Book pelvic floor physiotherapy at Oona Toronto and Newmarket
You have probably heard the words pelvic floor physiotherapy. Maybe your OB mentioned it after delivery. Maybe a friend swore by it after her second baby. Maybe you typed something into Google at 3am and ended up here.
Whatever brought you, welcome. This is one of those topics that every woman deserves a clear, jargon-free explanation of, and almost nobody gets one.
In this blog, we will tell you exactly what pelvic floor physiotherapy is, what happens during an assessment, who needs it (the list is longer than you think), and what to expect if you book at Oona.
Your pelvic floor has been working hard your entire life. Most women only hear about it when something goes wrong. We would like to change that.
What Is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that sit at the base of your pelvis, stretching like a hammock from your tailbone to your pubic bone. These tissues support your bladder, bowel, and uterus. They control urinary and bowel function. They play a role in sexual health, core stability, and low back support.
Most people picture the pelvic floor as a single muscle, like a bicep. It is not. It is a complex layered structure involving multiple muscles working together, and like any group of muscles in your body, it can become weak, tight, overactive, or uncoordinated.
The problem is that most people only think about the pelvic floor during pregnancy and postpartum recovery. In reality, the pelvic floor is relevant at every stage of life: puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and well beyond.
What Does a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist Actually Do?
So when you see a pelvic floor physiotherapist, what actually happens in the room? Here is the honest answer.
A pelvic floor physiotherapist is a registered physiotherapist with additional specialized training in pelvic health. At Oona, our pelvic floor physios work with women across the full lifecycle, from prenatal care through to menopause support.
At your first appointment, your physio will spend significant time asking about your history: your pregnancies and deliveries if applicable, your bladder and bowel habits, your exercise history, your symptoms, and your goals. This part of the appointment matters. It shapes everything that follows.
A pelvic floor assessment typically includes an external examination, looking at posture, breathing patterns, and how the muscles of the hips, core, and lower back function together. With your informed consent, it will likely also include an internal assessment to directly evaluate the tone, strength, and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles. This is never mandatory. Your physio will explain exactly what they are doing and why, and you are always in control of what happens.
From there, treatment may include manual therapy to release tight or restricted tissue, exercises to build strength and coordination, education about bladder and bowel habits, and guidance on how to manage symptoms day to day.
The goal of pelvic floor physiotherapy is not just to fix a problem. It is to help you understand your body well enough to take care of it for the rest of your life.
Who Needs Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy?
This is where most people are surprised: pelvic floor physio is not only for women who have just had a baby. Pelvic floor physiotherapy is really for anyone with a pelvis.
During Pregnancy
Pelvic floor physiotherapy during pregnancy helps prepare the body for birth. It addresses pelvic girdle pain, which affects roughly one in five pregnant women. It teaches breathing and pushing techniques that can reduce the risk of perineal tearing. It helps manage round ligament pain, pubic symphysis pain, and the load-bearing changes that come with a growing uterus. Starting pelvic floor physio during pregnancy is one of the most effective investments a pregnant person can make in their recovery.
When people come to us during pregnancy and spend time getting to know their pelvic floor, they move through labour differently. Not because birth is predictable, it never is, but because they understand how to work with their bodies. They know how to breathe, how to release, and how to push in a way that feels connected rather than frightening. Pelvic floor physio during pregnancy is not just about preventing tears or recovering faster. It is about walking into one of the most intense experiences of your life feeling like you have some say in what happens.
Learn more about our prenatal physiotherapy services here.
After Birth, Vaginal or by Caesarean Section
This is the category most people know. Leaking when you cough, sneeze, or exercise. Pressure or heaviness in the pelvis. Pain during intimacy. Difficulty with bladder or bowel control. All of these are common after birth. None of them are things you simply have to accept.
It is worth saying this clearly: a C-section is not a reason to skip pelvic floor physio. Your pelvic floor was under load for nine months regardless of how your baby arrived. Beyond that, the abdominal scar from a Caesarean section also affects the fascial tissue directly above the pelvic floor. This is why many women find that pelvic floor physio, alongside scar tissue treatment, makes a meaningful difference to their recovery.
Learn more about our postpartum physiotherapy services here.
Without Any Pregnancy History
Pelvic floor dysfunction is not a postpartum-only condition. Chronic bladder urgency, recurrent UTIs, pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during sex, and tailbone pain can all involve the pelvic floor, and none of them require a pregnancy history. Women who have never been pregnant and women who had their last baby a decade ago are both appropriate candidates for pelvic floor physiotherapy.
