Female Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

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What Is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy?

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a specialized branch of physiotherapy focused on the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that support the bladder, uterus (or prostate), and bowel.
It helps restore strength, coordination, and relaxation in this vital group of muscles — which play a key role in posture, core stability, continence, and sexual health.

Pelvic floor therapy goes beyond simple “Kegels.” It uses evidence-based manual therapy, exercise, breathwork, and education to help you move, recover, and live without pain or leakage.

Pelvic Floor & Core: Anatomy and Function

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that form a hammock-like support at the base of your pelvis.These muscles work in coordination with your core system, which includes:

Pelvic floor muscles – control bladder, bowel, and sexual function
Diaphragm – helps with breathing and pressure control
Deep abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis) – provide stability
Back muscles (multifidus) – support posture and spinal movement

Together, this group acts like a pressure-regulating cylinder that supports movement, stability, and continence.When all these parts work together, you can breathe, move, lift, and laugh without worry. When they don’t — pain, weakness, or leakage can occur.

What Causes Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Pelvic floor dysfunction can happen when the muscles become too weak, too tight, or out of sync with your breathing and posture.

Common causes include:

Pregnancy and childbirth (vaginal or cesarian)
Menopause or hormonal changes
Chronic constipation or straining
High-impact exercise or heavy lifting
Pelvic or abdominal surgery
Poor posture or breath-holding habits
Stress, anxiety, or trauma (which can cause muscle tension)
Aging and decreased muscle elasticity

Conditions Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Can Help With

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is effective for a wide range of conditions in women, men, and individuals of all ages.
Here are some of the most common:

Bladder & Bowel Dysfunction

Urinary leakage (stress or urge incontinence)
Overactive bladder (frequent urination, urgency)
Difficulty emptying the bladder or bowel
Constipation and straining
Fecal leakage

Pelvic Pain Conditions

Pelvic floor dysfunction
Pain during or after intercourse (dyspareunia, vaginismus)
Vulvodynia or vestibulodynia
Tailbone (coccyx) pain
Pudendal neuralgia
Pain after gynecological or prostate surgery

Postpartum & Gynecological Conditions

Pelvic organ prolapse (heaviness, pressure, bulging)
Core weakness or diastasis recti (ab separation)
Scar pain (C-section, episiotomy, or perineal tears)
Low back, hip, or pelvic girdle pain
Postpartum recovery and return to exercise

Other Conditions

Menopausal pelvic changes
Chronic pelvic, hip, or abdominal pain
Pelvic girdle pain syndrome etc

What to Expect During a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Appointment

1 Initial Assessment

Your first visit is one-on-one and private. It typically includes:

A detailed conversation about your symptoms, goals, and medical history
Assessment of posture, breathing, and core mechanics
External and/or internal pelvic exam (only with consent) to assess muscle tone, strength, coordination, and tenderness
Provide papers for home based assessment like bladder, bowel or fiber diary

Note: An internal exam is never mandatory — your comfort and consent come first. External assessment can be done but treatment plan is global and not targeted which may compromise outcomes or effectiveness.

2 Treatment and HEP set up as needed

This session is to provide full initial treatment and set up of your home exercise program.

Your personalized treatment plan may include:

Pelvic floor muscle training (activation or relaxation)
Manual therapy and trigger point release
Core and breathwork retraining
Biofeedback or electrical stimulation or HIFEM chair
Education on bladder/bowel habits and posture
Home exercise and self-care guidance
Resources and product recommendation

Sessions are typically 45–60 minutes for individualized care and follow-up progress.

3 Follow UP :

Depending upon your condition and assessment, your therapist will recommend follow up sessions.

What to Expect for Recovery Timeline

Recovery timelines vary widely depending on: the nature of your condition, how long it has been present, your commitment to home exercises/lifestyle change, and other health factors. As a guide:

In many cases, people begin noticing improvements within 2-3 visits (e.g., better awareness of pelvic floor, some reduction in symptoms).
By 4-6 visits, many see functional improvement (less leakage, less pain, improved core/pelvic coordination).
Over 6-12 visits or more, you may reach long-term stability, return to activity/exercise and maintain gains.
Home-exercise compliance, lifestyle modifications (e.g., reducing strain, correcting lifting technique) and regular follow-up are critical.

It’s important to emphasise that this is a process—not a “one-visit fix”—and that progress may be gradual, but consistent work often leads to meaningful change.

Reasons Why Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy May Not Work (or May Be Slower)

While pelvic floor physiotherapy is effective for many, there are a few reasons why it may not reach full expected outcomes (or may require more time):

Poor adherence: If the home-exercise program and lifestyle advice aren’t followed regularly, progress will be limited.
Underlying medical issues: Conditions such as significant nerve damage, severe prolapse beyond conservative management, complex pelvic pain with multiple contributing factors may require multi-disciplinary input beyond physiotherapy alone.
Muscle over-activity/tension: If the issue is not muscle weakness but rather hypertonicity (too tight/painful muscles) and this isn’t recognised or treated correctly, the standard “strengthening” approach may fail.
Expectations: If the individual expects a rapid fix and does not commit to progression and maintenance, disappointment may ensue.
Lifestyle and biomechanical factors not addressed: If factors such as heavy lifting, strain, chronic cough, constipation or breath-holding are not modified, symptoms may persist.
Delay in seeking help: The longer a dysfunction has been present, the more time may be required for tissue healing, neuromuscular retraining, and behavioural change.

Lets see hat research says :

In a retrospective cohort study of women prescribed PFPT for fecal incontinence, about 64.1% attended at least one session.
Of those who attended, only 32.7% were considered adherent (i.e., completed the recommended sessions).
Overall in that cohort, only about 20% of all referred patients fully adhered.
In a recent retrospective study of women with overactive bladder (OAB) referred for PFPT, only 24.0% of the population completed ≥ 50% of the recommended sessions.
And only 13.0% achieved “complete adherence” (i.e., attended all recommended sessions) in that sample.
A systematic review/meta-analysis of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) (exercise-based) found that in the short term, many studies reported good adherence (e.g., one study showing >80%), but adherence tends to decline over time (medium/long term adherence was lower).
For example, the consensus statement noted that about 64% of patients adhered in the short term, but only about 23% adhered in the long term.
In a study of women doing PFMT after urinary incontinence, ~71.9% continued exercising weekly at home in one group, and ~61.3% in another group — indicating a significant drop over time.

In these cases, your physiotherapist may collaborate with gynecologists, urogynecologists, or other specialists for a multidisciplinary plan or alternate treatment options

Takeaway

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is not just about muscles — it’s about restoring coordination, strength, and core connection. Whether you’re postpartum, peri-menopausal, or struggling with long-term symptoms, healing is possible with the right assessment, guidance, efforts and persistence.

+1 780-589-1100

nexustherapeutics@gmail.com

10404 99 Ave #162, Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 3W2, Canada

Female Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Services Category

Opening Hours

What Is Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy?

Pelvic Floor & Core: Anatomy and Function

What Causes Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Common causes include:

Conditions Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Can Help With

What to Expect During a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Appointment

What to Expect for Recovery Timeline

Reasons Why Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy May Not Work (or May Be Slower)

Lets see hat research says :

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nexustherapeutics@gmail.com

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