Hypertonic pelvic floor

pickledwillies · 2024-05-20T11:00:24+00:00

Has anyone here been diagnosed with/have a hypertonic (too tight) pelvic floor? I've been told I have this, after months of having weird UTI-ish feelings in my urethra/down there but negative cultures and tests, and no improvement on antibiotics. Have started seeing a women's health physio but just wondered how long it takes to expect results?

KittyWitty · 22/05/2024 10:13

I am jumping on - I have just been diagnosed with this yesterday!

As I am 6 months pregnant, the physio has said I can't start to really work to fix it until after I have had baby - so no use for how long it will take to see results, but very interested to know!

Original poster

pickledwillies · 22/05/2024 12:05

@KittyWitty Hello! Congrats on the pregnancy! I'm not pregnant so imagine we might have different symptoms, but can I ask what your symptoms are?

Literally my only one is a UTI-type feeling of burning down there, particularly after urinating/emptying my bowels.

OP posts:

KittyWitty · 22/05/2024 17:03

Horrendous pain in my pubic bone, made worse when I walk. To the point I was in agony 24/7, even when resting it. Difficulty emptying my bladder and bowels, I was sat on the toilet willing myself to go and almost couldn't. It was also really painful and I would have stomach ache after every trip to the toilet. This meant I kept getting UTIs.

Before pregnancy though, I found sex really painful. To the point we were having to use syringes to try and get pregnant (why my fertility clinic didn't think this was a worry and referred me for help I do not know!! - they were the ones who gave me the syringes and told me to crack on and use them!!). I've always struggled to pass any stool that is too solid, so have to use laxatives to almost have diarrhea to go - again the GP just told me it was IBS and no further exploration! Frequent UTIs and pain when I went for a wee, but again just told I wasn't drinking enough.

I did have endometriosis removed last year, which my physio said was a risk factor for developing hypertonic pelvic floor and a history of IBS with pain for over a decade.

Original poster

pickledwillies · 23/05/2024 10:40

KittyWitty · 22/05/2024 17:03

Horrendous pain in my pubic bone, made worse when I walk. To the point I was in agony 24/7, even when resting it. Difficulty emptying my bladder and bowels, I was sat on the toilet willing myself to go and almost couldn't. It was also really painful and I would have stomach ache after every trip to the toilet. This meant I kept getting UTIs.

Before pregnancy though, I found sex really painful. To the point we were having to use syringes to try and get pregnant (why my fertility clinic didn't think this was a worry and referred me for help I do not know!! - they were the ones who gave me the syringes and told me to crack on and use them!!). I've always struggled to pass any stool that is too solid, so have to use laxatives to almost have diarrhea to go - again the GP just told me it was IBS and no further exploration! Frequent UTIs and pain when I went for a wee, but again just told I wasn't drinking enough.

I did have endometriosis removed last year, which my physio said was a risk factor for developing hypertonic pelvic floor and a history of IBS with pain for over a decade.

So sorry to hear this, that sounds awful! But it's great the issue has now been correctly identified and after your pregnancy you can work on getting it better? The subreddit r/PelvicFloor has loads of good advice, and stories from people who fully recovered.

Good luck!

OP posts:

Annieall · 03/11/2024 22:41

I had months of pelvic floor physio. For tight pelvic floor. Cost me a fortune. W5 mins a week at £50 a time for physio to go inside and manually stretch me. After a few months her and I had enough and that was that. Made ni difference at all.

DancingGerbil · 23/02/2025 16:10

@pickledwillies how are u doing I'm having the same issues