39-year-old Angela was discussing her endometriosis-related pelvic pain with her gynecologist when she learned about the pelvic floor physical therapy available at KCP.
As she explained to her doctor, there were days that Angela experienced such severe pain that she was unable to leave her house. On these days, she resigned herself to staying on the couch all day with a heating pad. Sex was also becoming more painful in general.
During pelvic floor physical therapy, Angela says that she was impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the KCP staff. “Ashley was the physical therapist assigned to me and was an absolute gem to work with! She has a wealth of knowledge that she shared in a way that was easy to understand. Every time I met with her, I felt that she genuinely cared about my well-being,” she says.
“During our sessions, Ashley taught me how to use a pelvic wand to release muscle tension. She also taught me how to perform abdominal massages on myself to break up scar tissue from previous surgeries.
“While I will always experience pain due to my endometriosis, I now have the tools to specifically address the pain resulting from muscle tension and scar tissues related to my endometriosis. These tools have allowed me to have sex again without severe pain,” she shares.
Ashley, her physical therapist, says “Angela has come such a long way! We’ve been working on return to physical activity while also addressing symptoms of endometriosis. She’s been maintaining through physical exercises, stretches, and pelvic wand. And, she’s now able to participate in things she never thought she could have done before.”
As the Endometriosis Foundation of America shares in their article Everything You Need to Know About Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (PFPT) for Endometriosis, “Someone with endometriosis should come to pelvic floor physical therapy if they experience pelvic, abdominal, or back pain in general but specifically if it is interfering with completing activities throughout the day, exercises, recreation, sexual activity, and work.” Based on an assessment, a pelvic floor physical therapist can determine if the pelvic floor muscles or abdominals are contributing to your symptoms and devise a treatment plan if needed.
They also stress that you don’t need to have a diagnosis to be seen. “Simply experiencing pain and/or dysfunction is enough of a reason to seek pelvic floor therapy. While pelvic floor therapy will not cure your endometriosis or take away all of your pain, it can be a great tool to ease some of your symptoms,” says the article.
If you struggle with pelvic pain, back pain, or pain with sex or periods, you may be a candidate for pelvic physical floor therapy.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Ashley Williams if you’d like to learn more.