Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: It’s Not About Kegels — It’s About Your Entire Life

By Dr. Allison Feldt, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Mom of 3, and Leading Expert in Postpartum Healing

How cool is it that Christine from Peloton reposted my message on pelvic floor health?! I’ll be honest — I was giddy. Not because it boosted my ego, but because it means the message is getting out. Advocacy is happening. Women are listening. And we’re starting to reclaim our bodies.

Let’s Talk About the Pelvic Floor — For Real

Pelvic floor health isn’t about squeezing harder or doing more Kegels. It’s not just hip mobility either. It’s about tissue health, organ support and movement, and the ability of your muscles to actually work.

Imagine your pelvic floor feeling like beef jerky — dry, tough, immobile. That’s what we see when scar tissue builds up or when the muscle is too tight to lengthen. And if a muscle can’t lengthen, it can’t contract either. True power lives in a muscle’s ability to eccentrically elongate — to stretch under control. That’s when you really start to feel good in your body.

Why This Matters for Your Whole Body

When your pelvic floor is dynamic and responsive, your hips move better. With good hip extension, you can actually build glutes. Your spine moves, your diaphragm breathes with you — your core becomes a coordinated system.

And those glutes? They protect your pelvic floor. Your transverse abdominis supports your organs (bladder!). Your lower traps and lats stabilize your back. When everything works together, your joints feel amazing, your back stops aching, and your hips stop locking up. It’s a total body transformation.

Yet too many women are offered injections, surgeries, and stimulating chairs like the Emsella instead of real answers. Cortisone for knees, uterine ablations for heavy periods, even spinal fusions — these are band-aids. What’s really needed is root-level healing through the pelvic floor.

My Story: The Long Road to Healing

Back in 2009, I had a totally unnecessary meniscectomy on my left knee. I didn’t know then what I know now. But that experience taught me how surgeries shift the body forever.

During marathon training, my right SI joint started acting up. Turns out, I was overusing my right leg because my left never fully recovered. I’ve done endless PT to restore balance — and I’m still working on it in 2025.

Then came babies — three of them. Each pregnancy and postpartum phase amplified my old compensations as it does for all women. From round ligament pain to SI dysfunction and even prolapse, I’ve lived it. I’m not just the expert. I’m also the patient.

And it wasn’t until I used the Body Motion birth prep protocols during my third pregnancy that I felt a real shift. Less injury. Better tissue recoil. No need for the pessary I leaned on after baby #2. Yes, I had a setback after a tough bowel movement postpartum, but my body rebounded quickly because I had built the foundation.

Even now, four years postpartum, I have to manage my SI joint. I pushed hard recently — lifting, Pilates, and hockey — and yep, my pattern kicked in. But I knew what to do. Release my adductors, activate my glutes, reset my pelvis. (Get a pelvic floor physical therapy treatment, some EMTT, Shockwave therapy and Red Light is absolutely on the list to heal). Knowledge is power. And I want that power for every woman.

Why Every Mom Needs Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Here’s the truth: Pregnancy and birth cause real, physical injuries. Whether it’s scar tissue, nerve damage, tearing, prolapse, or deep muscle tension, you cannot “bounce back” without healing. The body compensates, yes, but that creates new issues — back pain, leaking, hip pain, sciatica, and even bladder dysfunction.

Pelvic floor therapy threads it all back together. It’s how we help women heal after birth, avoid surgery later in life, and feel strong and powerful in their own bodies. I’ve worked with women from age 30 to 100 — and I’ve seen these patterns over and over.

If we can keep women out of adult diapers, off operating tables, and living fully mobile lives into their 80s and 90s, we’ve changed the game. No need to die bed ridden with pressure wounds infected from incontinence.

Prevention Is the Real Power Move

You don’t lift weights for your diaphragm, right? So why are we “lifting weights” for our pelvic floors with endless Kegels? What we need is balance, coordination, strength and movement. That’s how we stay healthy. That’s how we avoid the knife. That’s how we age without fear.

Yes, surgery can be a godsend in traumatic cases. But for the rest — arthritis, knee pain, bladder leakage, heavy periods — we need to look at the core. The pelvis. The real source.

Because when women thrive in their bodies, the world is better. Period.

Let’s Change the Conversation

If you’ve been told your pain is normal, your leaking is inevitable, or that a chair will fix your pelvic floor — come see me. Read my book: Restore Your Body After Kids. Learn how to avoid peeing your pants and aching through the rest of your life.

I’m Dr. Allison Feldt — mom of three, physical therapist, and founder of Body Motion PT. This is my life’s work. I’m here to change the story for women, one pelvic floor at a time.