What to Expect at Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Green Bay
You were "cleared at six weeks." That's not the same as being fixed.
Maybe you leak when you laugh, sneeze, or jump rope at the gym. Maybe sex still hurts and you haven't told anyone, including your OB. Maybe you've been doing Kegels for over a year and nothing's changed. If any of that's true, you're not broken - you just haven't been evaluated by someone who actually looks for why it's happening. That's what we do at MVMT.
Before You Come In: The Free Phone Consultation
Before you come in, you get a free 15-minute call with one of our clinicians. Tell us what's going on, ask what you want, find out if we're the right fit. No sales pitch — if we're not right for you, we'll say so.
What Actually Happens in Your First Hour
Your initial evaluation is a full 60-minute appointment - just you and your clinician, no other patients, no aides. Here's how it typically goes:
Your clinician starts with a detailed history. When did this start? What makes it better or worse? What have you tried? What was your birth experience, symptoms, activity level, goals?
You'll do a movement assessment - how you walk, stand, squat, and breathing screen to see how your core, hips, and pelvic floor are working together under load.
Your clinician explains what they found in plain language…what's happening, why, and what the treatment plan looks like.
By the end of that hour you know exactly what's driving your symptoms, what the plan is, and that this is fixable. Most clients start treatment that same visit.
Is It Embarrassing or Uncomfortable?
Most women are nervous before their first appointment. That's completely normal. What most of them tell us after: it was nothing like they expected, and they wish they'd come in sooner.
Your clinician at MVMT has worked with hundreds of women on pelvic floor issues. There's no judgment, no awkward silence, and no rushing. We've heard it all. The conversations that feel hardest to start - leaking when you sneeze, pain during sex, the feeling of something falling out - are the exact conversations we have every day, and they don't surprise us.
Why Kegels Alone Didn't Work
Here's what almost nobody tells you: Kegels strengthen. But if your pelvic floor is already tight (which is common, not rare), you're adding tension to tension - and that's often exactly why a year of Kegels changed nothing. We test for tight versus weak before we prescribe anything, so you're not guessing anymore.
How We Actually Treat It
Manual therapy and dry needling for tension and trigger points that are driving pain or dysfunction
Breathing and pressure management: how you brace under load changes everything about how your pelvic floor handles daily stress, lifting, and impact
Core and pelvic floor coordination, not isolated exercises done in a vacuum
Progressive loading: we don't tell you to stop CrossFit or running. We modify and rebuild while you keep moving.
Sport-specific return-to-activity work: running, lifting, jumping, whatever your goal is, your last sessions are built around it specifically
The Old Way vs. The MVMT Way
| The Old Way | The MVMT Way |
|---|---|
| "You're cleared at 6 weeks" | A real evaluation that tests actual function |
| Generic Kegel prescription | Treatment based on your specific dysfunction |
| 15 minutes, insurance PT, three other patients | 60 minutes, just you |
| "This is normal after having a baby" | "This is treatable. Let's fix it." |
| Stop exercising until it gets better | Modify, don't stop — keep moving while you heal |
Is It Awkward?
Probably, for the first five minutes. Every woman who's come through our door has felt some version of nervous walking in. What we hear afterward, over and over, is that it wasn't what they expected. One of our patients put it simply: "I can happily say I no longer fear laughing, sneezing, etc. I want to shout from the rooftops to all the women who have had pelvic floor weakness - go see the team at MVMT." We talk about leaking, pain, and pressure as normally as we'd talk about a bad shoulder, because to us, it is exactly that: something that's not working right yet, not something to be embarrassed about.
No Referral Needed
Wisconsin has direct access to PT. Call us, book online, skip the doctor's office entirely. Want us looped in with your OB or midwife? We'll do that too - it's just not required to start.
How Long Does It Take?
Most clients see real change in 6-10 sessions. Postpartum recovery and mild leaking often move faster. Chronic pain or prolapse can take longer. You'll walk out of your first visit with a real number, not "we'll see how it goes."
Who You'll Work With
Tia Jackson, MS, LAT, ATC and Dr. Erica Folker, PT, DPT, LAT, ATC both treat pelvic floor and postpartum clients at MVMT. Pregnancy, postpartum, athletes getting back to sport - pelvic health isn't a side skill either of them picked up, it's a primary focus for both. We'll match you to whoever fits your situation best on your intro call.
It's Never Too Late
One of our patients came in twelve years postpartum still dealing with symptoms she'd been told to just live with. She didn't have to, and neither do you.
If you’re ready, we’d love to help you through your pelvic floor symptoms. Whether pregnant, postpartum, or just living with symptoms, we’re here to help you. Start with your free phone call right here, and choose to go down a path back to living!
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Description text goes hereYour first visit is a full 60-minute one-on-one evaluation - a complete history, a movement and breathing assessment, and hands-on treatment like manual therapy or dry needling if needed. You leave knowing exactly what's driving your symptoms and what your treatment plan looks like.
-
No referral needed. Wisconsin's direct access law lets you book directly with MVMT without seeing a doctor first. We're happy to loop in your OB or midwife if you'd like, but it's not required to get started.
-
It shouldn't be. Manual therapy or dry needling can cause mild discomfort if tissue is very tight, but your clinician checks in constantly and adjusts based on your feedback. Most patients are surprised by how manageable it is.
-
There's no milestone you need to hit first. We can start with gentle movement, breathing, and education early in recovery, then build your program as you heal and your provider clears you for more.
-
Kegels strengthen, but if your pelvic floor is already tight, more squeezing just adds tension to tension - which is often exactly why Kegels alone don't work. We test whether your pelvic floor is tight or weak before building your treatment plan, so you're not guessing anymore.