Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

What is Pelvic Health Registered Physiotherapy

Pelvic health physiotherapy, also called pelvic floor physiotherapy, is a specialized form of therapy designed to treat the tissues, nerves, and muscles of the pelvic region to ensure that their strength, tone and patterning is sufficient to restore and maintain proper function.

Dysfunction of the pelvic floor can lead to conditions, which include, but are not limited to:

• Incontinence – urine or fecal

• Urinary urgency, retention, hesitation, frequency

• Pain with bowel movements or urination

• Overactive bladder

• Pelvic organ prolapse

• Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (Diastasis Recti)

• Constipation

• Painful Intercourse (Dyspareunia, Vaginismus)

• Pain in areas of the vagina (Vestibulodynia, Vulvodynia)

• Painful Bladder Syndrome

• Endometriosis

• Pelvic pain

• Tailbone pain/Coccydynia

• Prenatal care including activity guidance and preparation for delivery

• Postpartum care – this covers a wide variety of treatment options depending on your recovery, symptoms, and goals.

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction can be linked to pregnancy, childbirth, diseases, habitual patterns from repetitive activities or sports and hormonal changes.

What to expect from your Active Living Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Appointment

At your first visit you will spend 45 mins with your Physiotherapist. During this time, you can expect:

• We take your privacy very seriously and understand that you may not feel comfortable talking about your pelvic health. Our online intake form is quite extensive, this allows you to share your information from the comfort of your own home. Pelvic health concerns are very common and highly treatable.

• A detailed history of your current concerns as well as your overall health will be reviewed

• A physical evaluation will be performed and, if deemed indicated, may include an intravaginal and intrarectal examination. This allows the function of the pelvic floor muscles to be thoroughly assessed.

• An explanation of the findings will be shared with you and a proposed treatment plan will be discussed.

• Treatment may include, but is not limited to:

  • Education

  • Bladder training

  • Strengthening and relaxation exercises for the pelvic floor muscles

  • Joint stability exercises

  • Joint mobilization exercises

  • Manual therapy

  • Activity modification and guidelines for symptom management