Author| Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT pelvic health and TM joint disorder physical therapist providing pelvic floor PT and founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy

What’s holding you back from getting Pelvic Floor PT? All of your concerns addressed here!

We are Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, a specialty pelvic floor PT and TM joint disorder clinic located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We treat men, women and kids in-person or via telehealth. We understand that pelvic conditions, by their very nature, are private and you may be hesitant to get the care you need. Our experienced physical therapists provide you discreet, compassionate and holistic physical therapy for your bladder, bowel, intimacy or pelvic pain concerns. If you are interested in learning more about our pelvic physical therapy, call us today to speak with one of our helpful staff members at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

We help women, men and kids overcome their pelvic condition, naturally and holistically, without pain medications, so that they can get back to an active life and have a smile on their face again!

Pelvic floor PT can improve your life. Here’s one patient’s feedback:

“Maureen has helped me so much over the past year. I came to see Maureen after having a grade 3 tear during childbirth and she has helped me learn so much about healing, recovery and restoration from this injury and pelvic floor dysfunction. She has been so encouraging. She is extremely professional and knowledgeable about her field of expertise and as that same time kind, empathetic and caring. You’re coming to see a very seasoned and experienced professional therapist and it also feels like you’re coming to see a friend.”

-LV, female coming for postpartum recovery following perineal injury during vaginal delivery.

If you are hesitant to go to pelvic floor PT, you are not alone. Research has found that 80% of people put off getting the pelvic PT that their provider told them would help them!

80% of people, who were diagnosed with a problem and told that pelvic PT would help them, decided not to go to PT! We must do better at taking care of ourselves! This was a study that looked at 662 people who were recommended to complete pelvic floor physical therapy. Guess what? Only 128 of the people (19.4%) did attend pelvic PT. It makes me wonder why we women don’t give our own health the time and attention it needs. Especially since we know that pelvic PT can help you not leak urine, resolve abdominal, back and pelvic pain, improve your bladder function and keep you from experiencing fecal incontinence. Stop putting off what you know you need. Our patients tell us they wish they had found us sooner! If you would like more information about our pelvic physical therapy, to treat your back, tailbone pain, SI joint, abdominal pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder, bowel or intimacy related concerns, contact us here to submit your questions or call us at (616) 516-4334.

“Data on PFPT compliance were available for 662 patients (87.3%). A total of 128 patients (19.4%) were fully compliant. Noncompliant patients were more likely to smoke and to have mental health disease compared with compliant patients (18% vs 8.7%, P = 0.01, and 50.4% vs 37.5%, P = 0.009, respectively). A total of 285 patients (43.1%) returned to their prescribing provider. Noncompliant patients were less likely to return to their provider: 63.4% versus 29.7%, P = <0.0001. Of the patients who returned, 183 (64.2%) were offered second-line treatment.”

-Woodburn, Katherine L. MD^∗; Tran, Misha C. BS^∗; Casas-Puig, Viviana MD^†; Ninivaggio, Cara S. MD^†; Ferrando, Cecile A. MD, MPH^† Compliance With Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Patients Diagnosed With High-Tone Pelvic Floor Disorders, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: February 2021 – Volume 27 – Issue 2 – p 94-97

I want to draw your attention to the final line, 64.2% of the people, who didn’t go to pelvic physical therapy, were offered “second-line” treatment.

This means they were now being offered prescriptions or medical procedures, instead of being encouraged, again, to go to pelvic PT. Pelvic PT is natural and takes care of the pelvic problems you are experiencing. Our patients all tell us that they don’t want to be on medications. If you know that you have a problem, stop avoiding the solution! Our licensed physical therapists are here to provide you with compassionate, professional pelvic PT that is holistic (we treat your back, hips, abdomen, posture, balance, strength, fascia and more!) and helps you resolve your problem. If you would like more information about our pelvic physical therapy, to treat your back, tailbone pain, SI joint, abdominal pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder, bowel or intimacy related concerns, contact us here to submit your questions or call us at (616) 516-4334.

Let’s all take a deep breath and get ourselves in the mindset that taking care of ourselves is necessary so we can feel good and take care of others! Our pelvic PTs offer compassionate, private and holistic care that combines manual therapy and exercises so you can get results.

