Physical therapy internal exams are different from the pelvic or gynecological exams performed by your medical health practitioner.
Pelvic floor exam procedure.
It is performed to look at the muscles and connective tissue in the pelvic floor.
It is our goal here at sarton pt that one day a pelvic floor muscular exam will be standard of care and occur as a standard procedure with every annual physical exam.
Providing that there are no reasons not to proceed with an internal exam one will be performed.
You will be given a gown or other covering.
We evaluate the pelvic floor muscles joints ligaments and fascia for strength quality endurance and motor.
Ask you to take off your clothes in private.
Internal vaginal or rectal examination is different than a pelvic or prostate exam done by physician.
An internal exam can be done vaginally or rectally for women and rectally for men.
It helps us determine whether your pelvic floor muscles are tight or weak and if you know how to use them correctly.
We do not use a speculum and we are not evaluating the reproductive urinary or intestinal systems.
We spent the first 20 minutes talking about my history.
Kristin christensen a physical therapist pt who specializes in pelvic floor disorders then brought me back to the exam room.
It also helps us decide if they are a likely contributor to the pain or symptoms you.
No speculum or other instruments are used during the exam.
A pelvic exam often is part of a routine physical exam to find possible signs of ovarian cysts sexually transmitted infections uterine fibroids or early stage cancer.
For men this is a rectal exam.
During a typical pelvic exam your doctor or nurse may.
Internal techniques to examine the pelvic floor.
Pelvic exam is a important part of the exam for female patients and important towards making various diagnoses such as yeast vulvovaginitis bacterial vaginosis lichen sclerosis cancers such as cervical cancer anal rectal cancer sexually transmitted infections gonorrhea chlamydia trichomonas syphilis herpes and human papillomavirus and many other diagnoses.
The exam is done with a gloved finger placed in the vaginal or rectal canal.
Pelvic floor exams should be standard of care.
Before the exam the doctor or nurse practitioner will ask the person to take off their clothes put on a gown sit on the exam table and cover up with a sheet.
Pelvic exams are also commonly performed during pregnancy.