Pelvic Glossary

Anxiety: A feeling of worry, dread, nervousness, or unease about an uncertain outcome. It can come with feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, and difficulty concentrating. While normal in small amounts, excessive anxiety can interfere with daily life.

Biofeedback: A treatment technique that uses monitoring devices to provide visual or auditory feedback on the pelvic floor muscle activity to help improve control. In pelvic floor sessions, this could look like a machine that has sensors on the abdomen, around the anus, glutes, and/or internally (vaginal or rectal), and you can see your muscle activity on a screen.

Bladder: A muscular sac and organ that stores urine produced by the kidneys.

Bowel: Directly infers to the intestines, which is a tube-shaped organ in the abdomen that's part of the digestive system

Diastasis Recti (DRA): An increased midline separation (stretching) of the rectus abdominis muscles (the “six-pack” muscles) due to widening and thinning or the linea alba (connective tissue), which can affect the core and pelvic floor function. Common during/after pregnancy, but it can occur in any gender or age group outside of pregnancy.

Dyspareunia: A medical term for the symptom of pain before, during, or after sexual intercourse.

Fascia: Connective tissue that surrounds and supports the every part of the body including muscles, organs, bones, nerves, and blood vessels.

Frequency (urinary): Needing to urinate more often than normal for a person’s health.

Incontinence: The involuntary leakage of urine (urinary incontinence) or stool (fecal incontinence).

Interstitial Cystitis (IC): Also known as bladder pain syndrome, it is a chronic bladder condition that causes inflammation of the bladder wall. Common symptoms are bladder pressure, bladder pain, pelvic pain, and frequent or urgent need to urinate.

Introitus: Medical term for the vaginal opening.

Kegels: A word used to describe pelvic floor contractions, named after a gynecologist in 1948. They are known as an exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. However even if done properly, this is not always the best approach to your symptoms, and you should consult with your pelvic floor therapist before doing them.

Laxity: Looseness, reduced tension, or slackness in the pelvic floor muscles or tissues.

Myofascial Release: A technique that involves gentle stretching or massaging of the connective tissue to relieve tension.

Overactive Bladder (OAB): A condition characterized by sudden urges to urinate, frequent urination, and sometimes incontinence.

Pelvic Floor: A group of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that support the bladder, uterus, and rectum, and is responsible for bodily functions.

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD): A group of conditions that affect the pelvic floor. Could involve problems with bladder, bowel, sexual function, or pelvic pain.

Pelvic Floor Therapy: A specialized form of therapy, often provided by physical or occupational therapists to assess and treat pelvic floor muscle dysfunction and related concerns.

Pelvic Health: The state of wellness of the pelvic region, which includes the bladder, bowel, reproductive organs, muscles, nerves, and other tissues.

Pelvic Organ Support: Refers to the integrity and strength of the structures that hold the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus, rectum) in place.

Pelvic Pain: Acute, chronic, or intermittent pain in the pelvic region.

Pelvis: The bony structure located between lower abdomen and upper thighs, connecting the spine to the femurs, and supporting the organs in the abdominal cavity.

Perineum: The area between the anus and the genitals. It can be found located between the vaginal opening and the anus or between the scrotum and the anus.

Prolapse: The descent or protrusion of one or more of the pelvic organs (ie. bladder, uterus, rectum) into or outside of the pelvic floor, vaginal or rectal.

Pudendal Nerve: A major nerve in the pelvis that controls sensation in the genital area and motor function in the pelvic floor muscles.

Superbill: A detailed receipt that your healthcare provider can provide you upon request after a visit. This is what you would provide to your insurance company for out of network benefits if you are seeing someone who is not in network with your insurance.

Trigger Point Release: Soft tissue technique that works to release painful, tension in muscles and fascia that you would usually experience as a knot in the muscle.

Urgency: A sudden, strong urge to urinate.

Vulva: External genitalia that surrounds the opening to the vagina, including the labia majora (outer folds), labia minora (inner folds), clitoris, mons pubis, urethra, vestibule, vestibular bulbs, Bartholin's glands, Skene's glands, and vaginal opening.

Vulvodynia: Pain, burning or discomfort at the vulva.