Empower Yourself PT

View Original

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: My exercises are so b-o-ring!

Anyone who has ever done pelvic floor physical therapy, let alone any PT knows the most annoying thing about PT is the homework, doing your same routine over and over and over. 

It gets tweaked along the way, but let’s be honest.  It is just annoying and monotonous. But necessary.  (Side note: they should change semi-frequently- as you progress.)

Patients will always ask me in a high-pitched whiney voice: Do I have to do these forever?!  The horror!  The answer to this is two-fold. 

First, there is something about the way you currently live your life or have lived your life that has created a muscle imbalance.  So until fully restored- yes. Then you move to maintenance.

Two, if you go to the dentist twice a year do you brush and floss twice a day? Every day?! How annoying!  It is called prevention and maintenance people- it becomes a routine- a little tough love here people, sometimes these 3-5 exercises ( not 20) need to be incorporated in your exercise a few times a week…. Not twice a day every day.

That’s just life people. 

With that said, I really try not to give people no more than 8 exercises at a time and definitely don’t discharge with more than 3-5 for maintenance. . . . . Finally, if you really hate your exercises let your physical therapist know-  I am always happy to swap out stretches for a restorative yoga class or a belly dancing class for mobility, or incorporate band work into lifting. 

At the end of the day the exercises are important to reach your goal, if we can find another way to reach your goal then that works too!  . . . how do you like to move? Let me know!