What happens after pelvic floor physiotherapy?

A session can involve movement assessment, pelvic floor contractions and relaxation, breathing work, posture practice or advice about bladder, bowel and sexual symptoms. Mild tiredness or soreness can follow, especially when muscles have been retrained. Improvement is often reviewed over several appointments because coordination, strength and the ability to relax are learned gradually. Your plan should match your symptoms, pregnancy or postpartum stage, and examination findings.

Practise only the exercises your physiotherapist has shown you, with the recommended repetitions and rest. Quality matters more than forcing a stronger squeeze: pelvic floor muscles also need to release. Keep a simple record of leakage, urgency, pain or bowel symptoms so you can describe changes at review. Follow advice about lifting, coughing, toileting and returning to exercise.

Contact your physiotherapist or clinician if pain is worsening, exercises cause sharp pain, you develop new numbness or weakness, or symptoms interfere with daily activities. Seek urgent medical help for inability to pass urine, severe pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, fever or sudden loss of bowel control. Do not push through symptoms that feel different from the expected muscle fatigue.

Ask which muscles you should feel working, how to relax fully, when to progress exercises, what activities to pause and how improvement will be measured at the next review.