What should I expect at my first pelvic physical therapy appointment?

We know going to pelvic physical therapy can feel intimidating.  It may be a reason you’ve put off seeking care.  So we want to pull back the curtain and help you understand exactly what will happen at your initial pelvic physical therapy visit.Ultimately, we want you to know two things about your first pelvic floor physical therapy appointment:You should feel completely comfortable at every stage, understand what’s going on (and why) and agree together on whether you’ll do an internal exam.  An internal exam is absolutely not required if you’re not comfortable with it, and doesn’t have to be done on the first day.  However, it is the gold standard of care and if you’re not getting an internal exam you’re missing a huge piece of your puzzle.You should leave feeling much more knowledgable, having a better understanding of what is going on and with a solid plan to improve.  We want you feeling much more hopeful when you leave and excited to start improving!Once you arrive you’ll be escorted into a private treatment room.  You’ll sit down - still completely clothed - and talk with your physical therapist about what’s going on.   Your physical therapist will then explain a bit about the pelvic floor and let you know how the rest of the evaluation will take place.They will leave the room to allow you to undress and put on a patient gown so you’ll be covered as much as possible during the rest of your exam.The pelvic PT will usually start with doing a thorough external evaluation, seeing how you move, bend and stand.  This will (or should be!) all standing and off the table.They will explain exactly what’s going on, and then - as long as you’re completely comfortable - proceed to the internal portion of the exam.  It will involve a single gloved finger evaluating the muscles of the pelvic floor.  This should not be painful and your physical therapist will make sure you’re comfortable throughout the process.So you should be completely comfortable throughout the initial evaluation, have great communication with your pelvic physical therapist, understand what’s likely causing your symptoms and leave with a solid plan for how to move forward!<br/><br/>Finding Pelvic Sanity<br/><br/>If you haven't already, make sure to join the free and supportive online group - Finding Pelvic Sanity!<br/><br/>About Us<br/><br/>Dr. Nicole and Jesse Cozean are the founders of PelvicSanity Physical Therapy ([a]www.pelvicsanity.com%29[/a] in Southern California. The clinic has helped thousands of patients in the Orange County, CA area and hundreds from around the world with a remote consultation and Out of Town Program.<br/><br/>They co-authored The IC Solution and Nicole created The IC Roadmap online course to provide the most accurate, up-to-date information for those with interstitial cystitis. They run the Finding Pelvic Sanity Facebook group for a supportive online community for anyone dealing with pelvic health issues.<br/><br/>Nicole has also created courses and trained thousands of pelvic PTs to provide better care through her work with Pelvic PT Rising (www.pelvicptrising.com). Subscribe to the podcast Follow @pelvicsanity for great info! Join the Finding PelvicSanity support group Check out www.pelvicsanity.com for additional help! <br/>And as always, we hope this has helped you find just a bit of pelvic sanity!