What Is Internal Pelvic Release Work?
Internal Pelvic Release Work (IPRW) involves the gentle but deliberate massage of the muscles and connective tissue (fascia) within and around the pelvis, via the vagina. IPRW restores the optimal quality of the tissues, creates space within the pelvis by freeing tension in the ligaments, muscles and fascial connections. The pelvis can store this tension from previous injury, muscle imbalance, trauma, surgery and lifestyle choices. The pelvis is also an area that can hold emotional trauma and exploration of this area can be empowering to women by helping them reconnect to their bodies both physically and emotionally.
This unique work allows us to access and release both the pelvic floor musculature that is commonly assessed in a pelvic health physiotherapy assessment to ensure correct pelvic function and tone with the added ability to then access the deep hip rotators, and pelvic ligaments and pelvic organs fascial connections. Accessing these fibres directly is not possible with most external manual therapy techniques and doing so with can have a huge benefit improving pelvic function for many women.
Mapping of the pelvic anatomy during these sessions helps women understand their pelvic space. The palpatory feedback from this release work can also assist woman with understanding correct techniques to assist both muscle activation and more importantly relaxation of muscle tone. This can be particularly helpful in birth preparation, pelvic pain, discomfort with intimacy, post-partum recovery and with pelvic floor dysfunction at any life stage.
We allow extended 2 hours session for this work to allow time for:
- Understanding your history, birth story (if relevant) and finding out your goals
- Assessment of posture and pelvic alignment
- Assessment of any musculoskeletal injuries if relevant as pelvic issues rarely exist in
isolation. - External body work and pelvic rebalancing
- Full informed consent for internal pelvic release work will be discussed due to the
sensitive nature of this work - Internal pelvic release work (usually 20-30 minutes per side or as tolerated)
- Time to go through ‘homework’ with exercises for either birth preparation or pelvic
health exercise as needed.