{"id":96,"date":"2026-07-22T12:21:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elevate615pt.com\/next-level\/?p=96"},"modified":"2026-07-22T12:21:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T17:21:49","slug":"is-it-really-just-part-of-pregnancy-a-pelvic-floor-physical-therapy-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elevate615pt.com\/next-level\/2026\/07\/22\/is-it-really-just-part-of-pregnancy-a-pelvic-floor-physical-therapy-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Really “Just Part of Pregnancy?” A Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Case Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ortho-Pelvic Physical Therapist Hannah Jones, PT, DPT, OCS<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most rewarding parts of being a pelvic floor physical therapist<\/a> is helping women realize that symptoms they’ve been told to accept as “normal” don’t necessarily have to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of women have underlying pelvic floor dysfunction <\/a>that goes unnoticed for years. Pregnancy often acts as the catalyst that finally brings those issues to the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One patient in particular comes to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She initially came to see me for stress urinary incontinence during pregnancy<\/a>. Like many women, she assumed occasional leakage was simply part of being pregnant. While urinary leakage is common during pregnancy<\/a>, I would argue that it shouldn’t automatically be considered normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made her case especially interesting was her history of chronic hip pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had experienced recurring hip pain for years and had previously attended physical therapy with some success. While treatment would help temporarily, the pain always seemed to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During her evaluation, we performed a thorough musculoskeletal and pelvic floor assessment.<\/a> As we worked through her history and movement patterns, I began to suspect that her hip symptoms might actually be related to long-standing pelvic floor dysfunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, she couldn’t believe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had never experienced urinary leakage, pelvic pressure, or any other obvious pelvic floor symptoms<\/a> before becoming pregnant. How could her pelvic floor possibly be connected to her hip pain?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is that the pelvic floor doesn’t work in isolation. It works closely with the hips, core, diaphragm, and low back as part of a larger pressure and stability system. When one piece isn’t functioning well, other areas often compensate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After implementing a treatment plan that included pelvic floor-specific exercises and manual therapy,<\/a> something remarkable happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only did her urinary leakage improve, but her chronic hip pain began to decrease significantly as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of her pregnancy, she was completely pain-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even better, she has not experienced a recurrence of her hip pain since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bigger Lesson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most people know to see a physical therapist when they sprain an ankle, hurt their back, or develop shoulder pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelvic floor dysfunction is different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many women don’t realize that symptoms such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n