Gender Confirmation Post-Surgical Therapy

Undergoing gender confirmation surgery can be an exciting time in one’s life. Our therapies can optimize pelvic, muscular and neural tension function to ensure the transition is as easy as possible. Whether it is bowel, bladder, pain, or sexual dysfunction, physical therapy has been shown to optimize tissues at a faster rate and help individuals discover their best self during the post-surgical transition.

Treatment Options:

Manual Therapy By A Physical Therapist
Manual therapy can be used for a variety of treatments. The most common are listed below:

  • Optimize tissue mobility to restore clitoral and/or penile range of motion for intimacy
  • Enhance pelvic floor muscle excursion and facilitate normal voiding and sexual function
  • Instruct and prescribe dilator and/or partner training if appropriate
  • Minimize neural tension and muscular entrapment sites secondary to post-surgical inflammation or underlying dysfunction
  • Restore lumbo-pelvic muscle function using motor control principles
  • Assess and treat lumbo-pelvic alignment to create optimal framework for anchorage of pelvic floor muscles
  • Address and maximize lymph flow to post-surgical tissues
  • Maximize blood flow to boost tissue healing
  • Address urethral restrictions secondary to post-surgical inflammatory process
  • Minimize constipation from post-operative treatments

Pilates
Your Physical Therapist will coordinate with one of our certified Pelvic Floor Muscle Pilates Instructors to normalize muscle tone throughout the body during activity. Specific exercises will strengthen weak muscles, stretch shortened muscles and minimize compensatory movement patterns secondary to pain. The outcome is reduced tension in the pelvic floor muscles (as they are part of your “core”) to create a more functional posture.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have helped many of our clients overcome pain and restore function. Our Acupuncturists provide treatments to increase blood and energy flow through all systems of the body. Both indirect and direct treatments to pelvic muscles can be utilized if necessary.

Massage therapy
During a transitional phase in life, tension and tightness may often arise. Muscle tension restricts blood flow and may decrease organ health, cause headaches, and decrease the ability for the body to filter waste through the lymph system. Massage therapy is helpful for regaining muscle balance and decreasing toxin build up.

Guided imagery
Guided imagery is a treatment technique used to encourage relaxation and decrease pain. Guided imagery can be performed in a private session, and/or in tandem with other therapies to enhance the healing process. For example, guided imagery during physical therapy sessions may increase relaxation and blood flow, during Acupuncture guided imagery treatments may connect points of light for complete quantum physics, and during massage may provide a deeper relaxation and emotional release. It has great ability to decrease over activity of the autonomic nervous system to further confirm gender and optimize healing – creating a balance of male and female energies.

Sex Therapy

Sex therapy can be a great tool to help not only the patient in transition, but facilitate and provide a safe setting for partners of patients to discuss issues that arise during transition. Our expert will provide clients with individualized suggestions and information to aide in enhancing sexual pleasure and intimacy. Sex therapy is an integral part of gender pride and a great complement to other therapies at Womanology + RestoreHIM. The ultimate goal is patient comfort, sexual satisfaction, and acceptance of gender.