What it is
Vaginismus is a muscle spasm in the pelvic floor. It can make it very painful or near impossible to insert anything vaginally and patients often report the sensation that the object is “hitting a wall.”
How it is treated with physical therapy
Therapist will manually stretch the muscles of the pelvic floor using a gloved finger. Trigger points will likely be associated with this condition and therapist will utilize manual therapy techniques to release this tissue. Most work for this condition is done internally.
Therapist will likely work other soft tissue involvement in the abdomen, hips, thighs, or deeper pelvic floor muscles.
Your Homework
Therapist will teach you to perform all manual work on your pelvic floor at home. You will also be given relevant stretching and strengthening exercises as needed based on your presentation.
You are welcome to bring in your partner if they would like to learn how to do what I do in order to help you progress quicker with a home program. The long term goal is for you to feel in control of your pain. When you own it, it no longer owns you!
How many sessions
Your treatment can go on until you feel independent with working on your pelvic floor on your own. This varies widely from patient to patient. I have seen patients for as few as 3 visits, and for as many as 30.
I typically like to see this patient once per week so the muscle tension is less likely to return between sessions.
For more in-depth information on this condition you can visit the Vaginismus website here.
Pelvic Health Physical Therapy 