Pelvic floor dysfunction happens when the muscles supporting your bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs become too tight, too weak, or uncoordinated. It can show up as pelvic pain, bladder symptoms, prolapse, or pain during sex, and it’s often misunderstood or dismissed. When it sticks around, there can be more to the story.
Override specializes in chronic pain. Our virtual care team looks at the physical, neurological, and emotional factors that can influence ongoing pelvic pain, then builds a personalized care plan around your needs, goals, and life.
of appointments are fully virtual. In-network with most insurance plans in select states.
of patients report improvement*
satisfaction with Override providers*
*Source: Internal Override Health patient-reported outcomes data
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that supports your bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs, and helps control urination, bowel movements, and sexual function. Dysfunction can mean the muscles are too tight (hypertonic), too weak, or not coordinating well, and can develop after childbirth, surgery, chronic straining, or without any single clear trigger.
Common symptoms:
Pelvic pain or pressure
Pain during intercourse
Urinary urgency, frequency, or incomplete emptying
Constipation or difficulty with bowel movements
Low back or hip pain that doesn’t resolve with typical treatment
Chronic pelvic floor pain is also a nervous system story. When pelvic pain continues for months, the nervous system can become more sensitized, which can keep pain and muscle guarding present even after the original trigger has resolved.
Bladder symptoms are one of the most common signs of pelvic floor dysfunction. Overactive bladder (frequent, urgent need to urinate) can stem from an overly tight, uncoordinated pelvic floor rather than the bladder itself. Urinary retention or a feeling of incomplete emptying can point the opposite direction, toward muscles that aren’t relaxing or coordinating properly during urination. Urge incontinence and stress incontinence can both have a pelvic floor component, alongside other contributing factors.
Pelvic organ prolapse happens when weakened pelvic floor support allows an organ, the bladder (cystocele), uterus, or rectum (rectocele), to shift or descend from its normal position. It’s often related to pelvic floor weakness, sometimes following childbirth or with age. Symptoms can include a feeling of pressure, bulging, or heaviness in the pelvic area. Prolapse surgery is sometimes discussed for more advanced cases, and would be a conversation with your OB/GYN or urogynecologist.
Pain during or after sex, sometimes called dyspareunia, is a common but often unaddressed symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction. Vaginismus, involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles that makes penetration painful or difficult, is one specific presentation. This pain is real, treatable, and not something you need to just live with.
Pregnancy and childbirth place real strain on the pelvic floor and core. Diastasis recti, a separation of the abdominal muscles that can cause a doming or bulging appearance, often occurs alongside pelvic floor changes postpartum. Bladder control issues, pelvic pain, and core weakness are all common in the postpartum period and generally respond well to targeted treatment.
Pelvic floor dysfunction isn’t only a women’s health issue. Men have a pelvic floor too, and dysfunction can contribute to pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, and chronic prostatitis-like symptoms that don’t always have an identifiable infection. This is an often-overlooked presentation that responds well to the same kind of targeted, whole-person treatment.
When pelvic floor symptoms last for months, they can start affecting much more than the pelvic area itself.
Pain can change how you sit, how you exercise, how comfortable you feel with intimacy, and how confident you feel talking about symptoms that can feel isolating to bring up.
That’s why Override doesn’t treat pelvic floor dysfunction as only a muscular problem.
We look at the whole pain experience and build a personalized plan around your symptoms, history, goals, and the factors that may be contributing to your pain.
You may have already seen a doctor or tried Kegels or other exercises on your own. Maybe something helped for a while. Maybe nothing did.
Override isn’t about asking one more treatment to solve every part of a complex pain experience.
It’s about bringing the right care together.
Depending on your needs, your personalized care plan may include:
Pain specialists trained in pain neuroscience and non-opioid chronic pain management who can oversee your care plan and coordinate with your OB/GYN, urologist, or gastroenterologist when relevant.
Movement specialists trained in chronic pain, including pelvic floor-focused approaches, who assess muscle tension, coordination, and surrounding movement patterns. This may include guided pelvic floor exercises, diaphragmatic breathing work, or relaxation techniques, matched to whether your pelvic floor is too tight, too weak, or uncoordinated.
Therapists well-versed in chronic pain who help address the biological, psychological, and social factors that can come with pelvic pain.
Certified pain coaches help you build sustainable daily habits and stay supported between visits.
Your care is personalized to you. You may not need every service. The difference is that your providers can work together as one team, with one shared understanding of your pain and your goals.
Jim S.
Override patient
There isn’t one treatment that works for every case of pelvic floor dysfunction.
The right approach depends on whether the muscles are too tight, too weak, or uncoordinated, and how long symptoms have been present. Treatment can include pelvic floor physical therapy, guided exercises like Kegels when appropriate (they’re not right for everyone, especially with an overly tight pelvic floor), relaxation and coordination techniques, and behavioral approaches, often coordinated with your OB/GYN, urologist, or gastroenterologist depending on your symptoms.
Your symptoms have lasted three months or longer
Your symptoms keep returning or interfering with your daily life
You’ve tried treatment without enough relief
Pain is affecting your movement, intimacy, sleep, mood, or the things you want to do
You’re looking for a more comprehensive approach to managing chronic pelvic pain
Override isn’t emergency or acute care. If you have sudden, severe pelvic pain, fever, or new loss of bladder or bowel control, seek appropriate in-person medical care right away.
Not necessarily. Dysfunction can mean the muscles are too weak, but it can also mean they’re too tight or not coordinating properly, which is why a proper assessment matters before starting any treatment, including exercises like Kegels that can worsen a too-tight pelvic floor.
Yes. It can contribute to low back, hip, or abdominal pain, which is part of why it’s sometimes missed when the focus stays only on the area where pain is most noticeable.
Yes. It’s less commonly discussed, but men have a pelvic floor too, and dysfunction can contribute to pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, and chronic prostatitis-like symptoms.
A weak pelvic floor is the underlying muscular issue. Prolapse is a specific, visible consequence of that weakness, where an organ shifts from its normal position. Not everyone with a weak pelvic floor develops prolapse, and treatment approaches overlap significantly.
Many people feel this way, and it’s a common reason symptoms go unaddressed for a long time. Your care team is there to help, not to judge, and can guide the conversation at whatever pace feels comfortable for you.
Schedule your free consultation today to learn more.
