“Women’s Health” versus “Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy”
Have you heard of women’s health physical therapy? Have you also heard of pelvic floor physical therapy? If you are wondering what the difference is, that is very understandable. They are overlapping terms and are sometimes wrongly used interchangeably. Women’s health physical therapy refers to treating pelvic floor dysfunctions in women only including postpartum and pregnancy conditions. This can include internal work to gain access to the pelvic floor muscles as well as addressing external musculoskeletal factors. Pelvic floor physical therapy is a term that includes women’s health but also includes people of all genders, sex, and age. Here is my journey about how I began in women’s health and expanded into pelvic floor physical therapy:
Women’s Health: this is where I first started! I was doing general physical therapy in an outpatient clinic treating your classic low back pain, shoulders, hips, knees, etc. I saw an opportunity and need in the community for more physical therapists that treat women’s health. I took a weekend course then immediately started and fell in love with the niche. I was treating women with pelvic floor dysfunction including pregnant and postpartum women. I was conducting internal examinations of the pelvic floor assessing muscle tone and strength. I was also keeping my physical therapy training in check making sure that my patients’ hips, low back, and core muscles were functioning well.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: I branched into pelvic floor physical therapy while working at Alpha Project Phyzio & Performance. I had a feeling I wanted to start treating all genders and sexes. I felt it was not fair that I offered this service to women but not men! There are plenty of men with tailbone pain and pelvic pain out there that need help. I again took an appropriate course and started. I am so happy that I took the leap and expanded my practice because it is very rewarding having the knowledge to treat anyone who walks into my door. I have since taken another leap to pediatrics. Many kiddos struggle with incontinence and constipation. While internal work would not be indicated here, there is still so much physical therapy can do for them.Below is a video that might explain what I do a little bit better!
It is always a little scary doing something for the first time, but I am so grateful to have started in women’s health then grown into pelvic floor physical therapy where I can truly have the tools and knowledge to treat all people of any gender or age. At Alpha Project Phyzio If you or someone you know is struggling with pelvic floor dysfunction and you want a pelvic floor expert to identify what the problem is and give you the tools to solve the problem(s) for the long-term, reach out to us and speak with a pelvic floor expert today!
Make sure to look at our Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy and Women’s Health page to learn more about pelvic floor physical therapy and if ti is right for you.
