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Patient Questions  /  Pelvic floor therapy for constipation

Women’s Pelvic Health

Can Pelvic Floor Therapy Help Constipation?

It can for some women. If your pelvic floor muscles tighten instead of relaxing when you try to have a bowel movement, stool is hard to pass even when it's soft. Pelvic floor therapy, often with biofeedback, teaches those muscles to relax and work together. It works best alongside your doctor's advice on diet, fluids and medicines.

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When the pelvic floor is part of the problem

Constipation has many causes, like low fiber, not drinking enough, some medicines, a slow-moving bowel or other health conditions. Your doctor can check for these. The pelvic floor may be involved if you:

  • Strain a lot, even when your stool is soft.
  • Often feel you haven't fully emptied.
  • Feel like something is blocking the way out.
  • Need to press on your belly, your vagina or the area just behind it to get stool out.

When the muscles don't coordinate well during a bowel movement, it is sometimes called pelvic floor dyssynergia.

What pelvic floor therapy may include

  • Learning to relax your pelvic floor, with breathing that helps the muscles let go.
  • Biofeedback, so you can see how your muscles tighten and relax.
  • Toilet position. A small stool under your feet so your knees are higher than your hips, leaning forward with a relaxed belly.
  • No hard straining or holding your breath to push.
  • Bowel habits, like going when you feel the urge, trying after meals, and not sitting on the toilet for long.
  • Daily movement, which helps the bowel work.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor promptly if you have:

  • Blood in your stool, or black, tarry stools
  • A lasting change in your bowel habits, or unexplained weight loss
  • Severe belly pain, a swollen belly, vomiting, or not being able to pass gas: get emergency care
  • Sudden loss of bowel or bladder control with back pain, or numbness in the groin: get emergency care

How physical therapy at ARI can help

Pelvic floor therapy at ARI is for women, always one-on-one. Your therapist explains everything first, checks how your pelvic floor muscles tighten and relax (with your consent), and may use biofeedback so you can see your muscles at work. You decide what you're comfortable with.

At ARI Physical Therapy in Bakersfield, every visit is one-on-one and in person with a licensed physical therapist, and our clinic director, Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, is a board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist. We accept most private insurance plans and Medicare, and we have staff who speak Spanish and Hindi.

Read our full guide: Pelvic floor therapy for women →

No referral needed to start. In California, you can see a physical therapist directly for up to 12 visits or 45 days, whichever comes first. Some insurance plans still require a referral for coverage; call us at (661) 282-8584 and we'll help you check.

Related questions

Ready to feel better?

Talk to a licensed physical therapist at ARI, one-on-one. Request an evaluation and we'll get back to you, usually within one business day.

Request an EvaluationCall (661) 282-8584

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you have symptoms, a licensed clinician should evaluate you.

Clinically reviewed by Deepa Konnur, PT, MPT, OCS, board-certified Orthopedic Certified Specialist · Reviewed October 2026