OHSU offers a full range of physical therapy for people with pelvic conditions that affect the bowel, bladder and pelvic or abdominal muscles. You’ll find:

• Physical therapists who are national leaders in pelvic health.
• Specialists in the muscles and nerves that contribute to pelvic pain, pain in pregnancy, bladder and bowel disorders and reproductive cancers.
• An experienced team offering long-term ways to reduce pain. We make sure our care fits your goals and needs.
• Care for people of all ages and gender identities.
• Effective technology, including two-channel electromyography for pelvic floor therapy.

Complete care

Our pelvic health team works closely with OB-GYNs at the Center for Women’s Health and other therapists in Rehabilitative Services. We also work with specialists across OHSU, including:

• Knight Cancer Institute
• Department of Urology
• Digestive Health Center
• Transgender Health Program

Our therapists learn about your health history and talk with your other providers as needed. We make sure your physical therapy treatment fits your overall treatment plan. We also make sure your treatment meets your needs and goals. This means:

• We only use techniques that you are comfortable with.
• We give you access to leading diagnosis and treatment options.
• We offer options and techniques to help you manage pain and other pelvic health conditions throughout your life.

Conditions we treat

We care for pelvic health concerns including:

• General pelvic pain
• Pelvic pain after treatment for reproductive cancers
• Pain during or after pregnancy
• Vulvar pain
• Pain associated with sex
• Bladder function at any age (urgency, incontinence or issues related to prostatectomy)
• Bowel issues like leaks or constipation
• Abdominal muscle separation (diastasis recti)
• Vaginoplasty therapy

Our services

Physical therapy can help you:

• Keep control of your bowel and bladder.
• Have less pain and keep moving throughout pregnancy.
• Have less pain and strengthen your muscles after pregnancy.
• Move more with less pain during cancer treatment.
• Feel less tired during cancer treatment.
• Control your pelvic floor muscles before and after vaginoplasty.

Your treatment plan may include:

Therapeutic exercise: Your therapist will show you ways to strengthen muscles that can reduce pelvic pain or help you control your bladder and pelvic floor.

Manual therapy: Your therapist will use skilled touch, massage and movement of joints and soft tissue to lessen pain, increase range of motion or reduce swelling.

Electromyography: Your therapist will use sensors to measure the electrical activity inside your muscles. Muscles produce electrical signals when they contract, so EMG can show how your pelvic muscles tense and relax when you do certain activities. Our two-channel EMG technology includes a computer display. This lets us track your muscle function in real time and train your muscles to respond differently.

Electrical stimulation: Your therapist will use a machine that sends a mild electrical current to your body through skin electrodes. Specific settings and specific electrode locations let us use this treatment to care for many different conditions.

Electrical stimulation can help you strengthen your abdominal or pelvic muscles. It can also help reduce:

• Pain
• Urinary urgency
• Fecal urgency
• Urge-related leaks
• Constipation

Our team

OHSU’s physical therapists are national leaders in pelvic health and bring great expertise to your care. Our team members hold graduate degrees in physical therapy. Many are board certified, which means they have at least 2,000 hours of experience in their specialty. Others have advanced training and experience in fields that don’t yet offer certification.

Learn more

• Physical Therapy, OHSU Rehabilitation Services