Do you have unexplained low back pain or groin pain? What about a frequent need to visit the bathroom? Do you have difficulty holding your urine or stool? There is no need to be shy or embarrassed about this, with 25-50% of women experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction issues at some point in their lives (1). Older adults and post-partum women are also at higher risk. Your pelvic floor muscles are the muscles that line the floor of your pelvis surrounding your genitalia. You can think of these muscles as the muscles that hold up your bladder, uterus, rectum and support your abdomen. So, when you have issues using or relaxing these muscles, it can result in pain or difficulty when using the bathroom, or pain during intercourse for women. 

These muscles are like any other muscle in the body, and when they experience trauma, injury, stress, or are too tight this can lead to dysfunction or pain! The natural aging process causes muscles to weaken which can also result in incontinence or prolapse which is another sign of pelvic floor issues. After childbirth, it’s common for women to experience pelvic floor muscle weakness due to the stretching and strain placed on these muscles during pregnancy and delivery. The pelvic floor may become less supportive, with reduced strength and tone in the muscles that help stabilize the pelvic organs. Athletes in high impact sports such as running, dance, gymnastics, or strength sports like powerlifting are also at increased risk for pelvic floor dysfunction!

Pelvic floor physiotherapy treatment can help by assessing your pelvic floor muscle strength and the joints in your pelvis to understand what the problem is, and teach you exercises that can strengthen or relax your pelvic floor muscles, depending on what your pelvic floor needs are. Internal pelvic floor physiotherapy is a rostered act, meaning not just any physiotherapist can do it. At Waterdown Physiotherapy, we’re proud to have Trupti on our team — a physiotherapist who, through extensive additional training, is now rostered to perform internal pelvic floor assessments. Treatment may include the use of a Peristim machine for pelvic floor muscle strengthening. If you’re not comfortable with internal treatment, we can still support you, as our clinic owner and physiotherapist, Amber, also specializes in women’s health and provides external pelvic floor physiotherapy. No matter your comfort level or problem you are experiencing we can help you reach your best health at Waterdown Physiotherapy! 

1. Snyder, A. Pelvic floor PSA, National Institutes of Health Record. 2024 April;LXXVI(9): 8-9.

Reviewed by Trupti Munshi, Registered Physiotherapist