Should pelvic physical therapy hurt?

Finding Pelvic Sanity

In pelvic physical therapy you’re dealing with dysfunctional tissue, reduced blood flow, increased inflammation and in an area the body is wired to pay close attention to.

But pelvic physical therapy should never hurt. We can’t treat pain with more pain. And the idea of ‘no pain, no gain’ not only isn’t true, it’s actively harmful.

Now, it can be uncomfortable, but there’s a major distinction. You shouldn’t be trying to ‘bear’ treatment. The discomfort should ease during the session as the PT works on the tissue. And your pelvic PT should be checking in to see how you’re doing if they’re working on a tender area.

In this ‘sode we discuss how to communicate with your pelvic physical therapist if things are hurting or if you need to seek a second (or third) opinion. Because there is a lot your physical therapist should be able to do if you are having pain in one area.

• They can just work somewhere else (there’s plenty to do!).
• They can relax your nervous system first.
• They can use a different technique.
• They can postpone working on that area until a different day.
• They can help you find medical management to decrease pain before working there.

You should never be in pain during pelvic floor physical therapy. It’s counterproductive and harmful to the overall process. If you are, make sure you say something to your pelvic PT. And be prepared to get a second opinion if necessary!

Remote Consultations
If you're struggling to get answers from your local practitioners or aren't sure what's next, PelvicSanity offers remote consultations to give you a concrete action plan going forward. Our expert team will evaluate your entire case and give you our honest, clear recommendations going forward. Check out our Remote Consultation program (www.pelvicsanity.com/remote) for all the details!
About Us
Dr. Nicole and Jesse Cozean are the founders of PelvicSanity Physical Therapy (www.pelvicsanity.com) in Southern California. The clinic has helped thousands of patients in the Orange County, CA area and hundreds from around the world with a remote consultation and Out of Town Program.
They co-authored The IC Solution and Nicole created The IC Roadmap online course to provide the most accurate, up-to-date information for those with interstitial cystitis. They run the Finding Pelvic Sanity Facebook group for a supportive online community for anyone dealing with pelvic health issues.
Nicole has also created courses and trained thousands of pelvic PTs to provide better care through her work with Pelvic PT Rising (www.pelvicptrising.com).

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Follow @pelvicsanity for great info!
• Join the Finding PelvicSanity support group
• Check out www.pelvicsanity.com for additional help!

And as always, we hope this has helped you find just a bit of pelvic sanity!