Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for endometriosis


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Women suffering from endometriosis can experience dysfunction in their pelvic floor. Chronic pain can cause trauma to the muscles, ligaments, nerves, and fascia of the pelvis and abdominal wall. This can result in pain in the pelvis, difficulty urinating, difficulty having bowel movements, painful sex, and pain with movement.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is when your pelvic floor muscles are not functioning properly. The pelvic floor muscles should be able to contract, relax, and lengthen.

Pelvic floor physical therapy with a trained physical therapist can help to alleviate some of the issues that come along with pelvic floor dysfunction such as low back pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain, pain with sex, urinary urgency and frequency, bladder leakage, constipation, bloating, and more!


what is PFPT


Pelvic Floor Therapy

Pelvic Floor Therapy involves exercises and stretches that help to strengthen and relax the pelvic floor.  Pelvic Therapy can help to manage the symptoms of endometriosis such as painful menstrual cramping, abdominal discomfort, pelvic floor pain, and painful intercourse by:

  • Treating connective tissue dysfunction
  • Treating myofascial trigger points
  • Gentle manual therapy techniques aimed at releasing adhesions and restoring proper mobility of the internal organs, such as uterus, bladder, colon and small intestines
  • Correcting postural and movement dysfunction


You need to be aware that having Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy involves internal examination, which some may find emotionally uncomfortable. During the internal exam, your physical therapist will place a gloved finger into your vagina or rectum to assess the tone and strength of your pelvic floor muscles and tissues.

These internal exams can tell if there are trigger points (painful spots), muscle/tissue shortening, or nerve irritation and/or bony malalignment that could be causing pain directly or inhibiting the full function of your pelvic floor muscles.

Exercises and massage are used to release trigger points and muscles are aligned, and you may be given exercise to perform at home.  A therapist may teach you exercises of how to contract and relax pelvic floor muscles in relation to other muscles.

You may also be taught breathing and timing techniques to make the exercises more effective. Such exercises can stretch tight muscles, strengthen weak ones, and improve flexibility.

There are many women who are having success using this particular therapy to help reduce their symptoms of endometriosis, but like I said, it depends how you feel about having internal manipulation and treatment.


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