Physical Therapy
Individualized pelvic health and musculoskeletal care designed around your needs, experiences, and goals. From pelvic floor symptoms and persistent pain to pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and beyond. Our care starts with listening to you and understanding the whole picture.
Who is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy For?
Pelvic floor concerns can develop for many different reasons—including injury, surgery, pregnancy and childbirth, other health conditions, or simply the changes that happen throughout life. And because pelvic health concerns are often difficult to talk about, they can go unrecognized or untreated for years.
If any of the following sound familiar, pelvic floor physical therapy may be worth exploring.
Pain & Musculoskeletal Symptoms
You experience pelvic pain—including pain in the genital region, perineum, pubic area, bladder area, or pain with urination.
You have a history of falling onto your tailbone, lower back, or buttocks, even if it happened years ago or during childhood.
You have a history of low back, hip, groin, or tailbone pain, or have been diagnosed with “sciatica”—particularly if symptoms have not improved as much as you hoped with traditional physical therapy.
Prolonged sitting makes your symptoms worse.
You experience pressure or heaviness deep in your abdomen or pelvis, or a sensation that something is “falling out.”
Bladder & Urinary Symptoms
You experience urinary symptoms, including:
Urinary leaking
Feeling unable to completely empty your bladder
Frequent or persistent urges to urinate
Pain or burning with urination, particularly when infection has been ruled out
Difficulty starting your urine stream or frequent stopping and starting
You regularly wake up more than twice per night to urinate.
Bowel Symptoms
You experience bowel symptoms, including:
Loss of bowel control
Difficulty holding in gas
Feeling unable to completely empty your bowels
Straining or pain with bowel movements
Difficulty initiating a bowel movement
A history of hemorrhoids
A history of gastrointestinal conditions such as IBS or Crohn’s disease
Sexual & Reproductive Health
You experience pain or discomfort with sexual activity, or intercourse is difficult or not possible.
You have been diagnosed with a reproductive or hormonal condition, including:
Endometriosis
PCOS
PMDD
Other conditions that affect your pelvic or reproductive health
Life Stages & Major Changes
You are pregnant. Pregnancy brings significant changes to the pelvic floor, core, posture, and musculoskeletal system. You don't have to wait until something hurts to learn how to support your changing body.
You are postpartum, regardless of whether you had a vaginal or Cesarean delivery.
You have experienced a miscarriage and are looking for support as your body recovers.
You are navigating perimenopause or menopause. Hormonal changes during this stage of life can affect bladder, bowel, sexual, and pelvic health.
You have undergone abdominal or pelvic surgery and want support with recovery, mobility, or returning to your normal activities.
Your Whole Body Matters
You experience high levels of stress or feel like stress affects your physical symptoms. The nervous system, muscles, and pelvic floor are interconnected, and this can be an important part of understanding the bigger picture.
You don't need to check every box—and you don’t need to have a diagnosis before seeking care.
If something doesn’t feel right, is interfering with your daily life, or has been bothering you for longer than you'd like, it may be worth having a conversation with a pelvic health physical therapist.
You know your body best. You don't have to wait until your symptoms become unbearable to ask for help.
What to Expect at Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Starting pelvic floor physical therapy can feel like a big step, especially if you aren't sure what to expect. Your care at Natural Resilience is designed to be collaborative, respectful, and centered around your goals and comfort.
Your First Visit
Your first session is all about discovery—for both you and Dr. Morgan.
Your visit will begin with a thorough conversation about your health history, your symptoms, how they affect your daily life, and what matters most to you in your recovery. Your intake paperwork is an important part of this process and should be completed before your appointment so Dr. Morgan can come prepared to listen and ask the right questions.
Sometimes this conversation takes much of the first visit, and that's okay! Understanding your whole story is an important part of determining the best approach to your care.
From there, your physical examination will be tailored to your individual needs. Dr. Morgan will look beyond the area where you're experiencing symptoms to identify other areas that may be contributing to your movement or dysfunction.
Your examination may include:
Posture and alignment
Movement and range of motion
Functional movement and body mechanics
Strength and muscle control
Hands-on assessment of muscles and soft tissues
An internal pelvic floor examination, when appropriate and only with your consent
Once the examination is complete, Dr. Morgan will explain her findings, answer your questions, and work with you to establish goals and develop a treatment plan.
You will also receive a plan for what you can work on between visits. This may include exercises, self-observation, habit or activity modifications, or a combination of these. Your participation between visits is an important part of making progress and getting the most out of your care.
Follow-Up Visits
Follow-up sessions will look different from person to person—and may change throughout your course of care.
Every visit will begin with a brief check-in about how you're feeling, how you've responded since your last session, what has changed, and how things are going with your plan between visits. This helps Dr. Morgan determine what your body needs that day and how to appropriately progress your overall treatment plan.
Your session may include a combination of:
Manual therapy
Therapeutic exercises
Motor control and stabilization exercises
Biomechanical retraining
Functional training
Education and self-management strategies
Your treatment will always be adapted to your specific needs and the feedback you provide.
The final portion of each session will be used to review what you worked on, answer questions, and update your plan between visits. And please ask questions along the way! Dr. Morgan is always happy to explain what she's doing, why she's doing it, and how it fits into your overall plan.
The Internal Exam
If you are seeking care for pelvic floor symptoms, Dr. Morgan may recommend an internal pelvic floor examination to better understand how the muscles and other soft tissues of the pelvic floor are functioning and how they may be contributing to your symptoms.
An internal pelvic floor exam is different from a typical gynecological exam. No stirrups or speculums here! Instead, the examination typically involves a single-digit internal assessment of the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding tissues.
Dr. Morgan will be looking to assess for:
Tissue tension
Tenderness or pain
Muscle strength
Muscle coordination and control
Impacts of surrounding tissue on pelvic floor function
This information can be extremely helpful in understanding the potential contributors to pelvic floor symptoms and functional limitations. An internal examination may also provide useful information when pelvic floor function may be contributing to symptoms in areas such as the low back, hips, or abdomen.
Your Comfort and Consent Come First
An internal pelvic floor examination is never required for you to receive physical therapy.
It does not have to happen during your first visit, and you can decline an internal examination at any time. If you are not comfortable with an internal exam—or are unable to participate in one for any reason—there are other ways to assess and treat pelvic floor dysfunction. It may simply take additional time and different assessment strategies to understand the full picture.
No examination or treatment will ever be performed without your explicit, informed consent.
If you have questions or concerns about an internal examination, Dr. Morgan is happy to discuss them with you before your appointment or during your visit. You deserve to feel informed, respected, and comfortable throughout your care.
Do not let the possibility of an internal exam prevent you from getting the care you need and deserve.
Begin Your Journey Towards Better Health and Wellness Today.
Please do not submit detailed medical information using the general contact form above. You will be provided with a separate, secure intake form to provide such details as appropriate.