Pelvic pain, bladder leakage, pressure, painful intercourse, bowel problems, and changes during pregnancy or postpartum can affect nearly every part of your life.
But women are often told these symptoms are “normal,” something they have to live with, or something that will eventually go away on its own.
At Floor Fabulous Physical Therapy, we provide individualized women’s health and pelvic floor physical therapy in Las Vegas for women experiencing pelvic floor, bladder, bowel, pregnancy, postpartum, and pelvic pain concerns.
We don’t just want to give you exercises.
We want to help you understand what’s happening, why you’re experiencing symptoms, and what you can do about it.
What Is Women’s Health Physical Therapy?
Women’s health physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy addressing conditions that can affect women throughout different stages of life.
Pelvic health is an important part of that care.
Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissues that helps support your bladder, bowel, reproductive organs, and pelvic structures. These muscles also play important roles in bladder and bowel control, sexual function, movement, and managing pressure throughout the abdomen and pelvis.
When something in this system isn’t functioning well, symptoms may show up in ways you wouldn’t immediately associate with your pelvic floor.
That can include bladder leakage—but it can also include pelvic pain, constipation, vaginal pressure, painful intercourse, urinary urgency, difficulty exercising, and other symptoms.
Our Women’s Health Physical Therapy Reviews
“I cannot recommend Antoinette at Floor Fabulous Therapy highly enough. From my very first appointment, she has been an exceptional listener who truly took the time to understand my experience…”
– Brooke
Conditions We Treat
Women’s health physical therapy covers much more than bladder leakage.
At Floor Fabulous, your treatment starts with identifying what may be contributing to your symptoms.
Urinary Incontinence & Bladder Leakage
Do you leak when you cough, sneeze, laugh, run, jump, lift weights, or try to make it to the bathroom?
Urinary incontinence is common, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it as part of being a woman, having children, or getting older.
Pelvic floor physical therapy can evaluate muscle function, coordination, breathing, pressure management, bladder habits, and the activities that reproduce your symptoms.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pelvic pressure, vaginal heaviness, or feeling or seeing a bulge can be symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse.
A prolapse diagnosis doesn’t automatically mean you need surgery or have to stop exercising.
Pelvic floor physical therapy may help improve symptoms, pelvic floor function, pressure management, bowel mechanics, and confidence during everyday activities.
Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain can be complicated.
Symptoms may involve the pelvis, vagina, vulva, abdomen, hips, tailbone, or low back and can sometimes overlap with bladder, bowel, or sexual symptoms.
Pelvic pain may also occur alongside conditions such as endometriosis, vulvodynia, vestibulodynia, bladder pain syndrome, or following pelvic or abdominal surgery.
Physical therapy doesn’t treat every underlying medical cause of pelvic pain. Instead, we evaluate whether muscles, connective tissues, nerves, movement, pelvic floor function, or other musculoskeletal factors may be contributing to your symptoms.
Painful Intercourse
Pain during intercourse isn’t something you should simply be expected to tolerate.
Pain may occur at the vaginal opening, with deeper penetration, after intercourse, or with other types of vaginal insertion such as tampon use or pelvic examinations.
Depending on the cause, pelvic floor muscle tension, sensitivity, coordination, scar tissue, or other musculoskeletal factors may contribute.
Your evaluation helps us determine what may be involved rather than assuming you simply need to “relax.”
Urinary Urgency & Frequency
Always looking for the nearest bathroom?
Urinary urgency and frequency can have several potential causes.
When infection and other medical causes have been appropriately evaluated, pelvic floor dysfunction may be one factor worth investigating.
Your pelvic floor evaluation can look at muscle tension and coordination, bladder habits, breathing, movement, and other factors that may contribute to your symptoms.
Bowel Dysfunction & Constipation
Your pelvic floor plays an important role in bowel movements too.
Pelvic floor dysfunction may contribute to symptoms such as:
- Constipation
- Difficulty emptying
- Repeated straining
- Feeling like you haven’t completely emptied
- Difficulty coordinating a bowel movement
- Fecal urgency or leakage
Treatment may address pelvic floor coordination, relaxation, breathing, toileting mechanics, and other factors identified during your evaluation.
Pregnancy & Postpartum
Pregnancy and childbirth place significant demands on the body.
Women’s health physical therapy can help address musculoskeletal and pelvic floor concerns that develop during pregnancy or postpartum.
Depending on your individual situation, that may include:
- Pelvic or low back pain
- Pelvic pressure or heaviness
- Bladder leakage
- Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms
- Painful intercourse
- Abdominal or C-section scar concerns
- Returning to exercise
- Returning to running or strength training
- Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction
Whether you’re preparing for birth or trying to feel like yourself again afterward, treatment should reflect your individual recovery and goals.
Abdominal & C-Section Scar Concerns
A surgical scar can remain sensitive, numb, tight, or uncomfortable long after the original incision has healed.
For some women, scar mobility and surrounding tissue function may be one factor considered during a broader pelvic floor and movement evaluation.
Treatment may address sensitivity, mobility, breathing, abdominal function, movement, and how the abdominal wall and pelvic floor work together.
This is one of the reasons pelvic floor problems can be frustrating.
The symptoms don’t always seem connected.
You might see one provider for bladder urgency, another for constipation, and another for painful intercourse or low back pain without realizing that pelvic floor function could be one piece of the overall picture.
Symptoms that may warrant a pelvic floor evaluation include:
- Bladder leakage
- Urinary urgency or frequency
- Pelvic or vaginal pressure
- A vaginal bulge
- Pelvic pain
- Painful intercourse
- Pain with tampon insertion
- Constipation or difficulty emptying
- Tailbone pain
- Pelvic symptoms after surgery
- Symptoms during pregnancy or postpartum
- Difficulty returning to exercise because of pelvic symptoms
Having one of these symptoms doesn’t automatically mean pelvic floor dysfunction is the cause.
