In honor of National Women’s Health Week, Physical Therapist Rachel Mollica answers some common patient questions about physical therapy and women’s health.

What types of conditions are treated for women’s health?

There are number of conditions that a physical therapist can help treat throughout the continuum of a woman’s life (teenage years, nonparous, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, post menopause). Due to hormone differences girls and women are more susceptible to certain injuries and thus benefit from specific strengthening regimens for assisting to decrease the chances of such injuries.

Conditions that can be treated for women’s health include but are not limited to:

• low back pain
• urinary incontinence
• urinary frequency
• pelvic pain
• dyspareunia
• coccyx pain
• pudendal nerve dysfunction
• fecal incontinence
• constipation

I’m pregnant. How will this affect my appointment and/or treatment?

It depends on how far along you are in your pregnancy and what it is you are currently being treated for in physical therapy. Typically you will be able to continue with your physical therapy but the PT will avoid placing you in certain positions when performing manual treatment and/or exercises based on where you are during your pregnancy.

During pregnancy women experience hormonal changes which affect the strength of ligaments and cause other physiological changes. Often patients will seek a physical therapist who is specialized in women’s health to help with musculoskeletal impairments that are experienced during pregnancy such as low back pain, pubic symphysis dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and hip pain to name a few.

What can I expect at my first appointment, based on pelvic health related impairments?

At the initial evaluation the physical therapist will provide extensive education on what pelvic health physical therapy (PH PT) consists of, the difference between gynecological examinations by their MD and what a PH PT examination is. At some first appointments an internal pelvic floor muscle examination will be conducted following patient consent and understanding of what the PH PT is going to assess (musculature strength, endurance, coordination).

I have a chronic condition (interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, IBS) that is causing my pain. Can physical therapy help?

Yes physical therapy has been known to assist with relieving some symptoms with chronic conditions such as IC, Endometriosis and IBS. This is best received when in conjunction with care provided by the whole healthcare team of an urogynecologist, gastroenterologist, and other providers to address these conditions holistically.