treat all individuals equally regardless of gender, race or age.

• Due to staffing and inability to provide a chaperone we currently perform internal examinations on women only.
• We can treat men externally and assist with symptom management. If an internal examination is found to be necessary-individuals are responsible for bringing an additional individual they feel comfortable being in the room for observation/chaperone for the protection of themselves as well as our providers.
• Individuals under the age of 18 must have a  Parent or Guardian provide permission as well as remain in clinic during treatment sessions.

An individual may be referred to pelvic floor physical therapy for a variety of reasons such as: