The results are in and you now have to find a pelvic floor therapist. Those exist? Where? One more thing to add to your to do list, like you need that? While you may be tempted to go to the place closest to home, finding a good pelvic floor therapist in your area may not be as easy as it seems.
From peeing while you run to a feeling of fullness down there, I understand first hand wanting to get a handle on whatever is going on. That said, you want to find someone who specializes in pelvic floor issues and is passionate about helping you get better. Now that you know this type of help may require research, let me help narrow down what to look for, what might be a red flag, and how to find a pelvic floor dysfunction therapist near you.
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- Ask your healthcare provider if they can recommend someone who has had success stories. The last part of that sentence is important. Oftentimes, offices have places they recommend simply because it is a hospital they work out of. I would ask them for the name of the specific pelvic floor therapist they are recommending. At my office, the go-to person recommended (by two different doctors) is Heidi. Heidi had a waiting list and it would be months before I was able to get in to see her. Well, there might be a reason someone like that has a waiting list. She knows what she’s doing! Instead, I went to someone else so I could get in sooner and it didn’t go so well. More on that later.
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- Make sure your insurance works with the place you choose and/or you have a plan for payment. This may seem obvious but I believe it is worth mentioning. Ultimately, no matter how good they are, you definitely want to make sure you have a plan for it. Just like any other physical therapy script, you’ll likely get a time frame and suggested amount of times per week you should go. Then, you’ll want to determine how much they will cover and how many visits.
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- Don’t wait until your first appointment to start healing. Once you find a pelvic floor therapist and schedule an evaluation appointment, you don’t need to wait until you are seen to start making improvements! There are some standard exercises that most places start with (depending on your issue) and these are focused toward gaining feeling around these weak muscles and strengthening them. Since you don’t know a lot of details around what is happening inside just yet, you’ll want to start with standard exercises that will target your core (which your pelvic floor is a part of) and proper breathing. That way you’re ready to go and can hit the ground running once you start working with someone.
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- Assess your physical therapist during the first couple of visits. You are just as much gathering information from them as they are from you. After the initial evaluation (where they will mostly be asking you questions to get to know you better), I highly recommend asking them what got them into pelvic floor therapy. This quick question can tell you a lot about their passion for helping people and helping in this specific area. It uncovers their “why” around helping people like you.
I mean, this is a very very up close and personal session you’re about to have with this person. Why not ask them what makes them want to do this? This brings me back to my point earlier. I decided to not wait for Heidi and go with someone that could get me in sooner. It wasn’t close to my home but I needed help now, right?
Well, fast forward 3 months and I still needed help and wasn’t getting much out of my sessions. The worst part, I was paying her (indirectly) to help me! Once I started asking her why she wanted to help people with pelvic floor issues, I wondering if this was the right person for me personally. She shared with me that she was adding this to her list of expertises but wasn’t sure if she’d stay in this profession for long. She was interested in exploring other challenges.
The point is, it felt as if she already a foot out the door and possibly going through the motions. You may find that something like this doesn’t bother you! And that is fine. I just recommend you are getting the quality of service that you expect from someone if you plan to commit your time, energy, and your privacy with your pelvic floor therapist.
After this initial discovery, I attended a few more times and we did our basic core exercises (ones you can do at home) which included, marching, engaging the pelvic floor through kegels, and releasing a tight hip flexor. At this point, I was not feeling pain and most importantly, there was no communication on what we were working toward. To that end, we ended our sessions and I “graduated”.
Through this experience, I realized you may have someone who is a very good physical therapist but not have the right tools or plan to approach pelvic floor dysfunction.
However, there are two valuable pieces I gained from this experience. The first being a tool that was inserted and tested the strength of the pelvic floor with electromagnet sensors. Additionally, she did cupping on my glutes which actually helped the fascia from hurting when touched.
To reiterate, find a pelvic floor therapist that is passionate about the pelvic floor area and focuses beyond just stretching the body and kegels.
“Find the why.”
Find someone who assesses your diaphragm and your rib cage’s ability to expand (360˚ breathing) and work on abdominal pressure control. Someone that uses your time with them wisely and makes sure you understand how to carry these tools in the time you’re not in the office.
Someone who says, “I got into this because it’s a problem for many women and I want to help each person learn about their body and become strong in such an important area!” Find them, and then of course refer them to people in the future.
This journey may not be as easy as finding a local dentist, but these passionate people are out there, I promise. Be intentional on your journey and if you aren’t getting the help you need, it’s okay to find someone new.
You can get better with the right tools and support. And I hope you find just that!
Bonus: Here is a pelvic rehab specialist search tool I found that can connect you with certified pelvic floor specialists in your area! Simply type in your city/state and press search!
Disclaimer: The information is this post is general information only and should not replace guidance from your healthcare provider.
