What is Pelvic Floor & Core Physiotherapy?

Pelvic Floor & Core Physiotherapy is a branch of physiotherapy specifically targeted at assessing and treating the pelvic girdle, low back and hips.  It takes into account the bony structures, muscles, nerves and connective tissue in this area and how it relates to a patient’s symptoms or condition.

Based on your condition it may be important to address either overactivity/ tightness (hypertonicity) of the pelvic floor muscles or underactivity/ weakness (hypotonicity) of the pelvic floor and core muscles.  Other things such as posture, breathe dynamics and pain perception can also play a large role in treating pelvic floor and core dysfunction.

Who are our clients?

Everyone has a pelvic floor! Pelvic floor & core physiotherapy treats both males and females who experience any of the following conditions:

• Bladder or bowel incontinence (leaking) or constipation
• Rectus diastasis
• Prenatal patients preparing for delivery
• Pelvic girdle pain pre/ post-partum
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse
• Pelvic pain following a trauma
• SI Joint dysfunction
• Pudendal nerve irritation (Numbness in the pelvis, or groin)
• Unresolved low back or hip pain
• Osteitis pubis
• Nocturia (frequent urination at night)
• Chronic Prostatitis (Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome)
• Vaginismus or Vulvodynia

Symptoms patients can report include:

• Pain during intercourse
• Pressure or Heaviness
• Tailbone pain

The ages of our patients vary from youth to seniors.  Examples of our patient population can include everyone from youth gymnasts or cheerleaders, to pre/post-natal mothers, male cyclists and rugby or soccer players, menopausal women and pretty much everyone inbetween.

What can I expect during a treatment?

Your comfort is our main focus.  The treatment rooms each have a door for your privacy.  Each exam and treatment will be tailored specifically for each patient to address their concerns on a level they are comfortable with.  You will be asked for your informed consent before any examination begins and you can revoke this consent at any time. A session may include an external or internal physical exam, individualized exercises to be done in clinic and / or at home, manual therapy, postural therapy, addressing pain perception and behaviors, and a personalized treatment plan. You are welcome to bring another person into this exam if you wish and you are also always welcome to bring your children if you need.

What kind of treatment will I receive?

It’s so much more than just kegels!

Did you know what sometimes your pelvic floor and core dysfunction can be stemming from muscles that are too tight or imbalanced?  Not every condition needs to be treated with kegels.  Some conditions need to work on proper breathing mechanics, body alignment and posture, specific muscle relaxation and motor retraining.  It’s not as scary as it sounds, many exercises are small changes you can make during your time spent driving in the car, breast feeding your infant, standing in line at the grocery store, each time you go to the bathroom, or during warmup for your sport.  Education is one of the most valuable tools we can give you.  We try to empower our patients to take control of their health by understanding lifestyle factors and anatomy that may affect their condition. Additional treatment techniques including TENS or electrotherapy or IMS (dry needling) may be used to alleviate pain.

It’s important to have a full in-person assessment from a trained pelvic floor physiotherapist to determine the best course of treatment for your symptoms. If you would like us to communicate with other health care professionals involved in your wellness we can do so directly with your consent.

These appointments are one-on-one between you and your physiotherapist for your specific appointment time so please be aware that if you are late to an appointment, we unfortunately cannot extend your appointment block as we will have another patient booked in after you.