Pelvic floor hypertonicity?

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi docs,

Hope you’re well! I have a prospective PT client who has mentioned that she struggles with pelvic floor symptoms (as of yet unspecified - will ask during an upcoming video consult) and has been diagnosed with “pelvic floor hypertonicity.” As far as I can see this does not seem to be a well established diagnosis (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), and I suspect that when it comes to strength training, it may simply be a matter of adjusting training variables to avoid triggering symptoms, if training does indeed turn out to be a trigger.

I have listened to your podcast on pelvic floor health. Any particular considerations when it comes to things like bracing/Valsalva maneuver? I would imagine, start small and gradually increase exposure while keeping an eye on symptoms?

Thanks in advance for any input :folded_hands:t2:

2

Hi Lucas,

I would be interested to know what symptoms she has before going further with any specific recommendations. I would hate to assume it’s stress urinary incontinence or mild prolapse when it’s something else.

In any case, yes, I agree that pelvic floor hypertonicity is not a well-established diagnosis. I also agree that training should be tailored to the individual, which is not-so-unique, as you know.

Barring any unknown condition/situation, I have no concerns with the Valsalva maneuver.

-Jordan

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Hi Jordan, all noted! Looks like she may not want to share specific symptoms at the moment, so I will proceed per the above and update if need be. Thank you so much​:folded_hands:t2:

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