Holistic Pelvic Care

Is Holistic Pelvic Care for you?

As a Naturopathic Physician who loves to incorporate body-centered techniques into my healing practice, I recommend Holistic Pelvic Care to address a wide variety of gynecologic health concerns.  Holistic Pelvic Care was created by Tami Kent, a physical therapist with decades of experience helping thousands of women heal from physical illnesses including uterine and pelvic floor prolapse, post-partum pelvic floor dysfunction, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, chronic vaginitis/vaginosis, painful and/or heavy menses, and physical and emotional trauma to the pelvic floor.

What is Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Holistic Pelvic Care is a gentle intra-vaginal manual therapy technique designed to release hypertonicity and trigger points in the pelvic bowl muscles, release fascial adhesions and restrictions within the pelvic floor, and to balance and realign blood and energy flow in the pelvis.  The actual technique is very different from most other gynecological procedures, most patients report feeling more comfortable and less exposed during these sessions than other gynecological exams.  The patient will lay face-up on a massage or exam table, and is usually covered with a sheet and blanket for warmth and comfort.  The patient is asked to undress only from the waist down, and her lower half will be covered with the sheet and blanket for the duration of the treatment.  A single gloved finger will be inserted into the vagina with lubrication, and the practitioner’s other hand will be placed over the patient’s lower abdomen.  After a quick pelvic floor assessment where the patient is asked to squeeze and lift her pelvic floor several times, the treatment will begin.  The practitioner may or may not do a visualization exercise with the patient, and the practitioner will communicate with the patient while feeling for and releasing areas of restriction and muscle tension.

Is Holistic Pelvic Care Painful?

Most patients report feeling some areas of tenderness to touch and pressure in their pelvic floor, which your practitioner will assess and monitor over the course of several treatments.  A good pelvic floor practitioner will make sure to check-in with you and adjust the level of pressure or length of treatment based on how tender or painful it is for you.  In my experience, patient’s will often notice significant improvement in areas of pain or tenderness over the course of several treatments.  Sometimes patients also report feeling slightly sore and tender after treatment for up to a day, but any serious change or increase in pelvic pain should be reported to your practitioner right away.

How many sessions will I need?

This is entirely based on you.  There are widely varying opinions among medical practitioners about how long the course of treatment for the pelvic floor should be, but in general we expect to see significant improvement in 6-12 sessions.  Often, patients experience excellent progress in 3-4 treatments, but it will depend on the severity and chronicity of your symptoms in addition to other factors like lifestyle, exercise and diet.  For a typical patient, I recommend a 90-minute initial appointment where I can do a full Naturopathic intake, physical exam, and initial pelvic floor assessment, with at least 3 weekly one hour follow-up appointments.

Is Holistic Pelvic Care Covered by Insurance?

Pelvic floor therapy has been used for decades by physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners, and is often covered by insurance under a patient’s physical therapy benefits.  I usually see patients for their Naturopathic care, and for the pelvic floor portion of the visit, I will bill under their physical therapy benefits.  To know for sure, call the customer service number on your insurance card and ask them whether you have physical therapy benefits.  If so, ask how many visits are covered per calendar year, whether there is a separate deductible to be able to use these benefits, and whether a prior authorization is needed for physical therapy.

Are there any risks associated with Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Holistic Pelvic Care is not recommended during pregnancy but can be extremely beneficial post-partum after 6 weeks or more.  Additionally, pelvic floor therapy is specifically recommended as part of a holistic approach to fertility and pre-conception, as it can tone the pelvic floor in preparation for pregnancy and labor.  Pelvic floor therapy is also not recommended during active vaginal infections like bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhea/chlamydia, or yeast infection.  Finally, pelvic floor treatment is not recommended during the acute recovery phase from pelvic or abdominal surgery, but can be safely used 6 or more weeks following surgery.