Pelvic Pain

Pain with intercourse is often due to pelvic floor dysfunction. This usually involves pelvic floor muscle tightness: when a muscle is too tight and not able to relax or lengthen, it's going to be painful when there's a big, abrupt stretch to that muscle. In pelvic floor physical therapy, we work to relax and stretch the internal and external pelvic floor muscles to help them tolerate the stretching and pressure that comes with intercourse.

Vaginismus is pain with any vaginal penetration. This includes sexual activity, gynecological exams, inserting a tampon, and more. This issue usually occurs with pelvic floor muscle tightness. In pelvic floor physical therapy, we work to relax and stretch the internal and external pelvic floor muscles to help them stretch and move with ease.

Learn more about vaginismus in this blog post.

Vulvodynia is when someone has pain at the vulva, which encompasses the external female genitalia. This may feel like burning, stinging, irritation, or rawness. This may happen with sexual activity, tampon use, wearing tight clothes, sitting on hard surfaces, or anything that puts pressure on the external genitalia. This often involves pelvic floor muscle tightness and possible pelvic nerve irritation. At Sage Physical Therapy, we work to stretch, relax, and provide blood flow to the muscles, nerves, and tissues of the vulva to help them tolerate irritable activities.

Vestibulodynia is when someone has pain at the external genitalia that is localized to the vestibule, which is the vaginal opening. This may feel like burning, stinging, irritation, or irritation of the vaginal opening. There may be pain with vaginal penetration and/or anything that puts pressure on the vaginal opening. This may happen with sexual activity, tampon use, wearing tight clothes, and/or sitting on hard surfaces. Vestibulodynia often involves pelvic floor muscle tightness and possible pelvic nerve irritation. At Sage Physical Therapy, we work to stretch, relax, and provide blood flow to the muscles, nerves, and tissues of the vulva to help them tolerate irritable activities.

Endometriosis is when your body grows tissue similar to uterine tissue (endometrium) outside your uterus. This tissue may grow throughout your pelvic and abdominal cavity and on organs in these areas. The most common symptoms of endometriosis are: pelvic and abdominal pain (especially during menstruation), painful intercourse, painful bowel and bladder function, and possible infertility. It takes individuals an average of 7+ years to be diagnosed with endometriosis, which is a terribly long time to deal with these symptoms. Pelvic floor physical therapy is part of treatment for endometriosis to address pain, tightness, and guarding that is associated with endometriosis. This is in addition to medical management by a physician. Sage Physical Therapy can help reduce endometrial pain, normalize bowel and bladder function, and improve your quality of life.

Coccydynia simply means pain of the tailbone. Almost literally: a pain in the butt! Coccydynia can be caused by many factors including a fall on the tailbone (even if it's been years!), pregnancy and childbirth, pelvic floor muscle tightness, prolonged sitting, poor posture, and more. This can impact bowel and bladder function in addition to pain, often causing constipation and/or pain with bowel movements. Sage Physical Therapy will help to improve blood flow and mobility to the tailbone as well as the pelvic floor muscles around it, normalize bowel and bladder function, and reduce your pain.

The pelvic floor muscles have control over bowel and bladder function. The muscles must contract to keep you continent, then relax and lengthen to allow you to evacuate. If the pelvic floor muscles are too tight, they'll often have a tough time relaxing and lengthening efficiently to evacuate bowel and/or bladder. Sage Physical Therapy will help to relax and lengthen the pelvic floor muscles that are tight in order to help you have pain-free and normal bowel and bladder function.