Video visits
Can pelvic floor physical therapy be done over video?
Yes. Most of pelvic floor physical therapy is education, breathing and pressure management, movement retraining, and a home program, and all of it is delivered and coached over a video call. Research comparing telehealth and in-person pelvic floor therapy has found comparable outcomes for urinary incontinence and postpartum recovery.
The details
What to know
Answered by the practice of Dr. Elana Shalem, DPT, pelvic floor and orthopedic physical therapist.
What changes by video is the examination. In a clinic, a pelvic floor therapist may do an internal assessment to feel how the muscles contract and relax. By video, the therapist guides a self-assessment instead: the patient learns to feel the contraction and relaxation themselves, and the therapist watches breathing, posture, abdominal movement, and how the body manages pressure during a cough or a lift. For most conditions that is enough to build an accurate plan, and the self-assessment skill is one patients need anyway for the home program.
Treatment then runs the way it would in a clinic: a plan of exercises and habits, progressed every one to two weeks, with coaching on technique. Bladder retraining, bowel mechanics, pain education, scar mobility work, and return-to-exercise progressions are all taught verbally and by demonstration.
There are limits. An internal exam cannot be done remotely, and a small number of patients need hands-on treatment or imaging first. A good telehealth therapist says so at the evaluation and helps the patient find local care rather than continuing by video.
At EMS Therapy, every pelvic floor visit is a one-on-one video call with Dr. Elana Shalem, DPT, on a HIPAA-compliant platform. The evaluation is 60 minutes, follow-ups are 45, and the first step is a free 15-minute discovery call to decide whether video is the right fit.
Where you live
Tell us where you are
Insurance, referral rules, and booking depend on where you live. Choose your area and we take you to the right page.
Not listed? Dr. Shalem can only treat patients located in a state where she holds a license. Send a message and we will tell you what is possible.
How it works
How a virtual visit works
Most of pelvic floor physical therapy is education, breathing and pressure management, movement retraining, and a home program. All of it works on camera. During the evaluation, Dr. Shalem guides a self-assessment so she can see how the pelvic floor is coordinating with breath and movement. An internal examination is not possible by video; if a hands-on assessment would change the plan, she says so and helps the patient find local care.
Discovery call
15 minutes, free, by phoneA short call to hear what is going on, explain how visits work, and check insurance or pricing. No pressure to book.
Evaluation
60 minutes, by videoDr. Shalem takes a full history, watches how you move and breathe, and guides the self-assessments she needs to build a plan.
Your plan
Same visitYou leave the evaluation with a plain-language explanation and a short home program, usually a few minutes a day.
Follow-ups
45 minutes, every 1 to 2 weeksProgress checks, program updates, and techniques you can do yourself, for as long as they are useful.
For a video visit you will need
- A phone, tablet, or laptop with a camera
- A private room
- A mat or towel
- About an hour
Your physical therapist
Dr. Elana Shalem, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, Miami. Licensed physical therapist.
Dr. Shalem treats pelvic health for women and men, from pregnancy and postpartum recovery to bladder, bowel, and pelvic pain conditions and recovery after prostate or pelvic surgery, and general orthopedic conditions of the back, neck, hips, knees, shoulders, and feet. Visits are one-on-one and unhurried, and she explains what she is seeing in plain language.
More about Dr. ShalemPrefer to write? Send a message.
Questions about insurance, pricing, or whether physical therapy is the right next step? We reply within one business day.
Start with a free 15-minute call.
Tell us what is going on, hear how Dr. Shalem would approach it, and decide from there.