Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
The muscles in your pelvic floor play a critical role in your overall well being. They control the bladder, bowel, and sexual function, plus much more. Because they connect to other muscles in your hips, core, and back, they have a direct impact on how your body performs. Just like with other muscles, pelvic floor muscles can get tight, weak, injured, or overused. When they do, this can create significant problems throughout your body.
When the muscles in your pelvic floor aren’t operating as they should, you can have issues with digestion, incontinence, or sexual dysfunction. You might experience pain in your pelvis or in your hips, abdomen, low back, or legs. For some people, this pain can be so severe that it begins to negatively impact their quality of life.
The good news is that pelvic floor muscles respond really well to stretching, strengthening, soft tissue mobilization, and rehabilitation. That’s where PT comes in – pelvic floor PT restores the length-tension relationship of your pelvic floor muscles, relieving pain, improving function, and restoring optimal whole-body performance.
At Beyond Basics, we are committed to treating pelvic floor issues with sensitivity to each individual’s needs, regardless of sex, race, identity, age, or orientation – we treat the whole person with a comprehensive, caring biopsychosocial approach.
What is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?
Pelvic floor dysfunction is extremely common. The dysfunction occurs when the muscles, tissues, or nerves of the pelvic floor are weakened, tightened, or injured by trauma, chronic strain, or overuse (such as with childbirth). The pelvic floor muscles surround the urethra, rectum, vagina, and prostate, so any dysfunction in these pelvic muscles can cause issues with reproductive health, sexual dysfunction, and many other issues including bowel difficulties and urinary trouble.
Pelvic floor physical therapy helps to train pelvic floor muscles to work optimally to enhance function and reduce dysfunction. Our team utilizes external and internal manual therapy to help mobilize your muscles and provide symptom relief. We also provide you with specific at-home exercises for you to perform regularly in order to teach your body new movement patterns and to help further mobilize the pelvic muscles and tissues.
Ready for symptom relief?
Benefits of Working with a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
- Ease pelvic pain and discomfort
- Improve overall function and mobility through hands-on work and at-home exercises
- Restore the length-tension relationship of your pelvic floor muscles
- Improve blood circulation, which promotes healing
- Reduce tension from tight muscles, including the pelvic muscles
- Restore optimal whole-body performance
- Improve constipation
- Provide specific techniques to make childbirth and postpartum easier
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Address:
- Pelvic pain
- Painful intercourse
- Difficulty with bowel movements
- Limited function of the pelvic floor
- Sciatic pain
- Lower back pain
- Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain
- Needing to frequently urinate
- Premature ejaculation
Our pelvic floor physical therapy treatments and techniques can help anyone experiencing pain and discomfort as a result of pelvic floor dysfunction.
Conditions We Treat
- Pelvic pain and dysfunction
- Bladder and bowel disorders
- Postsurgical needs
- Sexual pain and dysfunction and reproductive health
- Pregnancy and postpartum
- Pediatric health services
- Orthopedic issues
- Lymphatic Drainage
Treatment with Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic floor dysfunction is extremely common and occurs when the muscles, tissues, or nerves of the pelvic floor are weakened, tightened, or injured by trauma, chronic strain, or overuse. The pelvic floor muscles surround the urethra, rectum, vagina, and prostate. Any dysfunction in these pelvic muscles can cause issues with reproductive health, sexual dysfunction, and many other issues including bowel difficulties and urinary trouble.
Pelvic floor dysfunction can result from a traumatic injury such as a fall, or from sporting activity, surgery, or childbirth. They can also happen from more chronic issues, such as infection or chronic inflammation such as endometriosis. Pelvic floor disorders can even be a result of poor alignment or posture, pelvic anatomy, overuse, or improper movement.
Our team utilizes internal and external manual therapy to help mobilize your muscles and provide symptom relief, such as myofascial release, trigger point release, connective tissue release, craniosacral therapy, biofeedback techniques, gentle mobilization of organs to improve function, cold laser/heat/cold therapy, and electrical stimulation.
We also provide you with specific at-home exercises for you to perform regularly in order to teach your body new movement patterns and to help further mobilize the pelvic floor muscles and tissues.
What To Expect
During Your Initial Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Appointment
Your first appointment with our physical therapy team at Beyond Basics will begin with us asking questions in order to learn more about you and provide us with the context we need to understand your body and any symptoms you are experiencing.
We’ll also conduct a physical exam, which is a hands-on evaluation based on your symptoms. This might involve evaluating external and internal muscles, with the purpose being to trace your issue to its source(s) in order to alleviate pain.
