Your First Visit
We know the idea of therapy, let alone Pelvic Health Therapy, can seem overwhelming and scary. We wanted to take this space to help ease your mind and let you know that your thoughts are valid and heard. Our intentions are to make your care personalized and meet you where you are: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Prior to your first visit, you will be asked to fill out a form (similar to what you do in a doctor’s office) and have it ready prior to your therapist’s arrival. At arrival, your therapist will set up the table and begin a conversation with you about what you are experiencing. She will probably take out her computer and take notes on your conversation. Following this, your therapist may begin some external examination while you continue to explain what is going on. Getting a good feel for your muscles, nervous system, and how your body moves is one of the main goals for your first session. At this point an internal examination may be deemed necessary, but a thorough conversation will be held understanding the pros and cons to said examination. All of this helps create a baseline of where you are at and help paint a picture of where you want to go. Our picture we create is broken down into a three-step plan: Lengthen, Strengthen, Prosper.
What is the Lengthen Phase?
During the lengthen phase of your recovery, the focus is on relaxation and stretching. This can be relaxation of an overactive nervous system, learning how to breathe properly, and stretching proper muscles within your pelvic girdle. Yes, even those of you that leak urine with activity probably have muslces that need to be stretched before they can be strengthened. Fun fact, Kegals are NOT the answer to many pelvic floor problems.
What is the Strengthen Phase?
Once your muscles are properly lengthened, we can move into the next phase of your recovery, strengthening! Now, it must be noted that just because you have moved to the next stage of your recovery, doesn’t mean we can forget where you came from. Your therapy sessions are fluent, meaning we can work on challenging tasks of strengthening; however, we may go back to portions of the lengthening phase. That’s the beauty of your recovery, it’s ever-changing and growing. In the strengthening phase, we will work on balancing the strength within your pelvic floor, low back, core, and legs. If you think of your torso like a barrel of whisky (hear us out), you have your diaphragm on top, your abs in the front, your back muscles behind, and your pelvic floor beneath. If one of those areas are too weak or too strong, it can throw off the entire barrel and cause your barrel to break. This is why it’s so important to strengthen with a purpose and know what muscles you are working on. Your therapist will be able to explain to you the purpose of each exercise given.
What is the Prosper Phase?
The prosper phase. We first need a little dictionary intro to this question to understand what the word Prosper means. According to a Google search, Prosper means to flourish physically; grow strong and healthy. This is our end goal for every patient we see. To get them to the Prosper stage of their recovery. In this phase we will combine the lengthen and strengthen phase and apply it to functional tasks. Again, these phases are meant to be fluent. You may be working on certain portions of the Prosper phase early in your care, but need to save other portions of this phase towards the end of your care. You and your therapist will design a personalized recovery program suited just for you!
We hope this space was used to the best of our ability to help ease your mind and answer any pertinent questions prior to your visit. Of course, if you have any questions or concerns prior to coming in, feel free to email or call/text us and we will be happy to assist you. We are an open book when it comes to your care and want the best for you!