What to Expect
What to Expect In Your First Visit
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Welcome To Pelvic Floor Therapy!
Your pelvic floor is made of muscles that support important every-day functions. Sometimes those muscles need physical therapy… here is what to expect!
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Information Gathering
In a private treatment room you will meet one-on-one with a NOLA Pelvic Health physical therapist. We’ll discuss concerns, and ask all the questions about pooping, peeing, sexual health, day-to-day activities, etc.
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Assessment
After getting all the details, the therapist will perform an assessment, which typically includes checking posture, evaluating pelvic alignment, and placing light pressure on your hip muscles.
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Internal Assessment – With Consent
With your consent, the therapist will perform an internal pelvic floor muscle assessment through the vaginal or anal opening to check for strength, tension, and coordination.
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Education
Next is a lot of education on what to start working on immediately, perhaps some stretches if you need lengthening or relaxation or strengthening if you need more support and strength. We will then discuss next steps.
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We Are Here For You
It's a lot to work into an hour (or less) but should give your therapist an idea if PT is the right thing for you and give you, the patient, a few things to start working on at home until your next session. Most of all, you should feel comfortable, respected, and listened to in your session. The first step can be scary to take but so worth it.
Our Philosophy
We strive to provide our patients with the best quality of care and experience possible. All of our treatment sessions are private, one-on-one, and with an experienced pelvic health physical therapist for one hour. We assure you that you will not feel rushed and you will have open communication with your therapist during and between your treatment sessions.
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In the state of Louisiana, a referral from a physician is not required to attend pelvic health physical therapy. If your therapist feels additional medication examination or treatment is indicated, we may encourage you to see a physician or can refer you to a physician.
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We are “out of network” with all insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid. This allows us to spend more one-on-one time in our sessions and provide the highest quality of care to our patients. We collect payment at the time of service in the form of cash, credit card, check, flexible savings accounts or health savings accounts. We absolutely work with each patient to develop a plan that works for their schedule, lifestyle, and budget.
You may be able to file this with your insurance company “out of network” reimbursement.” If you are interested in knowing your level of “out of network” reimbursement, please call your insurance provider and ask about their coverage for “out of network physical therapy”. This is solely the responsibility of the patient. Upon request, we can provide a superbill or itemized bill with all the necessary information to submit it to your insurance. This is the sole responsibility of the patient to do so.
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We treat individuals of all genders (yes, men too!) over the age of 18. We do not accept patients under the age of 18, but we are happy to recommend a therapist who does specialize in pediatric pelvic floor issues. CHECK OUT OUR PHYSICAL THERAPY SERVICES
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If you are coming to our clinic for a pregnancy wellness/childbirth preparation visit, it can often be helpful to write a list of specific questions or concerns you have. The therapists want to provide as much or as little information as you are comfortable with. These questions/concerns can range anywhere from what to expect during delivery to what to do in the first 2 weeks postpartum. We do provide internal pelvic floor assessment to our pregnancy wellness patients (with the exception of the first trimester), so if you feel this something you are interested in but would like clearance from your OB/midwife first, feel free to contact them prior to your appointment.
If you are seeing us for pelvic floor dysfunction, it may be helpful to make a list of the symptoms you are experiencing (urinary leakage, pelvic pain, prolapse, constipation, etc). We will discuss all your symptoms with you in detail during the appointment.
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Absolutely. Our office coordinator loves babies, so she is always happy to rock your sweet little bundle of joy during your session. Do note we do have stairs to enter the clinic in the case you plan to bring a stroller. We can also use this time to assess your body mechanics when holding/nursing/picking up your baby, and do some training as well. If you are currently nursing, we encourage you to nurse your baby as needed throughout the appointment. We also have a waiting area where family or older children are welcome to sit and hang out during your session.
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Absolutely, we have partners come in all the time. This can be especially helpful if there are ways we can educate your partner to help you at home.
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We want you to wear whatever is most comfortable to you. Whether that be workout clothes or a ball gown, your comfort is our primary focus.
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The first session is a lot of information gathering. Its an hour long session, one-on-one in a private treatment room and you will discuss your history, concerns, and symptoms that have brought you into the clinic.
After the therapist takes a thorough history, they will do an initial assessment, which typically includes an assessment of posture, pelvic alignment, external pelvic girdle and hip muscles and an internal pelvic floor muscle assessment to assess the muscle strength, tone and function of your pelvic floor muscles.
An internal vaginal and/or rectal muscle assessment will only be performed with your written and verbal permission and only if you are comfortable. If you would prefer to wait until a future session or not at all, we are totally fine with that. It is street parking, and we do have stairs to enter the clinic.
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Treatment while on your period is a decision left solely up to the patient. While we understand that the nature of our appointments can make this seem like a definite road block, we are still able to treat patients during menstruation or focus only on external techniques and exercises during that particular session. However, if this is something you are not comfortable with, we can absolutely reschedule your appointment to a more appropriate time.
