I'm a pelvic floor therapist and I love my job

I’m a pelvic floor physical therapist. Oftentimes, unless someone already has a problem with their pelvic floor with leaking or pain and has spoken with their doctor, midwife, or doula about it, most people have probably never really heard of their pelvic floor or even realize that they even have one (looking at you men) let alone that you can have physical therapy for your pelvic floor. Everyone has a pelvic floor- men, women, and yes, even children. 

So, what do I really do as a pelvic floor therapist? As much as I joke with my patients that my job is to teach them how to poop, pee, and breathe, at the end of the day, as a pelvic floor physical therapist, it is my job to teach my patients how to take care of their pelvic floor to help them with their incontinence, pelvic pain, bladder issues, etc. I want everyone to know that yes, your pelvic floor includes your vagina, your penis, your anus, and everything else in the neighborhood, but you know what? The pelvic floor muscles are just that, MUSCLES. There are some other considerations we have to keep in mind since the pelvic floor does control the bladder, bowels, and sexual function however is it so far off to think that when something goes wrong, whether it’s leaking or pain, that we look at how the muscles are moving and functioning? Is the problem because things are weak or too tight? How is everything else around the area moving and how can that impact the pelvic floor and your symptoms? What we look at and treat as a pelvic floor therapist is no different than if you came to me because your shoulder or neck hurt. 

What is so cool about being a pelvic floor therapist is that even if you are coming to me for a problem “down there” is that I get to work with the whole body because so many things can impact the pelvic floor whether it is finding how something can negatively impact the pelvic floor or finding something that can positively impact the pelvic floor. I want the world to know that it isn’t just about kegels and squeezing and tightening things. 

I’m a pelvic floor therapist and I love my job.