Perhaps you’ve heard of pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) before, perhaps not. Many people are unaware of the role physical therapy can play in women’s health and pelvic rehabilitation.
Now, I am no expert in this area, but, we do have a great team here at Proactive that have taken specialized courses and training in PFPT In this article, I’ll share some of their insight and current clinical research around physical therapy, women’s health, and treatment options.
Why Choose Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (PFPT)?
So I guess the first question would be: “Why would someone be referred to PFPT?” Or “Why would someone book an appointment with this type of therapist?”
Good question. Here’s what one of our physical therapists who’s been trained in this area of practice says:
PFPT treats many different issues. Some of the most common reasons people seek out this treatment include: pregnancy, postpartum, low back/tailbone pain, stress incontinence, urge incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, painful intercourse, endometriosis, painful urination, frequency or urgency of urination.
As you see, this type of physical therapy treatment covers a wide range of issues. Often times, patients may be unaware PFPT treatment exists and how beneficial it can be (we hear this a lot in the clinic).
What The Research Says About PFPT & It Effectiveness
As with any area of medical research, evidence changes whenever new studies are published. That being said, PFPT continues to be supported in healthcare research and the clinical literature. We’ll just share a few recent findings from the research here.
Treatment has been shown to be effective in reducing stress urinary incontinence (SUI). In fact, one study showed that women treated with PFPT experienced a 67.9% reduction in frequency of SUI episodes in addition to improvement in other quality of life measures [1]. For issues related to urinary incontinence, therapists focused on exercises targeting specific pelvic muscles.
Findings from another systematic review suggest that Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy can be beneficial in patients with hypertonicity of the pelvic floor [2]. This treatment decreased symptoms of chronic pelvic pain, improved muscle function, and were also shown to improve quality of life scores on standardized tests. Treatments varied between 5 and 12 treatment sessions and included external manipulations, muscle exercises, and stretches.
Other research shows that PFTP has robust evidence-based support and clear benefit as a first-line treatment for most pelvic floor disorders [3]. Treatments focus on functional retraining & exercises. From the article: “Based on the available evidence, PFPT with or without supplemental modalities can improve or cure symptoms of urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, peripartum and postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction, and hypertonic pelvic floor disorders, including pelvic floor myofascial pain, dyspareunia, vaginismus, and vulvodynia.” [3]
It’s surprising how many people are unaware of this treatment, especially given the research that supports it.
Summary
Now, this article simply summarizes this topic of PFPT. I’m sure that the clinicians who specialize in this type of treatment could fill pages and pages with information. It’s truly an area of clinical specialty in and of itself. That being said, hopefully this article provides some insight into PFPT, why someone may consider seeking out a PFPT therapist, and what the research shows about this type of treatment.
If you are wondering if PFPT could benefit you, schedule an evaluation with a specialized therapist today!
If you have doubts, just look at one of our recent patients said about PFPT:
“I am really glad that I chose to see a pelvic PT this pregnancy. It has been super helpful and informative!”
-Rachel
References
[1] Diane F Borello-France, Halina M Zyczynski, Patricia A Downey, Christine R Rause, Joseph A Wister, Effect of Pelvic-Floor Muscle Exercise Position on Continence and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Women With Stress Urinary Incontinence, Physical Therapy, Volume 86, Issue 7, 1 July 2006, Pages 974–986, https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/86.7.974
[2] an Reijn-Baggen DA, Han-Geurts IJM, Voorham-van der Zalm PJ, Pelger RCM, Hagenaars-van Miert CHAC, Laan ETM. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Pelvic Floor Hypertonicity: A Systematic Review of Treatment Efficacy. Sex Med Rev. 2022 Apr;10(2):209-230. doi: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2021.03.002. Epub 2021 Jun 12. PMID: 34127429.
[3] Wallace, Shannon L.a; Miller, Lucia D.b; Mishra, Kavitaa. Pelvic floor physical therapy in the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction in women. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology: December 2019 – Volume 31 – Issue 6 – p 485-493 doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000584
