What to expect at your first Pelvic a physiotherapy appointment

You have been referred or someone has suggested you see a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist. You are eager to get solution for your issues, but you are also anxious how the first visit is going to be, will there be an internal assessment, would it be comfortable, why pelvic floor PT and what would happen??

At MM Physio (Pelvic physiotherapy near me), we know that coming in for a pelvic health assessment may be scary and you probably have some questions. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible during your time with us. Here is a breakdown of what to expect at your first appointment.

Check-in at the reception

· We suggest you come in 15 mins earlier for your first Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy appointment as we would have some paperwork that needs to be filled out.

· Your therapist would greet you at the reception and then you would begin the session in a private room.

In the Treatment Room:

· The physiotherapist will begin with History taking- basically a small chat on what brings you to the clinic. We listen to you without judgment.

· You DO NOT need to wax or shave prior to the appointment, all-natural or just trimming would work well.

· Our PT will ask you questions depending on your reasons for the visit; your symptoms, what is bothering you, your pain levels during different activities, what increases and what decreases your pain, eating, drinking, and sleeping habits, how many times do you use the bathroom in a day, etc. Sometimes these questions may seem odd or embarrassing, but they are relevant to your pelvic health and trust us, we have heard it all before!

· The Physiotherapist may assess breathing, posture, or other joints and muscles (hips, back, and core) to determine if there are any non-pelvic floor contributors to your symptoms.

· We will explain what we are doing and more importantly why we are doing it along the way. Any and every treatment would begin with your consent.

· We don’t have to do an internal exam during the first visit if you are not ready, there are many parts of the treatment that can be started externally.

· If an internal exam is appropriate for you, we will go over it with you in detail and get your consent before proceeding. If you are not comfortable having an internal exam we can discuss alternatives- you can have someone sit with you during the internal exam, and you can decline the internal exam altogether.

The Internal Exam:

· Your physiotherapist will set up the table with disposable sheets and would then step out of the room for you to change. You would need to undress from the waist down and drape yourself with the sheets.

· The internal pelvic floor exam will have you comfortably lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the table. We will use a gloved finger with lubrication and access your pelvic floor muscles vaginally. First, we will assess how tense or relaxed the muscles are. Second, we will assess the strength, coordination, and reflexes of the pelvic floor muscles by asking you to perform various types of Kegels and movements.

· If indicated, we can also assess for prolapse vaginally and/or rectally.

· Following the internal exam we will go over our findings, we will educate you about your condition, we will provide our specific recommendations, and together we will come up with a plan to achieve your goals.

If you have any further questions about what to expect, please feel free to contact our pelvic health physiotherapist Pooja Vyas.