Time for Evaluation!
What to expect from your first women’s health physical therapy evaluation…..
Though it might sound scary, a physical therapy women’s health evaluation is straightforward and is the first step in diagnosing musculoskeletal dysfunction of the pelvic floor. The initial evaluation usually takes anywhere from one hour to one and a half hours to complete. At that time, your physical therapist will take a detailed current and past medical history, including any relevant OB or Gynecological history. A detailed medical history will make sure the physical therapist doesn’t miss any “red flag” symptoms that indicated a patient might need further medical care with his or her doctor.
After the medical history is reviewed, the physical therapist will then proceed with the examination consisting of various tests and measures. These include but are not limited to: observation of posture, movement analysis of the pelvis/sacrum/hip/low back, symmetry of joints and muscles, soft tissue assessment, reflex integrity, abdominal assessment including core strength and stability, external and internal perineal assessment for muscle power/strength/endurance/coordination/tone, and bladder and bowel diary assessment.
At this point in the evaluation, the physical therapist will synthesize the medical history and examination results and form a physical therapy diagnosis and prognosis. A plan of care to address impairments will be formed. The physical therapist and client will work together to come up with measurable goals to correct problems and set a frequency of physical therapy treatment that works with the client’s schedule. Often times, a client can expect a frequency of 1-3 visits per week, typically over a period of 2 to 6 weeks depending on the severity of impairments.
Typically, the evaluation process is repeated at some point in the client’s plan of care to make sure goals are being achieved and to determine if any changes need to be made in the client’s treatment strategy. For further questions about the initial physical therapy evaluation, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