What our patients have told us about why they chose Purple Mountain PT for their pelvic PT:

Patients come to us a little nervous about embarking on pelvic health care. Usually they have searched for an experienced provider and chosen us because we offer the experience and specialty care they want. Many of our patients have tried other things that didn’t resolve their problem and they are pleased to find our PTs focus on pelvic floor PT and TMJ disorders. If you would like more information about our pelvic physical therapy, to treat your back, tailbone pain, SI joint, abdominal pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder, bowel or intimacy related concerns, contact us here to submit your questions or call us at (616) 516-4334.

Are you interested to know some of the reasons other patients chose Purple Mountain Physical Therapy for their pelvic PT needs?

• They like that each visit is one-on-one with your same doctor of physical therapy, we never bounce you around amongst our staff or have you exercise alone while we treat another patient.
• Visits are up to 55 minutes in length and provide you holistic treatment, that addresses anything contributing to your pelvic problem head to toe.
• Patients tell us that they feel better after appointments and this also helped them to have confidence they found the right place for their pelvic health physical therapy.
• Patients like our gym space and focus on getting you back to an active life.
• Patients tell us that the whole body vibration machine and balance based exercises provided as part of their pelvic floor rehabilitation have helped them in more ways than they expected.
• Patients come to us wanting to resolve bladder control problems and thrilled to be able to be dry again, after many years of having problems.
• Patients are looking for comprehensive treatment for their postpartum recovery to restore their abdominal wall, posture, pelvic floor and more.
• Men want help with prostate related recovery or chronic pelvic pain conditions.
• Men and women come to us for specialized care to ease their interstitial cystitis pain and overactive bladder problems.
• Parents call us concerned about their child’s incontinence, constipation, TM joint pain or pelvic problems, such as hip pain with adolescent female soccer players.

You want results for your pelvic problem. You feel uncertain about what pelvic floor PT is and, actually a little intimidated by it. You are also hesitant because your problem is personal and you don’t want to waste your time going to someone who doesn’t know how to help you. If you are interested in learning more about our pelvic physical therapy, call us today to speak with one of our helpful staff members at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

This is your validation that you deserve to feel better and to get rid of your pelvic problem. And that you have found the right place to receive your pelvic floor PT and help you! What’s holding you back? We help athletes, sedentary adults, new moms, older moms, dads and kids who have pelvic problems.

Why a triathlete and female athlete should come to pelvic PT

We know that female athletes who engage in running, jumping and cutting sports experience stress urinary incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction. A study of female triathletes found that pelvic floor dysfunction was prevalent at high rates:

• Stress urinary incontinence 37.4% 
• Anal incontinence 28%
• Urgency urinary incontinence 16%
• Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms 5% (higher rates of prolapse found if you’ve had a baby)
• Pelvic girdle pain 18%
• Female athlete triad symptoms: 24% of female triathletes screened positive for at least one arm of the female athlete triad.

Our pelvic PTs are here to help athletes of all ages and sports to resolve your bothersome bladder, bowel and pain problems. The best way to get started, to determine if you are a good fit for our pelvic or TM joint physical therapy methods, is to speak with one of our staff members. Call (616) 516-4334 to get your questions answered or contact us here.

If your hesitation is that you don’t know where to go and who can help you. Then. Stop. That. Excuse. Right. Here. You’ve found the right place for your pelvic floor PT.

If you are a CrossFit athlete, our pelvic PTs can improve your ability to control your urine

We know that within the CrossFit community, urinary incontinence is found in 29.95% of athletes. Women who experience urinary incontinence tend to be “older” (33.77 years of age +- 8.03 years than those athletes who don’t have incontinence. Double under and single under are the troublespots that cause incontinence most often. Our pelvic PTs are athletes and love to help you perform at a high level in your sport. If you are experiencing incontinence with sport, the best way to learn more and to determine if you are a good fit for our pelvic or TM joint physical therapy methods, is to speak with one of our staff members. Call (616) 516-4334 to get your questions answered or contact us here.

At Purple Mountain PT we specialize in providing holistic, therapeutic and compassionate care for pelvic floor dysfunction and TM joint disorders. We treat all pelvic conditions and TM joint pain conditions.

