Physical Therapy Services
Pelvic Physical Therapy
A safe, non-invasive approach to pelvic floor dysfunction.
Pelvic Physical Therapy
Are you experiencing pelvic pain, incontinence, or other pelvic floor issues? You are not alone, and there is a solution. At Midtown East Physical Therapy in New York City, we understand the sensitive and often debilitating nature of pelvic floor dysfunction. Our specialized Pelvic Physical Therapy services offer a safe, effective, and non-invasive approach to help you regain control, reduce pain, and improve your quality of life.
What is Pelvic Physical Therapy?
Pelvic Physical Therapy is a specialized branch of physical therapy that focuses on the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues of the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that supports your pelvic organs, including the bladder, uterus (in women), and rectum. When these muscles are weak, tight, or uncoordinated, they can lead to a wide range of problems, from chronic pain to bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Our NYC pelvic floor therapists use a comprehensive approach to address these dysfunctions. We go beyond just strengthening exercises, providing a holistic treatment plan that may include:
- Manual Therapy: gentle hands-on techniques to release muscle tension, improve circulation, and reduce pain.
- Biofeedback: using technology to help you visualize and understand your muscle activity, allowing for more effective muscle control.
- Therapeutic Exercise: targeted exercises to strengthen, stretch, and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles.
- Patient Education: we empower you with knowledge about your condition, lifestyle modifications, and self-management strategies.
Who Can Benefit from Pelvic Physical Therapy?
Pelvic Physical Therapy can provide significant relief for a variety of conditions affecting both men and women, including:
- Urinary Incontinence: stress, urge, or mixed incontinence.
- Pelvic Pain: chronic pelvic pain, painful intercourse (dyspareunia), or pain during urination or bowel movements.
- Postpartum Recovery: addressing diastasis recti (abdominal separation), pelvic pain, and incontinence after childbirth.
- Constipation: improving bowel function through targeted exercises and techniques.
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: providing support and strengthening to the pelvic floor muscles to manage prolapse symptoms.
- Prostatectomy Rehabilitation (for men): restoring bladder control and function after prostate surgery.
- Erectile dysfunction and sexual dysfunction.
Meet Our Pelvic Floor Specialist: Louisa Powers, PT, DPT
At Midtown East Physical Therapy, you are in expert hands. Louisa Powers, PT, DPT, is our dedicated pelvic floor specialist, bringing years of experience and a compassionate approach to her practice. Louisa is committed to creating a comfortable and supportive environment where you can openly discuss your concerns and work towards your goals. She stays at the forefront of the latest research and techniques, ensuring you receive the highest quality of care.
Ceren Acik, MS PT also treats pelvic floor dysfunction. Her clinical focus includes orthopedic rehabilitation, sports injuries, pelvic floor dysfunctions, and women’s health, and she is a certified Pilates and Yoga instructor who integrates mindful movement and functional exercise into individualized treatment plans.
Why Choose Midtown East Physical Therapy in New York City?
- Specialized Care: we are a trusted name in physical therapy, and our pelvic floor program is led by a true expert.
- Holistic Approach: we treat the whole person, not just the symptoms, addressing the root cause of your condition.
- Private and Comfortable Environment: our clinic is designed to provide a discreet and relaxing space for your therapy sessions.
- Convenient NYC Location: easily accessible from all parts of New York City, making it simple to prioritize your health.
Don’t let pelvic floor issues control your life. Take the first step towards a pain-free and confident future. Contact Midtown East Physical Therapy in NYC today to schedule your consultation and start your journey to feeling good again.
How It Works
How pelvic physical therapy works
Pelvic physical therapy assesses and treats the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue of the pelvic floor and the regions they work with — the abdomen, low back, hips and breathing mechanics. Assessment establishes whether the muscles are weak, overactive, or poorly coordinated, since those need different treatment and are not distinguishable from symptoms alone.
Sessions take place one-on-one in a private room. Treatment may include hands-on work, biofeedback, targeted exercise and education about bladder, bowel and daily habits. Internal examination is one possible component; it is never assumed, it is explained first, and it proceeds only with your consent.
What It Addresses
What pelvic physical therapy is used for
Pelvic physical therapy is used here to address presentations like these, in both men and women.
- Urinary incontinence — stress, urge or mixed
- Pelvic pain, painful intercourse, or pain with urination or bowel movements
- Postpartum recovery, including abdominal separation, pelvic pain and incontinence
- Constipation and bowel function
- Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms, and rehabilitation after prostate surgery
What to Expect
One-on-one care, built around you
Your care begins with a one-on-one evaluation. Rather than focusing on the symptoms alone, we establish a cause and effect relationship through accurate palpation and assessment of the body, then build a rehabilitation program customized to your individual needs.
- A private, one-on-one appointment. The first visit is largely conversation and history — including questions about bladder, bowel and sexual function, which are asked because they change the plan.
- An external assessment of the abdomen, low back, hips, posture and breathing before anything else is considered.
- Internal assessment only if it is indicated, only after it has been explained, and only with your consent. You can decline it and still be treated.
- A home program, and practical advice on habits — fluid, toileting, lifting, and how you use the muscles through the day — which is often the part that does the most between visits.
Common Questions
Questions we are asked about Pelvic Physical Therapy
- Is an internal examination always required?
- No. It is one possible part of the assessment, not a requirement. It is explained beforehand, it needs your consent, and you can decline it — treatment can proceed with external assessment and treatment instead. Say what you are and are not comfortable with; nothing happens without your agreement.
- Will I be seen by the same therapist each time?
- Continuity matters in pelvic health, and appointments are one-on-one in a private room. Louisa Powers, PT, DPT is our pelvic floor specialist, and Ceren Acik, MS PT also treats pelvic floor dysfunction. Call (212) 922-0044 and the front desk will arrange your scheduling.
- Do men have pelvic floor physical therapy?
- Yes. Pelvic floor dysfunction affects both men and women, and the conditions treated here include pelvic pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction and rehabilitation after prostate surgery.
- What should I wear, and what should I bring?
- Comfortable clothing you can move in. Bring your insurance card, a list of medications, and any relevant reports from your physician, obstetrician, urologist or gynaecologist. If you have been tracking symptoms, bring that too.
- Are Kegels the treatment?
- Not necessarily, and for some presentations they are the wrong thing. A pelvic floor that is overactive needs a different approach from one that is weak, and telling those apart is what the assessment is for. That is why the plan is built after the evaluation rather than handed out before it.