One of the most fulfilling aspects of my job as a pelvic floor physical therapist is helping patients realize that treating pelvic floor conditions doesn’t have to mean having surgery or taking medicine. Yes, surgery and medicine can be vital tools when the body is misbehaving, and you should always consult with your doctor when deciding on a treatment, but surgery and medicine are not without their drawbacks. Surgery is risky. Medicine can have side effects. Pelvic floor physical therapy is a less frightening option, and helps with a wide range of pelvic floor conditions.
In fact, according to UC San Diego Health, the majority of pelvic health conditions do not require surgery and can be resolved by more conservative methods, including the pelvic floor physical therapy I regularly administer in my practice as a pelvic floor physical therapist in New York City. Of course this isn’t just limited to the pelvic floor. Patients with other conditions can benefit from physical therapy as well. Harvard has noted how it can be “as good as surgery and less risky” for lumbar spinal stenosis, a form of low back pain.
The New York Times recently published an article entitled “When to Try Physical Therapy Before Surgery.” The article looks at Dr. Lindsey Plass, a physical therapist who was diagnosed with the hip issue femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (F.A.I.). A surgeon told her that she had to have hip arthroscopy if she wanted to have any chance to run in marathons ever again. Despite the recommendation, Plass was unsure it would help. But taking a chance on physical therapy paid off. She was able to get back into marathons and never had to go under the knife thanks to physical therapy.
One drawback to physical therapy? It can require more patience, as it is a process that can take months and sometimes years, but for so many, it is the better option. Still doubt the power of pelvic floor physical therapy? Many of my patients have seen life-changing improvements from the pelvic floor physical therapy they’ve received from Revitalize Physical Therapy. On my Google reviews page, for instance, Anya mentions how we cured (yes, cured!) her prolapsed bladder after childbirth in only a few weeks, while Elka raves about how I helped her diastasis recti, a postpartum abdominal muscle separation.
Do you have a pelvic floor condition that’s getting in the way of you being the best and happiest version of yourself? Or do you just feel weird “down there” and you’re not really sure what’s going on? Have you heard about pelvic floor physical therapy, and are you perhaps curious how or if it might be able to help? It costs nothing to find out if pelvic floor physical therapy can
change your life, and you have everything to gain! Click the button on the upper right corner of this page to schedule a free phone consultation with me to discuss the difference pelvic floor physical therapy can make in your life.
Sources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22346-diastasis-recti
https://health.ucsd.edu/care/gynecology/urogynecology/#treatmenthttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/in-depth/bladder-control-
problems/art-20044220
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/colorectal-surgery/pelvic.html
https://www.ajmc.com/view/pelvic-floor-disorders-part-2-barriers-to-effective-treatment
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/physical-therapy-as-good-as-surgery-and-less-risky-for-one-
type-of-lower-back-pain-201504097863