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Writer's pictureRachel Ross

What to Expect During an Internal Pelvic Floor Muscle Exam


No one really prepares you for what to expect when you see a pelvic floor PT (PFPT). You might be anticipating that the therapist will ask you questions about your symptoms and then will assess your posture, ROM, and muscle strength. So, it's no surprise that you might feel shocked, scared, nervous, etc when your PT says “Let's check your pelvic floor muscles!”

The look is the same on all my patient’s faces when I say those exact words, followed by all the excuses; “I’m on my period,” “I didn’t shave,” “I have a UTI,” “it might hurt,” the list goes on. Well, I am here to tell you that assessing the pelvic floor muscles might be weird and a little scary but its WAY better than having your feet up in stirrups, legs spread wide, covered with a tiny paper sheet that inevitably rips in all the wrong places.

In PFPT, we strive for comfort and creating a positive experience. We are truly interested in what your pelvic floor muscles are doing, or not doing, so that we can help you to get back to sneezing without crossing your legs, running or jumping without leaking, painless intercourse, and so much more! An internal pelvic floor muscle exam gives us so much information about your muscle tone, tension, coordination, and strength. We can get a really good picture of the type of treatment you and your pelvic floor muscles will need to get you on the road to recovery!

Before assessing the pelvic floor muscles, I first educate my patients about the pelvic floor using a really cool anatomical model. Then I describe how the internal exam is done. I tell my patients that I will insert my finger gently into the vaginal opening and that I will push on different parts of the pelvic floor muscles to determine tone, tension, and pain. Lastly, I will ask you to contract your pelvic floor muscles to assess for how strong or weak they are. That's it! After the assessment, I will explain my findings and together we will come up with a treatment plan and goals.


Are you ready to get undressed and assess or do you still have an excuse to avoid the internal exam? If you still have an excuse, send me a message or set up a free 15-minute consultation call so that I can answer any additional questions and ease your mind. We are in this together!

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