Heaviness and pressure are treatable — often without surgery

Yes! In most cases, you can — and you should. The key is learning how to exercise in a way that supports your pelvic floor and gradually builds your body's capacity. Depending on your symptoms, this might mean modifying certain movements, adjusting intensity or impact, improving your breathing and pressure management, or building strength progressively. This is why a personalized examination with one of our physical therapists is so helpful to help you continue exercising safely with prolapse.

A pelvic floor physical therapist can assess for pelvic organ prolapse as part of a comprehensive pelvic floor examination. We'll talk with you about your symptoms — such as pressure, heaviness, bulging, or changes in bladder or bowel function — and then assess how your pelvic floor muscles are functioning. We often perform the examination both lying down and standing (over the course of the first two sessions). A standing assessment can be especially helpful because prolapse symptoms may become more noticeable when you're upright, bearing weight, coughing, or straining. Your physical therapist can assess the degree of pelvic support and determine how your symptoms relate to your movement, strength, breathing, and pelvic floor function.

Prolapse can often change depending on factors such as aging, hormonal changes, pregnancy, constipation, chronic coughing, and the demands placed on your body. The good news is that you don't have to wait for your prolapse to get worse before doing something about it. Physical therapy can help you understand your symptoms, improve pelvic floor and whole-body strength, learn strategies for managing pressure, and stay active in ways that support your pelvic health. Our goal is to help your body build resiliency so that it can withstand the changes later in life.