During Perimenopause and Menopause
The hormonal changes that accompany perimenopause and menopause have a direct effect on pelvic floor tissue. Declining estrogen levels lead to tissue changes that can cause or worsen urinary urgency, frequency, leaking, vaginal dryness, and discomfort during sex. Many women in their 40s and 50s attribute these symptoms to aging and assume nothing can be done. That is not accurate. Pelvic floor physiotherapy, sometimes in combination with other supports, can significantly improve quality of life during this transition.
For more on this, see our Perimenopause Guide.
Signs You Might Benefit from Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
If any of this sounds familiar, whether you have been managing it for years or it just started:
- You leak urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, or exercise
- You have a sudden, urgent need to urinate that is difficult to defer
- You urinate frequently and are not sure why
- You feel pressure, heaviness, or bulging in the pelvis
- You experience pain during sex, either at the entrance or deeper
- You have persistent low back pain, hip pain, or tailbone pain
- You had a vaginal or Caesarean birth and have not had a pelvic floor assessment
- You are pregnant and experiencing pelvic girdle pain or pubic symphysis discomfort
- You have had a difficult pushing stage during delivery and want to understand the impact
- You are in perimenopause or menopause and noticing changes in bladder control or pelvic comfort
If you are unsure whether pelvic floor physio is relevant for you, the best first step is a pelvic floor assessment. A good assessment will tell you clearly whether there is something to address, and if there is not, you will leave knowing that too.
What to Expect at Your First Pelvic Floor Assessment at Oona
Oona’s pelvic floor physiotherapists work with women across the full lifecycle at both the Toronto and Newmarket locations. Here is what a first appointment looks like.
Before You Arrive
When you book, you will receive links to online intake forms covering your medical history, your symptoms, and your goals. Filling these out before your appointment means more time for assessment and conversation when you arrive. Wear comfortable clothing you can move in. There is no special preparation required.
Your History and Goals
The appointment opens with a detailed conversation. Your physio wants to understand the full picture: your delivery history, your current symptoms, what you have already tried, and what you are hoping to achieve. This is not a quick checklist. It is a real conversation, and the quality of it shapes everything that follows.
The External Assessment
Your physio will observe your posture, your breathing pattern, and how you move. She will assess the muscles of your hips, core, and lower back because pelvic floor function does not happen in isolation. The pelvis is the centre of the body, and what happens above and below it matters.
The Internal Assessment
With your informed consent, your physio may perform an internal pelvic floor assessment. This allows them to directly evaluate the tone, strength, and coordination of your pelvic floor muscles. This is information that cannot be gathered from the outside. It is important to know that this part of the assessment is gentle, takes only a few minutes, and you remain in control throughout. And if you prefer not to have an internal assessment at your first appointment, that is completely fine. Your physio will work with whatever you are comfortable with.
Your Treatment Plan
After the assessment, your physio will walk you through what she found and what she recommends. You will leave your first appointment with a clear explanation of what is happening in your body and a concrete plan for addressing it. Depending on your situation, treatment may involve manual therapy, exercises, lifestyle guidance, or a combination of all three.
You do not need to be in pain to benefit from pelvic floor physiotherapy. Many women come to us managing a low-level dysfunction they have normalized for years. They are often surprised by how much better things can get.
A Note on the Pelvic Floor After a C-Section
This next section deserves special attention because it is so frequently overlooked.
A Caesarean section involves cutting through seven layers of tissue: skin, fat, the anterior rectus sheath, the rectus abdominis muscles, the posterior rectus sheath, the peritoneum, and the uterus. The recovery that follows focuses almost entirely on the incision site. What receives very little attention is the impact on the surrounding fascial tissue, the abdominal muscles, and the pelvic floor.
Scar tissue from a C-section can create restrictions that affect movement, posture, bladder function, and pelvic floor coordination. Women describe numbness above the scar, a pulling sensation when they exercise, bladder urgency they did not have before surgery, and discomfort during sex. These are not inevitable. They are treatable.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy after a C-section addresses the abdominal scar through soft tissue techniques, restores coordination between the abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor, and helps the body recover in a way that is structured rather than left to chance. At Oona, we also offer Dolphin Neurostim treatment for C-section scar tissue, a microcurrent therapy that works on the deeper layers of the scar that manual therapy cannot reach as effectively.
How Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Fits with Other Care at Oona
One of the things that makes pelvic floor physiotherapy at Oona different is that it does not happen in isolation. If you are also seeing a chiropractor for low back pain, a massage therapist for hip tightness, or a naturopath for hormonal support, your care is happening within the same practice. Practitioners can communicate, and your treatment plan can account for the full picture.
This matters more than it might seem. Pelvic floor dysfunction rarely has a single cause. The body works as a system, and treating it as a system produces better outcomes. Women who combine pelvic floor physiotherapy with other supports, whether that is naturopathic care during menopause, chiropractic care during pregnancy, or osteopathic treatment after a difficult delivery, often progress faster than those receiving one type of care in isolation.
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy at Oona Toronto and Oona Newmarket
Oona has a full team of pelvic floor physiotherapists at both our Toronto and Newmarket locations. Whether you are navigating pregnancy, postpartum recovery, perimenopause, or simply want to understand your body better, you will find a practitioner here who is the right fit for you.
New patients are welcome at both locations. If you are not sure which practitioner is the right fit, you can book a complimentary call with a Care Navigator who will help you understand your options and get matched with the right person for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions are the ones we hear most often. They are also the ones most commonly searched online, which means this section is written to answer them clearly and completely.
Is pelvic floor physiotherapy painful?
A pelvic floor assessment should not be painful. You may feel mild discomfort if the internal assessment reveals areas of tension or tenderness, but your physio will check in with you throughout and work at a pace that is comfortable. If you experience pain at any point, tell your physio immediately. The assessment adapts to you.
How many sessions will I need?
This depends entirely on what is going on. Some women see significant improvement in three to four sessions. Others benefit from a longer course of treatment. Your physio will give you a realistic expectation after your first assessment. Most women notice meaningful changes within the first few sessions.
Does pelvic floor physiotherapy require an internal examination?
Not always. An internal assessment is the most informative way to evaluate pelvic floor function, but it is always optional. Your physio will explain what it involves and why she is recommending it. You can decline at any point, and your physio will conduct the assessment using external techniques only. Your comfort and consent matter.
When should I start pelvic floor physiotherapy after having a baby?
Most physios recommend waiting until your incision or perineal tissue has had time to heal before beginning internal assessment, typically around six weeks after delivery. However, you can begin working with a pelvic floor physio before that point on breathing, posture, gentle core reconnection, and scar mobilization for C-section births. Do not wait six weeks to book. Book early and let your physio guide the timing.
Can pelvic floor physiotherapy help with leaking during exercise?
Yes. Stress urinary incontinence, the medical name for leaking when you cough, sneeze, or exercise, is one of the most common reasons women seek pelvic floor physiotherapy. It is also one of the conditions that responds most consistently to treatment. For most women, it is not something they have to manage indefinitely.
I had my baby two years ago. Is it too late to start pelvic floor physiotherapy?
No. There is no expiry date on pelvic floor physiotherapy. Whether your delivery was six weeks ago or 40 years ago, a pelvic floor assessment can identify what is going on and what is possible. Many women who come to us have been managing symptoms for years under the assumption that nothing could be done. In many cases, that assumption is wrong.
Does pelvic floor physiotherapy help during perimenopause and menopause?
Yes. Declining estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause cause changes to pelvic floor tissue that can lead to urinary urgency, increased frequency, leaking, and discomfort during sex. These symptoms are common but they are not inevitable or untreatable. Pelvic floor physiotherapy, sometimes in combination with naturopathic hormonal support, can make a significant difference. Our pelvic health team works closely with our naturopaths at Oona, and we can support you across both areas if needed.
Is pelvic floor physiotherapy covered by insurance?
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a form of physiotherapy and is typically covered by extended health benefits plans that include physiotherapy coverage. The number of covered sessions will depend on your specific plan. We recommend checking with your benefits provider before your first appointment. Oona offers direct billing for many insurance providers.
Ready to Book a Pelvic Floor Assessment at Oona?
If anything in this article sounds familiar, the next step is simple. Book a pelvic floor assessment at Oona Toronto or Oona Newmarket. Your first appointment is a comprehensive assessment with a registered pelvic floor physiotherapist. You will leave with a clear understanding of what is happening in your body and a plan for addressing it.
New patients are welcome at both locations. If you have questions before booking, a Care Navigator can help you understand your options at no charge.
Book a Pelvic Floor Assessment at Oona Toronto or Newmarket, new patients welcome.
Related Resources
- Prenatal physiotherapy at Oona
- Postpartum physiotherapy at Oona
- Dolphin Neurostim for C-section scar tissue
- Perimenopause Guide
