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Many clients tell me they never heard of pelvic floor therapy until they met me or googled their symptoms. Unfortunately most doctors aren't spending enough time with their patients to ask the right questions and refer patients to pelvic floor therapy.
A colleague of mine developed this quiz to see if pelvic floor PT might be beneficial. You can take the quiz below and find out if you would benefit from pelvic floor PT.
This is from the Cozean Pelvic Dysfunction Screening Protocol
Instructions: Check all that apply
1. I sometimes have pelvic pain (in genitals, perineum, pubic or bladder area, or pain with urination) that exceeds a ‘3’ on a 1-10 pain scale, with 10 being the worst pain imaginable.
2. I can remember falling onto my tailbone, lower back, or buttocks (even in childhood)
3. I sometimes experience one or more of the following urinary symptoms
-Accidental loss of urine
-Feeling unable to completely empty my bladder
-Having to void within a few minutes of a previous void
-Pain or burning with urination
-Difficulty starting or frequent stopping/starting of urine stream
4. I often, or occasionally, have to get up to urinate two or more times at night
5. I sometimes have a feeling of increased pelvic pressure or the sensation of my pelvic organs slipping down or falling out
6. I have a history of pain in my low back, hip, groin, or tailbone or have had sciatica
7. I sometimes experience one or more of the following bowel symptoms
-Loss of bowel control
-Feeling unable to completely empty my bowels
-Straining or pain with a bowel movement
-Difficulty initiating a bowel movement
8. I sometimes experience pain or discomfort with sexual activity or intercourse
9. Sexual activity increases one or more of my other symptoms
10. Prolonged sitting increases my symptoms
If you answered yes to 3 or more questions then pelvic floor dysfunction is likely and you should contract the office to set up an evaluation. This applies to all genders, not just women.
Email or call the office to discuss your symptoms and schedule an initial evaluation if you answered yes to 3 or more items on this list. These symptoms are not going to get better on their own even if you kegel all day. I see plenty of clients who have strong kegel muscles but still have pelvic floor dysfunction. There are other things we do in pelvic PT than just kegels.
Share this with your friends or family who might benefit from this knowledge as well. You can also share this with your medical providers as an easy way for them to find out if you need pelvic PT without spending extra time with you in their already overbooked schedules.