Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Chicago
The pelvic floor is a group of hammock shaped muscles at the base of your pelvis that support your bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs and play a key role in continence, sexual function, and core stability. These muscles work closely with your abdominals, low back, diaphragm, hips, and legs. Because all of these areas influence each other, pelvic floor physical therapy is most effective when it treats the whole system rather than one isolated muscle group.
At our River North clinic, your pelvic floor evaluation includes a thorough assessment of each of these components, from your breathing and posture to your hips, spine, and pelvic floor muscles. That gives us the full picture we need to build an effective, holistic plan of care, delivered one on one with your physical therapist for the entire visit.
You do not need a physician referral to start. Illinois direct access allows you to begin pelvic floor physical therapy without seeing your doctor first, although some insurance plans may still require a referral for coverage.
What we treat:
Prenatal Physical Therapy
Pregnancy changes your posture, joints, core, and pelvic floor week by week. We help with low back, hip, and pelvic girdle pain, diastasis recti, bladder leakage, and staying active safely, and we help you prepare your body for labor and delivery.
Postpartum Rehab
Whether you are six weeks or six years postpartum, we help you recover from a vaginal or C-section delivery. That includes scar tissue, perineal tears and episiotomy, diastasis recti, bladder leakage, and pain with intercourse, along with a safe, gradual return to running, lifting, and the exercise you love.
Urinary Incontinence
Leaking with coughing, sneezing, running, or a sudden urge is common, but it is not a normal part of aging. We treat stress, urge, and mixed incontinence, along with urinary urgency and frequency, in women and men of all ages.
Perimenopause
Shifting hormones in your 40s and beyond can bring new bladder leakage, urgency, pelvic heaviness, and pain with intercourse. We help you build strength and control so you can stay active and comfortable through this stage of life.
Sexual Health and Pain with Intercourse
Pain with sex is common, but it is not something you have to accept. We treat pain with intercourse, vaginismus, vulvodynia, and pain after childbirth, surgery, or menopause in a private, one on one setting.
Hip, Groin, and Low Back Pain
The pelvic floor muscles attach to the pelvis, tailbone, and hips and work closely with your core and deep hip muscles. When they are tight, weak, or not coordinating well, the result can show up as pain in the hip, groin, low back, or tailbone rather than in the pelvis itself. If a general orthopedic approach has not fully relieved your symptoms, a pelvic floor assessment may uncover the missing piece.
We commonly help with:
- Persistent low back or SI joint pain that has not improved with standard treatment
- Deep hip or groin pain without a clear orthopedic cause
- Tailbone pain (coccydynia), including pain with sitting
- Pubic symphysis pain
- Pain that radiates into the buttock, inner thigh, or pelvis
- Hip or back pain along with bladder, bowel, or sexual symptoms
- Pain that started or worsened during pregnancy or after delivery
- Recurring hip or groin pain in runners and active people
When to come in: If your pain keeps coming back, has lingered despite treatment, or comes with pelvic symptoms like leakage, constipation, or pain with sex, it is worth looking at the pelvic floor. You do not need to have pelvic symptoms for the pelvic floor to be contributing.
What to expect: Your first visit includes a detailed conversation about your symptoms and history, along with a full assessment of your spine, hips, posture, breathing, and movement. A pelvic floor exam may be part of your evaluation, but it is always discussed with you first and done only with your consent. From there, your plan may combine orthopedic and pelvic floor treatment, including manual therapy, pelvic floor relaxation and coordination work, hip and core strengthening, and a return to the activities you love.
Ready to Book your Pelvic Physical Therapy Evaluation?
Pelvic floor symptoms are common, but they are not something you have to live with.
Work one on one with a physical therapist who takes the time to understand your symptoms, your history, and your goals. Every session is a full hour of dedicated care, and with Illinois direct access, you can get started without a referral.
Book your pelvic floor evaluation at our River North clinic today.