Glossary

Term · Postpartum: Your Body

pelvic floor physical therapy

Also: pelvic floor rehab, pelvic floor therapy, pelvic physio

Hands-on and exercise-based care for the pelvic floor, given by a physical therapist. It is used for leaking, pain, and recovery after pregnancy or birth.

In plain words

Pelvic floor physical therapy is treatment for the muscles and tissues of the pelvic floor. It can include guided exercise, breath and posture work, manual release of tight muscles, and advice about daily movement. Mothers may use it for leaking, pain during sex, pelvic or tailbone pain, or a feeling of heaviness in the pelvis. Some sessions include an internal exam with consent. Treatment often runs for several visits over weeks or months. It is one option among others, and it works best when it is part of an overall plan with your provider. Many mothers find the exercises easier to learn with a therapist than alone at home.

The deeper version

Pelvic floor physical therapy combines with manual therapy, biofeedback, education on bladder and bowel habits, and graded return to activity. Woodley et al. (Cochrane, 2020) support pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence in the antenatal and postnatal periods, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists lists pelvic floor physical therapy as a conservative first-line option for urinary incontinence (Practice Bulletin No. 155, 2015). Evidence for manual therapy and biofeedback as add-ons is mixed. Outcomes depend on the diagnosis, adherence, and the quality of assessment, and the approach is usually individualized rather than standardized across patients.

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Sources

  • Woodley SJ et al. — Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Practice Bulletin No. 155: Urinary Incontinence in Women (2015)

The Mothership Topic Wiki is general information for mothers and the people who care for them. It is not medical, legal, or mental-health advice and does not create a provider relationship. Experiences posted by members are their own. In an emergency call 911. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.