These internal manual techniques are applied to structures of the pelvis. This includes the pelvic floor muscles, nerves, and bones. We want you to be as comfortable as possible during the session – you have the right to refuse any treatment at any time without explanation.
Your PT will also provide you with exercises to begin at home to address your symptoms and ease your pain. These at-home exercises are customized specifically based on your needs.
During Your Additional Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Appointments
Each pelvic floor physical therapy appointment is one hour long. Your physical therapist will spend 45 minutes or more with you performing manual therapy and the remaining time discussing your progress, answering questions, and providing at-home exercises when necessary.
Our sessions are intentionally structured this way, as we have found this is the ideal amount of time for the clarity, consistency, and results we are looking to help you obtain.
Your symptoms should begin to improve within 4 to 8 weeks (or sooner).
Client Testimonials
Beyond Basics Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: We Can Help
At Beyond Basics, we are committed to treating pelvic floor issues with sensitivity to each individual’s needs, regardless of sex, race, identity, age, or orientation – we treat the whole person with a comprehensive, caring biopsychosocial approach.
Since 2003, Beyond Basics has been a place of hope and healing for our patients. We believe skilled and compassionate healing can restore your body’s harmony and balance. Founder, Amy Stein, and co-founder, Corey Hazama are renowned experts and leaders in pelvic floor PT.
The skilled physical therapists at Beyond Basics receive extensive training to qualify them to be the world’s leaders in pelvic floor rehabilitation. All of our therapists have been carefully selected to work at Beyond Basics because they possess the right expertise, kindness, and empathy to allow them to excel in our practice. Our therapists have completed hundreds of additional hours outside of their doctorates both internally and externally through institutes such as Herman and Wallace and the American Physical Therapy Association, to help hone their practice and provide exceptional treatment efficiently and compassionately. In addition to being the world’s first and foremost experts in pelvic floor dysfunction, our individual therapists have cultivated additional skills unique to their own personal interests. Read more about each one of our therapists here.
Get help now from a pelvic floor therapist.
The Endometriosis Journey: A Comprehensive Resource from Diagnosis to Treatment
Welcome to The Pelvic Messenger, presented by Beyond Basics Physical Therapy, where we're breaking...
Exploring the Role of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Managing Endometriosis
What is Endometriosis? Do you experience significant pelvic and abdominal pain during your period...
Understanding the Ties Between Bowel, Bladder, and Sexual Function
What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, and How Does it Relate to Bowel and Bladder Issues?Pelvic floor...
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Which insurance providers do you work with?
We accept Cigna, United Healthcare, Aetna, and Oxford insurance out-of-network plans. Our billing staff will submit claims on your behalf. You can also make convenient monthly payments with various finance options with Care Credit. We offer our patients special interest-free financing of 6, 12, or 18 months. We also offer discounted package rates through Care Credit.
If you have specific questions about insurance coverage, financing, or financial assistance, please call our billing office at: 212.354.2622 or email [email protected]
How many sessions will the treatment take with my physical therapist?
The number of sessions treatment will take varies among patients. Your Beyond Basics physical therapist will thoroughly discuss your treatment plan with you and will adjust it as needed.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule my appointment?
Thank you for choosing us in your healing journey. Our mission is to enhance your overall physical health. We promise to provide you with excellent care and respect. We want you to completely understand our financial policies, so here they are:
| Appointment Fee | Authorizing BBPT to charge credit card on file at time of service is rendered, based on fee sheet |
| Late Cancellation Fee | 100% of the time reserved for you on the therapist schedule |
| No Show Fee | 100% of the time reserved for you on the therapist schedule |
| Non-Sufficient Funds Fee | $30.00 |
| Cancelled/Stopped Check Fee | $30.00 |
| Late fee (charged in increments of 15 minutes) | $84.75 |
- You can avoid the late and cancellation fees listed above. If you need to cancel your appointment, simply notify our administrative staff 24 business hours prior to your appointment time. To avoid the no show fee, please call the office to let us know you will not be able to make your appointment. If you are able to reschedule your appointment within the same week, you will not be charged for cancellation fee.
- If you no-show or late cancel (cancel within the 24 business hours time frame) more than 2 times in a row, we will place you on a 48-hour cancelation policy and charge you the appointment fee at the time of scheduling.
- You will also be responsible for collection fees and court costs in the event of default of payment of charges.
What should I wear to each session?
We ask that you wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes
What will your treatments help with?
Our pelvic floor physical therapy manual treatments and exercises will help with muscle spasms, relieve trigger points (tight muscles), and address any other uncomfortable symptoms related to your condition. Our goal at Beyond Basics is to provide complete symptom relief and improve your quality of life.
