By Julia Kachianos
There seems to be many misconceptions about pelvic floor physical therapy. At least for me, I had always had the idea that it was mainly meant for women, especially older or pregnant women. I also had the notion that the pelvic floor only related to our urinary and sexual health. Dr. Christine Abrams is a pelvic floor physical therapist employed by Ethos Performance and Pelvic Physical Therapy. She shared her presentation ‘10 Things Every Rehab Professional Should Know About Pelvic Health’ to the other TrainSMART Personal Fitness students and me. This presentation clearly demonstrated the critical role of the pelvic floor while shedding light on how little we may know of its importance on overall health.
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What is the Pelvic Floor?
Dr. Abrams began by breaking down the anatomical components of the pelvic floor. While doing so she explained how the pelvic floor beautifully worked with the surrounding structures of the body, particularly the core. She taught that the core is more than just having visible abs, but includes both the diaphragm and pelvic floor. They work together and oppose one another to create abdominal pressure for stability and control. Because of the pelvic floor’s relationship to the diaphragm, we learned that instability in one system can lead to dysfunction in the other. It was interesting to learn all of the ways our pelvic floor related to our daily living – whether it is our sexual health, core stability, posture, or even our breathing – it is important to recognize all of its purposes so that we may better care for ourselves. Often many of the musculoskeletal issues we have can trace back to instability in the pelvic floor.
Why Does It Matter?
It was very clear that Dr. Abrams is an expert in her field. Beyond the physiological aspects of pelvic PT, I immediately noticed and valued the way she discussed client interactions. Receiving pelvic floor care is a personal experience and can be quite awkward and uncomfortable for clients to talk about, especially with someone that they don’t know. Someone can be a true expert in their field, with great knowledge of the human body and how it functions. That being said, that same professional must be able to build trust with their client so that they may feel safe and comfortable to communicate openly about their health. To accomplish this, Dr. Abrams stressed the importance of outlining expectations for the client and mirroring their language.
Takeaways For Future Physical Therapists
A practitioner should be able to walk their clients through the entirety of an assessment, describing both what they will do and how they will do it, and gain verbal consent for each step. Dr. Abrams shared that there have been many occasions where clients had cried or hugged her just for simply making them feel heard and validated in their experiences.
This was especially the case for her male clients. She shared that many men often feel they do not have the space to open up to their primary care doctors about such personal issues. Her personable and comforting demeanor allows her to avoid awkwardness and embarrassment throughout her sessions. “Everyone has a pelvic floor” and should be treated with respect and dignity regardless of gender or age.
In addition to this, we can build rapport by actively listening to everything a patient shares and reflecting the language they use back to them to show empathy and understanding. In her own words, being “delicate but direct” allows us to find the balance in being both professional and considerate. I feel that this is a standard all practitioners should strive to live by. For most people, seeking help can be the hardest part. As a future physical therapist myself, I hope to remember Dr. Abram’s insights on the significance of this often-overlooked aspect of physical therapy, as well as its role in improving both physical and emotional well-being.