The purpose of an evaluation is to determine what is actually contributing.
Women’s Health PT Is More Than Kegels
“Kegels” have become almost synonymous with pelvic floor treatment.
But not every pelvic floor problem is caused by weak muscles.
Some women need strengthening.
Others have muscles that are overactive or have difficulty relaxing.
Some have problems with coordination or timing.
Others need to improve the way their pelvic floor responds during coughing, lifting, exercise, bowel movements, or changes in abdominal pressure.
That’s why blindly doing more Kegels isn’t an individualized treatment plan.
We assess first. Then we treat what we find.
What Happens During a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Evaluation?
Your first appointment starts with a conversation.
We’ll discuss your symptoms, medical history, bladder and bowel habits, pregnancy and childbirth history when relevant, previous surgeries, activity level, and what you want to get back to doing.
Depending on your symptoms, your physical therapy assessment may include:
- Movement and orthopedic assessment
- Hip and trunk function
- Breathing mechanics
- Abdominal function
- Pelvic floor muscle strength
- Pelvic floor relaxation and coordination
- Pressure management
- Bladder and bowel habits
- Scar mobility when relevant
- Movements or activities that reproduce your symptoms
An internal pelvic floor examination may also be recommended when clinically appropriate and only with your consent.
You should understand what we’re assessing, why we’re assessing it, and how our findings relate to your symptoms.
Treatment Built Around You
Two women can walk into the clinic with the same diagnosis and need completely different treatment.
Your plan may include:
- Pelvic floor muscle training
- Pelvic floor relaxation and coordination
- Manual therapy when appropriate
- Breathing and pressure-management strategies
- Bladder training
- Bowel and toileting strategies
- Mobility exercises
- Strengthening
- Exercise modification and progression
- Scar treatment when appropriate
- Education
- Return-to-running or return-to-lifting strategies
- An individualized home program
The goal isn’t simply to perform exercises during your appointment.
It’s to help you understand your body and use what you’re learning in your everyday life.
A Different Kind of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
If you’ve already seen multiple providers, had testing that didn’t fully explain your symptoms, or been given exercises that didn’t help, it can be frustrating to start over again.
That’s why listening and education are central to care at Floor Fabulous.
Your symptoms don’t exist in isolation.
When appropriate, we look at how your pelvic floor relates to your movement, muscles, bladder and bowel habits, previous surgeries, activity level, and other aspects of your care.
And when other medical providers need to be involved, collaborative care matters.
Our goal is for you to leave with a better understanding of what’s happening and a clear plan for moving forward.
Our Women’s Health Physical Therapy Reviews
“…Her dedication to patient education is remarkable—she even lent me a book on endometriosis to help me better understand my condition.”
– Brooke
Do I Need a Referral for Women’s Health Physical Therapy?
Nevada allows patients to access physical therapy without first obtaining a physician referral in many circumstances.
However, your individual insurance plan or clinical situation may have additional requirements.
If your symptoms suggest that medical evaluation or another specialist is appropriate, we’ll discuss that with you.
Women’s health physical therapy is often one part of a larger healthcare team that may also include your OB-GYN, urogynecologist, urologist, gastroenterologist, surgeon, primary care provider, or other specialists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a women’s health physical therapist treat?
Women’s and pelvic health physical therapists may treat conditions involving bladder and bowel function, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain, painful intercourse, pregnancy and postpartum concerns, and other musculoskeletal or pelvic floor conditions.
Is women’s health physical therapy the same as pelvic floor therapy?
There is significant overlap, but women’s health physical therapy can encompass a broader range of conditions affecting women throughout different stages of life. Pelvic floor rehabilitation is an important part of women’s health physical therapy.
Do I have to have an internal exam?
No. An internal examination may provide useful information for some pelvic floor conditions, but it should only be performed when appropriate and with your informed consent. Your physical therapist can explain why it may or may not be recommended.
Do I need to have had children to need pelvic floor therapy?
No. Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect women who have never been pregnant or given birth.
Is bladder leakage normal after having children?
Bladder leakage is common after pregnancy and childbirth, but common doesn’t mean you have to simply live with it. Persistent leakage is worth evaluating.
Can pelvic floor therapy help pelvic pain?
Physical therapy may help when muscles, connective tissues, movement, pelvic floor function, or other musculoskeletal factors contribute to pelvic pain. Pelvic pain can also have medical causes, so appropriate medical evaluation and collaborative care may be important.
What should I wear to my first appointment?
Wear something comfortable that allows you to move easily. Your first visit includes time to discuss your symptoms, history and goals before determining which parts of the physical assessment are appropriate.
Our Women’s Health Physical Therapy Reviews
“…She takes time to explain the exam, her assessment and recommended treatment plan and patiently and thoroughly responds to any questions I have.”
– Tara
Women’s Health Physical Therapy That Starts by Listening
You know when something doesn’t feel right in your body.
You shouldn’t have to become an expert in pelvic health before you can ask for help.
Whether you’re experiencing bladder leakage, pelvic pressure, pelvic pain, painful intercourse, constipation, pregnancy or postpartum concerns—or you’re simply not sure whether your symptoms could involve your pelvic floor—we can start by figuring that out together.
At Floor Fabulous Physical Therapy, you’ll receive individualized women’s health and pelvic floor physical therapy in Las Vegas built around your symptoms, your body, and your goals.
Ready to find out what’s contributing to your symptoms?
Ready to Reclaim Your Life?
Book Your Evaluation Today
