A Compassionate Approach to Pelvic Health
Are you struggling with symptoms related to your pelvic area, such as pain, incontinence, or sexual difficulties? Pelvic floor physical therapy can help. But for people with a history of trauma, treatment might not be so straightforward. That’s why we practice trauma-informed pelvic floor therapy at Revive Physical Therapy.
Your pelvis is located between your hip bones and in the lower part of your abdomen. It contains your pelvic organs–your bladder, bowels, and genitals–along with your pelvic floor, a sling of muscles that supports those organs. Dysfunction in the pelvic floor can lead to various symptoms and issues, including the following:
- Pain in the pelvic region
- Urinary incontinence
- Constipation
- Fibromyalgia
- Lower back pain (without other causes)
- Pain or discomfort during intercourse
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Period pain
But because the pelvis is so closely associated with the most private parts of our body, it can become associated with trauma. Trauma-informed pelvic floor therapy recognizes this fact, along with the ways that trauma can impact treatment.
At Revive Physical Therapy, we strive to make pelvic floor therapy accessible to all who need it, regardless of their history. If you’d like to learn more about our trauma-informed approach to care, call our Issaquah, WA clinic today.
What Does Trauma-Informed Pelvic Floor Therapy Look Like?
Trauma-informed care is about recognizing you as a whole person with a complex life history that will shape how you experience care. Our therapists have undergone training to recognize the signs of trauma in our patients and to incorporate specific techniques that seek to provide a safe, welcoming environment for all.
Several principles guide our approach to pelvic floor physical therapy:
- Safety: We will work to ensure all patients feel psychologically safe in our offices.
- Transparency: We will be transparent about our decisions so you can understand why we make the suggestions we do.
- Collaboration: We recognize that treatment is a collaboration between our therapists and our patients. We will honor your voice!
- Empowerment: We will work to ensure you feel empowered in your treatment.
- Awareness: We recognize our own internal biases with regard to sexual orientation, race, age, etc., and work to address them.
We also understand that many patients have medical trauma stemming from interactions with past healthcare providers. We endeavor to break that cycle by working diligently to avoid re-traumatizing patients.
What to Expect During Your Appointments
Your initial appointment will include an in-depth assessment to help us understand your symptoms and condition. This is not a brief visit like you might experience in a doctor’s office. Appointments typically last between 60 – 75 minutes and will include a full health history and comprehensive physical evaluation, with plenty of time for you to share your concerns.
We provide a private, relaxing space for your appointment. Our goal is to help you feel comfortable sharing your concerns without fear of judgment, and we will always ask permission before making any physical contact.
The information we gather during this initial consultation will go into developing your customized care plan. Most pelvic floor issues stem from restrictions or weakness in the pelvic floor muscles, so we typically build care plans around the Three Rs:
- Relax: We’ll use gentle, hands-on techniques and stretching exercises to lengthen and relax the restricted tissue.
- Revive – We’ll show you simple pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the tissue.
- Return – We’ll provide functional training and/or actionable strategies to help you return to day-to-day activities without pain or other symptoms.
At every step of your treatment, you will have a say in what activities do or do not feel comfortable for you. If something is triggering or psychologically difficult, you can stop it–no questions asked.
You don’t have to suffer from fibromyalgia, pelvic pain, and dysfunction. Find relief with trauma-informed pelvic floor therapy at Revive Physical Therapy.
Sources
- https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org/what-is-trauma-informed-care/
- https://www.physio-pedia.com/Pelvic_Floor_Dysfunction
Your Next Steps…
Request An Appointment
Receive A Custom Treatment Plan
Work Hard and Progress In Your Recovery
Recover & Enjoy Life Pain-Free!