What is Pelvic Floor Therapy? Understanding Its Role in Your Health and Well-being
Introduction
Pelvic floor therapy is a branch of physiotherapy that focuses on the group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues located at the base of the pelvis. These muscles are essential for core stability, bladder and bowel control, sexual health, and supporting pelvic organs such as the bladder, uterus, and rectum. Despite their importance, pelvic floor dysfunction remains widely misunderstood or undiagnosed. Many people live with symptoms for years, unaware that effective, evidence-based treatment is available. At Integrative Physiotherapy, we are passionate about helping individuals reclaim control, comfort, and confidence through pelvic health physiotherapy.
Causes and Risk Factors
Pelvic floor dysfunction can arise from a wide range of causes. Common and more familiar contributors include pregnancy and childbirth—especially vaginal deliveries or those involving forceps or prolonged pushing—as well as abdominal or pelvic surgeries, trauma, or injury to the pelvic region. Hormonal changes during menopause can also weaken pelvic tissues. Lifestyle factors like chronic coughing, heavy lifting, straining during bowel movements, and high-impact sports can increase intra-abdominal pressure, placing stress on the pelvic floor over time.
Stress and emotional tension are often overlooked contributors to pelvic floor issues. Because the pelvic floor muscles are closely connected to our nervous system, chronic stress can lead to hypertonicity—where the muscles stay contracted and lose the ability to fully relax (Bo et al., 2017). Understanding the root cause of each person’s symptoms is essential for tailoring the right treatment plan.
Symptoms
Pelvic floor dysfunction can present with a wide variety of symptoms, which often overlap with other conditions, making it difficult to diagnose without proper assessment. Individuals may experience:
Urinary symptoms, such as leakage when sneezing, laughing, or exercising, a frequent or urgent need to urinate, or difficulty starting the flow and even “losing” full bladders.
Bowel symptoms, including constipation, straining, or feeling incomplete emptying.
Pelvic pain, which may feel like pressure, heaviness, or discomfort in the pelvic area, lower back, or tailbone.
Painful intercourse or discomfort during gynecological exams.
Core weakness or feeling "disconnected" from the abdomen, particularly after childbirth or abdominal surgery.
These symptoms can significantly affect physical function, mental health, and quality of life—yet many people feel embarrassed or unsure of where to seek help. Pelvic floor physiotherapists provide a safe and supportive space to address these concerns.
Diagnosis
A pelvic health physiotherapy assessment begins with a detailed history of your symptoms, medical background, daily habits, and lifestyle. We may ask about your bladder and bowel routines, childbirth history, sexual health, and core function to understand the full picture. With your informed consent, an external and/or internal physical exam may be offered to assess the pelvic floor muscles for tone, strength, coordination, and more. The goal of the assessment is not just to diagnose a problem, but to create a treatment plan that is fully individualized, functional, and empowering.
Physiotherapy Approach
Pelvic floor therapy is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Your treatment will be personalized based on whether your pelvic floor muscles are weak, overactive, uncoordinated, or affected by other postural and muscular imbalances.
Treatment may include:
Manual therapy: Gentle internal or external hands-on techniques to release tight muscles, improve mobility, and reduce pain.
Pelvic floor muscle training: This may involve strengthening exercises (like Kegels, when appropriate), or down-training for muscles that are overly tense.
Core and postural retraining: The pelvic floor is part of a larger system involving the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and back. We teach you how to engage and coordinate these muscles effectively.
Breathwork and nervous system regulation: Learning how to breathe deeply and manage stress can significantly influence pelvic floor relaxation and overall recovery.
Education and lifestyle guidance: We help you modify activities and routines that may be contributing to symptoms, such as toileting posture, lifting mechanics, or workout choices.
Patient Education and Self-Management
Education is a vital part of pelvic floor physiotherapy. At Integrative Physiotherapy, we believe that understanding your own body leads to better outcomes. Clients are taught things like how the pelvic floor works with the rest of the core, the importance of strengthening exercises, how to implement changes in posture, toilet habits, and body mechanics, strategies for returning to activities like sex, exercise, or caregiving safely.
We provide take-home exercises, lifestyle recommendations, and check-in options to ensure your recovery continues beyond the clinic. This approach puts you in the driver’s seat of your healing journey.
Conclusion
Pelvic floor therapy is a powerful, research-backed approach for treating a range of physical issues that many people endure in silence. Whether you're dealing with incontinence, pelvic pain, postpartum changes, or just want to improve your core function, pelvic floor physiotherapy offers real, lasting solutions. You don’t have to accept these symptoms as “normal” or something you have to live with.
With the right assessment and care, most people experience significant improvements in their function, comfort, and quality of life. At Integrative Physiotherapy, we’re here to guide and support you every step of the way.
Call to Action
Are you ready to take the first step toward feeling better? At Integrative Physiotherapy, Maria Gayevski offers pelvic floor assessments and treatment. Whether you’re newly postpartum, dealing with chronic pelvic discomfort, or simply curious about your pelvic health, we welcome you to book a consultation. Our team is here to provide a respectful, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to your care.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment—and begin your journey to healing from the inside out.
Written By: Maria Gayevski
References
Bo, K., Frawley, H. C., Haylen, B. T., Abramov, Y., Almeida, F. G., Berghmans, B., ... & Dumoulin, C. (2017). An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on the terminology for the conservative and nonpharmacological management of female pelvic floor dysfunction. Neurourology and Urodynamics, 36(2), 221–244. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.23107
Dumoulin, C., Cacciari, L. P., & Hay‐Smith, E. J. (2018). Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub4
