u/kaniyahgrove444

About a year ago, I sought pelvic floor physical therapy for pelvic pain and sensitivity. I had only seen one doctor at that point, and they immediately referred me to a specific pelvic floor therapist. Originally, they recommended the owner of the practice, but she was not accepting new patients, so I was assigned to another therapist. I was told she was very experienced and highly recommended.

The first session involved what I understood to be an initial evaluation. Although I felt uncomfortable, I assumed it was necessary. During that exam, she used a Q-tip and slowly rubbed it over my clitoris, around my vaginal opening, and around my urethra. This made me extremely uncomfortable, especially because my primary pain and sensitivity had always been in my clitoris.

What concerns me is that this same Q-tip technique became the main focus of every session afterward. Typically, the sessions would begin with massage work on my stomach and legs. Then, for the majority of the appointment, she would use a Q-tip to slowly rub my clitoris and surrounding vaginal area. This occurred repeatedly throughout approximately 20 sessions.

There was very little internal work . The only internal work I can recall was on two occasions when she inserted the tips of two fingers slightly into my vagina and had me squeeze for about five seconds. Other than that, there was essentially no internal pelvic floor evaluation or treatment. The final ten minutes of each session were usually spent reviewing stretches to perform at home, which I followed consistently and diligently.

Over time, I actually felt worse. The repeated Q-tip stimulation would often trigger significant flares of my symptoms, and I frequently left appointments feeling upset. There were times when I would sit in my car and cry because I felt violated and uncomfortable with what had occurred during the sessions.

What has made me question this experience even more is that I have since seen multiple physicians and specialists for my pelvic pain. When I explain the treatment I received, many of them seem surprised or confused by it. More recently, I have undergone pelvic examinations where providers used a Q-tip to apply pressure to specific locations in order to identify pain points, which helped reveal significant areas of pain. Other providers have also performed internal examinations and discovered substantial pain within my pelvic floor muscles.

For the first time, I felt validated because these examinations identified actual physical sources of my pain. Throughout my treatment with the pelvic floor therapist, I was repeatedly told that my symptoms were essentially "all in my head." However, subsequent evaluations have demonstrated that I do, in fact, have significant pain and dysfunction that can be reproduced during examination.

I am now working with new providers who have recommended a different pelvic floor physical therapist, and I am hopeful that I will finally receive treatment that is more appropriate for my condition. Looking back, I still question whether the treatment I received was standard pelvic floor therapy, as the repeated Q-tip stimulation seemed to be the primary intervention despite causing worsening symptoms and providing no meaningful improvement.

About a year ago, I sought pelvic floor physical therapy for pelvic pain and sensitivity. I had only seen one doctor at that point, and they immediately referred me to a specific pelvic floor therapist. Originally, they recommended the owner of the practice, but she was not accepting new patients, so I was assigned to another therapist. I was told she was very experienced and highly recommended.

The first session involved what I understood to be an initial evaluation. Although I felt uncomfortable, I assumed it was necessary. During that exam, she used a Q-tip and slowly rubbed it over my clitoris, around my vaginal opening, and around my urethra. This made me extremely uncomfortable, especially because my primary pain and sensitivity had always been in my clitoris.

What concerns me is that this same Q-tip technique became the main focus of every session afterward. Typically, the sessions would begin with massage work on my stomach and legs. Then, for the majority of the appointment, she would use a Q-tip to slowly rub my clitoris and surrounding vaginal area. This occurred repeatedly throughout approximately 20 sessions.

There was very little internal work . The only internal work I can recall was on two occasions when she inserted the tips of two fingers slightly into my vagina and had me squeeze for about five seconds. Other than that, there was essentially no internal pelvic floor evaluation or treatment. The final ten minutes of each session were usually spent reviewing stretches to perform at home, which I followed consistently and diligently.

Over time, I actually felt worse. The repeated Q-tip stimulation would often trigger significant flares of my symptoms, and I frequently left appointments feeling upset. There were times when I would sit in my car and cry because I felt violated and uncomfortable with what had occurred during the sessions.

What has made me question this experience even more is that I have since seen multiple physicians and specialists for my pelvic pain. When I explain the treatment I received, many of them seem surprised or confused by it. More recently, I have undergone pelvic examinations where providers used a Q-tip to apply pressure to specific locations in order to identify pain points, which helped reveal significant areas of pain. Other providers have also performed internal examinations and discovered substantial pain within my pelvic floor muscles.

For the first time, I felt validated because these examinations identified actual physical sources of my pain. Throughout my treatment with the pelvic floor therapist, I was repeatedly told that my symptoms were essentially "all in my head." However, subsequent evaluations have demonstrated that I do, in fact, have significant pain and dysfunction that can be reproduced during examination.

I am now working with new providers who have recommended a different pelvic floor physical therapist, and I am hopeful that I will finally receive treatment that is more appropriate for my condition. Looking back, I still question whether the treatment I received was standard pelvic floor therapy, as the repeated Q-tip stimulation seemed to be the primary intervention despite causing worsening symptoms and providing no meaningful improvement.