Pelvic Health and Prenatal/Postpartum Therapy

Redesigning care, with your safety top of mind.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GBMC Health Partners will continue to offer telehealth video visits for anyone who prefers that option. Please call your provider or login to MyChart to schedule an in-person or telehealth video visit today! If you have an existing appointment that you'd like to reschedule, please do so directly from your MyChart account.* Please expect delays as our staff endeavor to assist all patients with their needs and questions. Do not send multiple MyChart messages or walk in to GBMC Health Partners locations without an appointment. We understand that patients are eager for access to care, and we are doing everything possible to respond to each patient as quickly as possible.

Greetings,
The following practices are experiencing issues with their phone lines due to a service interruption with an outside vendor:
- GBMC Health Partners Eye Center at Joppa Road
- GBMC Health Partners at Jonestown
- GBMC Health Partners at Hunt Manor
- GBMC Health Partners at Hunt Valley
- GBMC Health Partners at Jarrettsville
- GBMC Health Partners at Owings Mills (Family Care and Internal Medicine)
- GBMC Health Partners at Padonia
- Dr. Caren Craig's office
- Ambulatory Testing Center
- The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at Crossroads
- West Road Business Office
If you need to reach your medical provider, please use the MyChart patient portal at gbmc.org/mychart. MyChart can be used for secure messaging with a provider, prescription refills, accessing test results, and more!
If you have tried using MyChart and still have an urgent need, please call 443-849-8556 for assistance. If this is a true medical emergency, please dial 911.
GBMC will be sending out additional communications to keep you informed as we work to address the vendor's service disruption.
Yours in good health,
GBMC Health Partners

Keeping You Safe
Hospitals and medical offices are now permitted to see patients for all types of care, including elective surgery. We have been working hard to ensure that the hospital and physicians' practices are ready for you. We have redesigned the way we provide care with your safety in mind.We will continue to offer telehealth video visits for anyone who prefers that option. However, we want to reassure you that we are taking the necessary steps to protect your safety when you need to come to the hospital, a primary care office, or one of our specialty practices.
Some of the measures GBMC Health Partners is taking to protect patients include:
- GBMC Health Partners is seeing patients in person and via telehealth video visits. Using video visits allows you to talk with your doctor without leaving home. This reduces the number of patients coming through the office and decreases the potential for inadvertent exposure of patients and staff to COVID-19. Thus, in-person visits can be done safely for those who need them. We encourage you to utilize MyChart for your telehealth needs, and you can also call your doctor if you need help. We are ready to assist you.
- Extensive cleaning of all work spaces and patient areas is performed between encounters and throughout the day.
- All patients, providers, and staff members attest to COVID related symptoms upon arrival and must wear masks (along with other appropriate personal protective equipment "PPE" if necessary).
- All patients are asked COVID-19 screening questions when they make their appointment and again when they arrive. Patients are given specific appointment times to limit the number of people in the offices at one time, and are kept in private exam rooms during their visits.
- To allow for safe distancing, our office hours may be adjusted during this time, and offices themselves have been rearranged. In certain locations, there may be physical barriers in place, and in some cases, family members may be asked to wait in their vehicles. One family member or friend may accompany a patient to the appointment.
- All surgical patients are tested for COVID-19 pre-operatively.
- COVID-19 positive patients and patients under investigation (PUIs) who require hospital admission are sequestered in the hospital. Outpatients who are COVID-19 positive or PUIs are encouraged to utilize telehealth video visits to determine whether in-person care is needed.
Pelvic floor physical therapy can address a variety of pelvic conditions and dysfunctions such as:
- Urinary incontinence (stress, urge, mixed)
- Overactive bladder
- Urinary frequency (day and/or night)
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Interstitial Cystitis
- Painful intercourse/dyspareunia
- Vaginismus
- Pelvic pain
- Fecal incontinence
- Constipation
- Dyssnergia
- Coccydynia
- Prenatal and postpartum conditions include
- Pelvic pain
- Low back pain
- Sacroiliac joint dysfunction or pain
- Pubic symphysis dysfunction or pain
- Diastasis recti
- Sciatica
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Scar tissue management from episiotomy
- Perineal tearing or cesarean
- Strengthening of pelvic floor muscles and core
- Downtraining/muscle relaxation
- Use of biofeedback tool to assess pelvic floor muscles and retrain
- Electrical stimulation to strengthen very weak muscles or relax overactive/tense muscles
- Manual Therapy techniques to release restrictions in pelvic floor and associated muscles
- Personalized program for strengthening and flexibility to facilitate a healthy and active pregnancy
- Continued explanation of diagnosis
- Diet adjustments
- Positioning education for toileting, pain reduction, pressure relief
- Bladder and/or bowel retraining
- Management and modifications for pelvic organ prolapse
- Habit/trigger identification and retraining
- Urgency suppression techniques
- Pain management strategies
- Proper body mechanics for lifting, exercise and other activities
- Ways to decrease night time voiding
- Support belts and/or taping techniques for prenatal and postpartum
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the pelvic floor?The pelvic floor actually consists of several layers of muscle, ligaments and connective tissue. These muscles are responsible for supporting the bladder, rectum, vagina and uterus. They help to keep you continent of urine and stool as well as having a role in sexual appreciation. Your pelvic floor sits at the bottom of your pelvis, like a hammock, attaching to your pubic bone in front and to your tailbone in back.
Why do I have a pelvic floor dysfunction?
The pelvic floor can be weakened or become painful due to many different factors such as pregnancy/childbirth, surgery, heavy lifting, chronic constipation, the effects of aging, obesity, stress, abuse/trauma, and chronic medical and neurological conditions. Over time, these factors can lead to the development of one or more pelvic floor disorders or dysfunctions.
What should I expect at my evaluation?
You will be working one on one with a female pelvic physical therapist and all treatment rooms are private. You are more than welcome to have a chaperone accompany you to your appointment. For your first day, the therapist will spend time talking with you and asking questions in order to obtain your medical history and to learn more about your condition and symptoms. She will perform a musculoskeletal examination which may consist of assessing your spine, hips, pelvic alignment as well as evaluate the strength, range of motion and flexibility of your muscles. Your therapist will likely need to perform an internal and/or external pelvic floor muscle examination and some special tests specific to your symptoms. The therapist will take time to discuss and explain the evaluation and all that will be involved, allowing you to ask any questions prior to participating. Your first session will take between 60-90 minutes.
What should I wear to my first visit?
Your attire is not important on your first day. Feel free to wear whatever clothing is comfortable and convenient.
What should I expect during subsequent treatment sessions?
It is difficult to predict or generalize how long a patient will need therapy prior to performing a thorough evaluation. During your evaluation session, your physical therapist will determine a personalized treatment plan based on the evaluation findings. This treatment plan will be executed throughout your treatment sessions. These follow up treatment sessions typically take about 60 minutes.
What is biofeedback and how will it be used for my pelvic floor?
Biofeedback is used as a muscle retraining tool to help patients learn to strengthen or relax pelvic floor muscles in order to improve bowel/bladder function and decrease pain. It is a painless, non-surgical process that uses an internal sensor and computer monitor to display information about your muscle activity. As you tighten or relax the correct muscles, changes will be seen on the computer monitor. Being able to visualize this information helps you to identify the correct muscles and learn to make changes that are needed.
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