Pelvic Floor Therapy for Incontinence: What the Research Says
Urinary incontinence affects millions of women — especially during and after pregnancy — but it’s often misunderstood or brushed off as a normal part of motherhood or aging. The truth is, leaking urine during exercise, sneezing, or everyday movement isn’t just a nuisance — it’s a sign of pelvic floor dysfunction that can and should be treated.
READ: What to Expect at Your First Pelvic Floor PT Appointment
The pelvic floor muscles play a key role in bladder control. When these muscles are weakened, overactive, or out of sync with surrounding structures like the core and diaphragm, they can’t provide the support needed to prevent leakage. Factors like childbirth, hormonal shifts, chronic coughing, and even high-impact activity can contribute to this imbalance.
Urinary incontinence isn’t just a physical issue — it can affect your confidence, limit your activity, and make you feel isolated. That’s why identifying and treating the underlying cause is essential — and where pelvic floor physical therapy can make a measurable difference.
Types of Incontinence and Why They Happen
Not all urinary incontinence is the same. In fact, understanding which type you’re experiencing is a key part of creating an effective treatment plan. The most common types include:
Stress Incontinence
This occurs when physical movement or exertion — like coughing, laughing, sneezing, or lifting — puts pressure on the bladder and causes leakage. It’s often related to weakened pelvic floor muscles, especially postpartum.
Urge Incontinence
Also known as overactive bladder, this type involves a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by involuntary leakage. It may be related to muscle coordination issues, neurological factors, or pelvic floor tension.
Mixed Incontinence
As the name suggests, this is a combination of stress and urge incontinence — and it’s very common in postpartum women.
Each type of incontinence has different contributing factors. That’s why personalized care from a pelvic floor physical therapist is essential. Treatment needs to match the root cause — not just the symptoms.
READ: Is Pelvic Pain Normal? When to Seek PT Support
What the Evidence Says About Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Decades of clinical research support pelvic floor physical therapy as a first-line treatment for urinary incontinence — particularly in women during the postpartum and perimenopausal stages.
A 2018 review published in the Cochrane Database found that pelvic floor muscle training significantly improves symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, with many women reporting full resolution of leaking. It also showed greater effectiveness than medications or watch-and-wait approaches, without side effects.
Studies have also demonstrated that guided therapy from a trained professional is more effective than doing Kegels alone. Why? Because proper muscle activation, breathing coordination, and individualized progressions are critical — and most women benefit from expert instruction and feedback.
The takeaway is clear: pelvic floor physical therapy is a well-researched, low-risk, and highly effective option for managing and resolving incontinence — and it should be considered before surgery or medication.
How Treatment Works and What to Expect
Pelvic floor physical therapy for incontinence starts with a thorough, private evaluation. Your therapist will assess not just your pelvic floor muscles, but also your posture, breathing, abdominal function, and movement patterns. The goal is to understand how your whole body contributes to bladder control — not just treat symptoms in isolation.
READ: Pelvic Floor Rehab in Middlebury, VT: What Every Woman Should Know
Treatment often includes:
Guided exercises to strengthen or relax the pelvic floor
Breathing and pressure management techniques
Core integration strategies to support pelvic stability
Lifestyle and bladder behavior coaching
Unlike generic advice to “just do Kegels,” therapy is tailored to your body’s needs. Some people need to strengthen; others need to release tension or improve coordination. Your therapist helps you build the right foundation, so progress is both effective and sustainable.
Appointments at VT Moms Physical Therapy are one-on-one and designed to help you feel comfortable, understood, and empowered from day one.
Why VT Moms Physical Therapy Takes a Research-Informed Approach
At VT Moms Physical Therapy, evidence-based care isn’t a buzzword — it’s the foundation of everything they do. That means your treatment is guided by the latest clinical research, not trends or one-size-fits-all programs.
The team stays current on best practices for treating incontinence, including guidelines from organizations like the American Physical Therapy Association and findings from leading journals in women’s health. Every exercise, technique, and strategy is chosen with a purpose: to help you see real, lasting results.
More importantly, they know that research is only part of the picture. Your personal experience matters just as much. That’s why your treatment plan is both clinically sound and completely individualized — focused on your goals, your comfort, and your confidence.
You don’t have to live with leaking. With the right support, you can regain control — and VT Moms Physical Therapy is here to help you do just that.