When you choose Purple Mountain PT you are choosing to be proactive, to address your nagging problem and to get results. You don’t want to waste your time, going to someone who doesn’t know how to help you. We also understand you might feel nervous because your condition is in a private area and pelvic floor PT sounds a bit intimidating. Rest assured, our patients tell us that their appointments are helpful, comfortable and educational, that they feel heard and understood. In contrast to your fears and anxiety, we can assure you that your time with us will be uplifting, informative and encouraging! Our pelvic floor PT is comprehensive, meaning a lot of our treatment occurs far away from the pelvis, such as at your shoulder blades or your thighs. We also include lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, stress management and other holistic interventions because these help you get results! The best way to get started, to determine if you are a good fit for our pelvic or TM joint physical therapy methods, is to speak with one of our staff members. Call (616) 516-4334 to get your questions answered or contact us here.

How can we say with confidence that we are the right choice for your pelvic floor PT? Because our patients tell us that all the time.

We have set up our entire clinic and methods to provide you truly patient-centered care. From the first phone call we hope you feel well cared for and the confidence that our licensed physical therapists will be able to help your pelvic or TM joint condition. Here is one patient’s review:

“I would recommend Maureen and her practice to everyone needing pelvic care! She goes above and beyond what I thought my PT sessions would entail. I’ve never felt so taken care of and thought of then I have with Maureen. She’s the best!”

-MG. Female, postpartum mom.

Finding the right pelvic physical therapist for you isn’t easy. We’ve made it easier for you. You can call us anytime during business hours to ask your questions of one of our knowledgeable staff members. Reach us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here. 

If you give us a try, you will know within the first phone call if you think I may be able to help you. At your first visit you will receive an education and in-depth evaluation that is comprehensive. We begin treatment at the first visit and provide you with instructions on what to work on at home. If you are interested in learning more about our pelvic physical therapy, call us today to speak with one of our helpful staff members at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

What our patients tell us with regard to how their experience with us differs from other things they tried:

I was hesitant to come to pelvic floor PT. I didn’t know what to expect, now I wish I had come sooner because I could have felt better long ago!

I’ve gone to a chiropractor and pelvic PT for months and still have problems, I decided to try you because I like that you specialize in this.

I went to someone else, but they didn’t explain it like you.

You are my third PT and the first one to help me feel better.

My other provider never treated all the things you are treating.

At my other provider I felt like my appointments were too short to really treat everything I needed.

My other provider didn’t seem to know what my problem was and gave me a sheet of exercises to do that I knew wouldn’t help me.

I went somewhere else and they didn’t examine things nearly as in depth as you and didn’t ask me the questions you asked. I can tell you know what you are doing here.

You get the idea. I understand why you may be skeptical that pelvic floor PT could help you, especially if you’ve already gotten care that didn’t work. But, many of our patients have been in your shoes and have found that by choosing Purple Mountain PT and getting holistic and expert care, they finally feel hopeful and can see they will get better. If you are interested in learning more about our pelvic physical therapy, call us today to speak with one of our helpful staff members at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

You will receive your pelvic floor PT care from a licensed physical therapist who specializes in pelvic PT.

All of our physical therapists at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy specialize in pelvic health PT, TM joint disorders and neck and back pain. If your child needs bladder or bowel physical therapy, you will be working with a doctor of physical therapy who has experience and post-doctoral training for pediatric bladder and bowel needs. Our pelvic PTs are specifically educated in male pelvic health rehabilitation, which is not the same as female pelvic PT. We have gone the extra mile with post-graduate training specifically for pregnancy and postpartum pelvic physical therapy. Our PTs also have extensive experience in the field of treating chronic pelvic pain, general orthopedics, complex neck and back pain and TM joint disorder physical therapy. If you are interested in learning more about our pelvic physical therapy, call us today to speak with one of our helpful staff members at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.

You don’t settle for anything in your life, why settle for pelvic problems, a less active life and less than high quality pelvic floor PT treatment?

