Diagnoses That Pelvic Floor Treatment Can Address
Pelvic floor therapy is a comprehensive treatment approach to address bladder, bowel, sexual, and orthopedic dysfunction, but many people still don’t realize pelvic floor treatment even exists. Whether you're recovering postpartum or have been quietly dealing with chronic pain or leakage for years, pelvic floor therapy can help. If you’ve been struggling with pelvic discomfort, pain, or dysfunction, you’re not alone, and you definitely don’t have to live with it.
Diagnoses That Pelvic Floor Treatment Can Address
Pelvic floor therapy supports people across the lifespan. We help with everything from common postpartum concerns to complex chronic pain conditions. By restoring strength, mobility, and coordination in the pelvic region - and also across the entire body - this treatment can transform your everyday function and quality of life.
Here are some of the most common conditions pelvic floor treatment can help with, and how it works:
Bladder & Urinary Dysfunction
Pelvic floor therapy can significantly improve bladder control and function by retraining muscles to relax, contract, and coordinate more effectively.
Common bladder issues include:
Urinary incontinence - leaking when you sneeze, run, laugh, or feel a sudden urge
Overactive bladder or frequency - needing to pee more often than usual or rushing to the bathroom
Urinary retention - feeling like you can’t fully empty your bladder
A strong muscle can go through a full range of motion - meaning it can fully contract and fully relax. The pelvic floor muscles are no different. Our treatment addresses these muscles, and the surrounding supportive connective tissue, to allow for optimal muscle function. When these muscles are strong and supported, the bladder can work as it should without any urgency, pain or leaking. Sometimes, the real root cause of the bladder symptoms is actually outside the pelvic floor. Issues with abdominal pressure, foot mechanics, and hip coordination and strength can also result in bladder symptoms. Our treatment might also incorporate abdominal massage and exercises for the feet and hips. This is why we treat the whole body - not just the pelvic floor.
Bowel & Gas Control Issues
Pelvic floor therapy also plays a key role in bowel health. Constipation, fecal incontinence, and even difficulty passing gas can be signs of pelvic floor dysfunction.
You might benefit from therapy if you’re experiencing:
Chronic constipation or straining
Hemorrhoids or anal fissures
Painful or incomplete bowel movements
Gas or stool leakage
The majority of people in the United States are constipated. Our diets, sedentary lifestyles and lack of education surrounding optimal nutrition and gut health mean that our bowels do not function as well as they should. Did you know that holding your breath and straining on the toilet can lead to all of the issues listed above? As pelvic floor therapists, we teach coordination and relaxation techniques to support proper bowel function and reduce tension in the muscles that contribute to poor elimination. Chronic constipation, in particular, can worsen pelvic floor issues over time. It’s strongly related to pelvic organ prolapse and back pain! This is why constipation is one of the first things we address with every one of our clients, and it allows for improvement of a variety of other pelvic health symptoms as well.
Chronic Pain & Musculoskeletal Dysfunction
Pelvic floor issues don’t just cause bladder or bowel problems; they can also contribute to chronic pain. Many people with persistent low back, hip, or tailbone pain are surprised to find pelvic floor therapy is the missing link in their recovery.
Pelvic floor therapy may help if you have:
Pelvic pain or pressure
Painful sitting or tailbone pain (coccyx)
Low back, hip, or groin pain that hasn’t resolved with traditional PT
The pelvic floor muscles attach to all of the muscles that control hip movement, and back and abdominal stability. If there is a history of injury (think SI joint, fall on tailbone, back surgery, etc), all of the pelvic floor muscles are affected as well. Imbalanced muscles or tension in one area impacts the surrounding areas. Through manual therapy, corrective exercise, and internal pelvic floor release (when appropriate), pelvic floor therapists help reduce muscle tension and rebalance the body from the inside out.
Sexual Pain & Dysfunction
Sexual health is deeply connected to pelvic health, but many people feel unsure where to turn when something doesn’t feel right. We are often dismissed by doctors, and told to “have a glass of wine to relax” if we express discomfort or pain.
Pelvic floor therapy can help address:
Painful intercourse (dyspareunia)
Difficulty achieving orgasm or lack of strength during orgasm
Vaginismus (involuntary tightness or closure of the vaginal muscles)
Numbness, lack of sensation, or low libido
By using hands on treatment, desensitization, and nervous system regulation techniques, pelvic floor therapists help restore comfort, confidence, and connection. Our treatment should NEVER cause more pain. As trauma-informed therapists, we work collaboratively with our clients to guide treatment to ensure that the entire process is comfortable, healing, and pain-free.
Pregnancy & Postpartum Recovery
The pelvic floor goes through major changes during pregnancy and postpartum - from increased pressure and weight to stretching, delivery trauma, and hormonal shifts.
Pelvic floor therapy can help with:
Aches and pains during pregnancy that are considered “normal”
Bladder concerns like leaking, urgency or frequency
Bowel concerns like constipation or painful bowel movements
Healing scar tissue from C-section or perineal scars
Pelvic organ prolapse
Postpartum pelvic pain
Discomfort with sex
Return to exercise postpartum
Diastasis recti (abdominal separation)
Early rehab can support long-term pelvic health, rebuild your core, and help you return to the activities you love with confidence. Even better, proactive pelvic floor therapy during pregnancy can limit the risk of severe tearing, pelvic injury during birth, and provide educational resources and tools to improve early postpartum recovery. We highly recommend seeing a pelvic floor therapist - even just once! - during pregnancy.
Hormonal & Reproductive Conditions
Hormonal changes can significantly affect the health and function of pelvic tissues—especially during perimenopause, menopause, or conditions like endometriosis or PCOS. Many people have been told to take some form of hormonal birth control to reduce symptoms associated with the conditions listed below. However, taking a medication that hides symptoms also hides the root cause of a hormonal imbalance, and can even make things worse over time.
Pelvic floor therapy can support those experiencing:
Vaginal dryness or atrophy
Painful sex after menopause
Pelvic organ prolapse
Endometriosis-related pelvic pain
PCOS-related tension or discomfort
Your therapist can help with education, tissue mobility, manual techniques, and exercises to ease discomfort and improve tissue health over time.
Pelvic Floor Treatment Can Address More Than You Think
Pelvic floor treatment is not just for postpartum women - it’s for anyone with pelvic health concerns. From adolescents with pain or leakage to older adults managing prolapse or mobility issues, this therapy supports whole-body function at every stage of life.
Even if you don’t have a specific diagnosis, pelvic health therapy can help improve your posture, core strength, breathing, and nervous system regulation.
Ready to feel more comfortable in your body? Book a visit with our team to explore how pelvic floor treatment can help you feel stronger, more supported, and more at home in your body.