FAQs

The pelvic floor lies at the bottom of the pelvis, running from your pubic bone back towards the tailbone, and it includes muscles, fascia, nerves, and other soft tissues. The pelvic floor provides support for organs and control for your bladder and bowels. It is part of your foundational core, providing stability for the spine and pelvis, and it should be responsive during your movement and activities. The pelvic floor also supports sexual and reproductive health.

Difficulties arise when these muscles or other nearby structures are not functioning well. This can present as bladder or bowel leakage, pelvic pain, constipation, sexual dysfunction, prolapse, or many other common conditions, such as back pain or hip pain. An evaluation with a pelvic floor specialist is helpful to get a complete picture of what is happening with the pelvic floor during your daily life. These conditions are common and treatable, and finding the “why” in the assessment leads us to the best course of action during treatment.

The initial visit is 90 minutes of one-on-one care. Follow-up visits are usually 60 minutes. Treatment is focused on you, and your questions are welcome. This is what you can expect:

1) In a private space, you and your therapist will discuss your history, including questions from your intake forms, your reason for coming to physical therapy, and your goals.

2) Your therapist will complete a head-to-toe evaluation including posture, alignment, breathing, range of motion, strength, movement patterns, as well as pelvic, abdominal, hip and spine screenings. For complex and chronic conditions, the evaluation process can take a few visits.

3) You will likely receive education on the muscles and function of the pelvic floor. If indicated, an internal pelvic floor exam (vaginal and/or rectal) may be performed by your therapist. This gives us valuable information about how the pelvic floor functions. No speculum is used. You can choose to delay or refuse this part of the exam, and other options will be discussed.

4) Your treatment is started during the first visit as time allows. You can expect to be given a few exercises or activities to be performed at home and resources to read / view.

5) Your therapist will provide you with straightforward, clear guidance on a plan to get back in control of your pelvic health. This includes realistic action steps and what to expect in time. We also provide resources and possible referrals to other providers.

In the state of Georgia, there is direct access to physical therapy, meaning you do not need a referral to see a physical therapist. In order to continue physical therapy after a certain number of days or visits, you are required to have a referral, and we are able to help with this if needed.

We are happy to collaborate with your healthcare team. If you would like communication with your physicians or other providers, we will fax reports and/or discuss your care with them upon request.

Athens Pelvic PT & Wellness is not contracted with any insurance carriers. We are considered an out-of-network provider. This allows you and your therapist to decide on the best plan of care.

Insurance policies are a contractual agreement between you, the subscriber, and the insurance company. If you have out-of-network benefits, you may submit a claim for potential reimbursement. We will be happy to provide a detailed superbill/invoice. The amount you are reimbursed depends on your individual plan. Seeking and obtaining insurance reimbursement is the sole responsibility of the patient.

All forms of payment are accepted at the time of service, including flexible savings or health savings accounts. A Good Faith Estimate is available upon request.

Truly, this varies for each individual. After the evaluation process has been completed, you and your therapist will discuss a plan of action, and you will be given professional recommendations for visit frequency and duration. We aim to provide efficient care, getting you on the right track as soon as possible, and we teach you empowering, self-care techniques for lasting relief of symptoms.

Your appointment time is reserved for you. If you need to cancel or reschedule, we kindly ask that you notify us at least 24 hours before your appointment, and preferably, as soon as possible. This allows us to offer that spot to another patient. A fee will be charged for patients that do not show up or give less than than 24 hours notice.

It’s simple!

1) Click on any one of the pink buttons, which will direct you to our contact form, and you can let us know a good time / day for a phone call.

2) We will call you to answer general questions, briefly discuss your concerns, and let you know what we have to offer. If we both decide it’s a good fit, you will be scheduled for your initial visit during this call.

3) Prior to your appointment, you will receive an email with a link to confidential intake forms and consent forms. Completing these forms before your appointment allows your therapist to prepare and make the most of your time together.