Happy Pride from our team at Hudson Valley Physical Therapy. In the spirit of inclusivity and celebrating everyone, we’d like to share how pelvic PT can help YOU.
Have you ever been recommended for pelvic floor physical therapy? A quick google search may bring up several results about how key pelvic floor PT is for people after pregnancy and delivery…not always so much on all the other people who can benefit from pelvic PT.
Don’t get us wrong. We love our prenatal and postpartum clients, but everyone has a pelvic floor and therefore can experience pelvic floor dysfunction.
How do I know if I may need pelvic floor physical therapy?
If you experience any of the following symptoms, you can benefit from a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation.
- Leakage of urine or feces
- Genital pain
- Pain during or after any type of sexual activity
- Constipation
- Fecal urgency/ frequency
- Urinary urgency/ frequency
- Pain with urination
- Frequent UTI like symptoms
- Lower abdominal pain
- Unresolved low back, SIJ, and hip pain
- Heaviness or pressure in the pelvis
- Inability to use tampons or painful GYN exams
- Post surgical pain i.e. hernia repairs, bottom surgery etc.
- Changes from cancer treatments
- And more
How does Hudson Valley Physical Therapy make the pelvic floor PT experience inclusive and positive?
Training
HVPT’s founder has taken specific coursework in treating the individual pelvic floor needs of those with different gender identities. Geri White has shared this knowledge with her team to create an inclusive and positive healthcare experience for our clients.
Intake
Our intake includes a question so you can express your pronouns. We don’t make assumptions. We want to know how you would like to be addressed. The same goes for our subjective evaluation, we don’t assume sex is the same for everyone. Regardless of the type of sexual activity you partake in, it should not be painful and we are here to help.
Evaluation
At Hudson Valley Physical Therapy, we have various pelvic floor models that we use to educate our patients. Together, we can select the model that best represents your anatomy and gender identity.
Why is pelvic floor physical therapy especially important for the Transgender population?
Top or bottom surgery is a major decision to enhance quality of life. Pelvic floor physical therapy is essential post surgery, especially bottom surgery. Many times, the success of a surgery depends on rehabilitation and lifelong maintenance after. Our PT’s have the training to help you work toward your post surgical goals.
Even if you decided not to undergo surgery, you can still benefit from pelvic PT. Hormones have a tremendous impact on your pelvic floor tissues. If you are undergoing any type of hormonal intervention and notice any of the signs of pelvic floor dysfunction above, it may be time to reach out to our team.
Finally and sadly, the trans population is at least four times more likely to experience sexual violence than their cis counterparts. Sexual trauma is a leading cause of various types of pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic PT can be part of the multidisciplinary team on your healing journey.
Once again, happy pride! Everyone has a pelvis and deserves care. At Hudson Valley Physical Therapy, we aim to provide an exceptional healing experience for all.
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/ncvs-trans-press-release/