Do you know there is treatment for:

**Stress incontinence: you don’t have to lose pee everytime you laugh!
**Urge incontinence: you don’t have to rush to the toilet and fear losing pee
**Urinary frequency: you don’t have a small bladder! You need treatment!
**Pelvic Organ Prolapse: this is a biggie! Ladies, if you have any prolapse you can optimize the pelvic region to provide better support to the area.
**SI Joint pain: This hurts! We know your pain and we can help it!
**Gluteal tendinopathy: Does your glute hurt? We can check you out and help you figure out why. If it is tendinopathy we have a treatment program for that! If it’s something else, we know what to do to help you!
**Pubic pain: This. Is. Frustrating. To. Have. & I can help you!
**Pudendal Neuralgia: The monster of pelvic pain. It can get better!
**Sciatica: It hurts. PT helps.
**Endometriosis: The long, painful, lonely road. PT helps endo pain!
**Interstitial Cystitis: Beastly bladder condition & I specialize in treating it!
**Recurrent urinary tract infections: You probably have pelvic floor dysfunction and we can get that better to reduce your risk of another infection
**Vulvodynia: Yep, we know you are suffering silently. We specialize in helping this. It’s awful & can get better!
**Painful sex: Sex shouldn’t hurt! There’s treatment for this!
**Painful cesarean scars or other scars: We can address this and get rid of that pain! Wouldn’t it be great if your clothing didn’t hurt your scar?
**Pelvic muscle spasms: Ouch. Yep, they feel just like you imagine. & I can help them go away.
**Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: All those muscles “down there” not quite working right? I can help that.
**Constipation & straining: Believe it or not, the pelvic muscles and involved in this problem and I can help you! Take care of it so you don’t give yourself a prolapse.
**Pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain: My specialty!!
**Postpartum recovery: Again, this is my jam! I love to help you get back to feeling strong and confident as you recover.
**Birth trauma injury: I have seen them all & I can help you!
**Chronic prostatitis pain: PT is the way out of this problem!
**Testicular, penile or vulvar pain: PT works! I can help you!
**Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder: This. Is. Awful. I know it and I can help you!

Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a specialty pelvic floor PT clinic. We help women, men and kids with pelvic floor dysfunction and TMJ disorders receive compassionate and effective physical therapy so you can live an active life! We consider it an honor to work with you and have set up our clinic to put your needs at the center of everything we do. We have been exclusively focused on pelvic health for over 20 years and offer a level of expertise and holistic care that you won’t find elsewhere! If you are wondering if we may be able to help you, call 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our staff members, who can answer your questions. We can discuss your symptoms and condition and determine if pelvic floor PT may help you!

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT specializing in pelvic health and TMJ physical therapy for over 2 decades.

If you need more information about our physical therapy, you may be interested in these:

TMJ Disorder Treatment in Grand Rapids

Physical Therapy after Prostatectomy

How Much Bedwetting is Normal?

Why is My Child’s Poop So Big?

Balance exercises for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

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References:

Poli de Araújo, Maita MD, PhD^∗; Brito, Luiz Gustavo Oliveira MD, PhD^†; Rossi, Fabiana BSc^∗; Garbiere, Maria Luiza BSc^∗; Vilela, Maria Eduarda BSc^∗; Bittencourt, Vitor Ferraz BSc^∗; for the Cross Continence Brazil Collaboration Group Prevalence of Female Urinary Incontinence in Crossfit Practitioners and Associated Factors: An Internet Population-Based Survey, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: February 2020 – Volume 26 – Issue 2 – p 97-100 doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000823

Woodburn, Katherine L. MD^∗; Tran, Misha C. BS^∗; Casas-Puig, Viviana MD^†; Ninivaggio, Cara S. MD^†; Ferrando, Cecile A. MD, MPH^† Compliance With Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Patients Diagnosed With High-Tone Pelvic Floor Disorders, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: February 2021 – Volume 27 – Issue 2 – p 94-97

Yi, Johnny MD^*; Tenfelde, Sandi PhD^†; Tell, Dina PhD^†; Brincat, Cynthia MD^†; Fitzgerald, Colleen MD^† Triathlete Risk of Pelvic Floor Disorders, Pelvic Girdle Pain, and Female Athlete Triad, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: 9/10 2016 – Volume 22 – Issue 5 – p 373-376 doi: 10.1097/SPV.0000000000000296

Zoorob, Dani MD^*; Higgins, Margaret MD^†; Swan, Kimberly MD^‡; Cummings, Jennifer DPT^§; Dominguez, Sarah DPT^§; Carey, Erin MD, MSCR^∥ Barriers to Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Regarding Treatment of High-Tone Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery: 11/12 2017 – Volume 23 – Issue 6 – p 444-448