One-on-one pelvic floor physical therapy with Dr. Marissa Nemec, PT, DPT, for leaking, urgency, pelvic pain, bowel problems, and the core and hip issues that standard rehab can miss.
Pelvic floor symptoms are common, but they are not something you have to live with. At Free Body Physical Therapy, every pelvic floor visit is a full 45 minutes, one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy trained in pelvic rehabilitation. In Illinois, most patients can book an evaluation without a physician referral.
What Is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the base of the pelvis. It supports the bladder and bowel, helps control continence, and works with your deep core and hips every time you move. Like any muscle group, it can become weak, overly tight, or poorly coordinated.
Pelvic floor physical therapy identifies which of those problems is driving your symptoms and treats it directly. That distinction matters, because the right plan for a tight pelvic floor looks very different from the right plan for a weak one. Generic advice like “just do Kegels” often misses the actual problem.
Signs Pelvic Floor PT Could Help
Pelvic floor problems do not always look like pelvic floor problems. These are some of the most common reasons patients come to us:
Leaking
Urine leaking with a cough, sneeze, laugh, lift, or workout.
Urgency and Frequency
A constant need to go, or trouble making it to the bathroom in time.
Pelvic Pain
Pain in the pelvis or perineum, with sitting, with intercourse, or with no clear trigger.
Bowel Problems
Constipation, straining, incomplete emptying, or pain with bowel movements.
Pressure or Heaviness
A feeling of pelvic pressure or heaviness, often worse at the end of the day.
Lingering Back or Hip Pain
Low back, hip, or SI joint pain and core weakness that never fully resolved with standard rehab.
Pelvic Floor Care at Free Body
Women’s Pelvic Health
Dr. Nemec’s women’s pelvic floor physical therapy covers leaking, prolapse, painful sex, postpartum recovery, and the pelvic changes of perimenopause and menopause.
Chronic Pelvic Pain
Soft tissue and trigger point treatment for muscular pelvic pain, including dry needling when it is appropriate for your care.
When Pelvic Floor Is Hiding Inside an Orthopedic Problem
If you have done physical therapy for low back pain, hip pain, SI joint dysfunction, or persistent core instability and you still don’t feel right, your pelvic floor may be part of the story.
Every clinician at Free Body screens for this during orthopedic evaluations. When it shows up, we refer you internally to Dr. Nemec instead of sending you to start over at a new clinic.
Meet Dr. Marissa Nemec, PT, DPT
Dr. Marissa Nemec, PT, DPT, CMTPT/DN, leads pelvic health services at Free Body Physical Therapy. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Marquette University, completed pelvic floor training through the Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, and is a Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist with advanced training in soft tissue and trigger point therapy.
What to Expect
45 Minutes, One-on-One
Every visit is a full 45 minutes with Dr. Nemec, never an aide or a technician.
Internal Exams Are Optional
An internal exam is sometimes the most useful assessment, but it is never required. Dr. Nemec explains what it would add, and you decide.
A Clear Plan
Your first visit includes a detailed history, a movement and strength assessment, and hands-on treatment when appropriate. You leave with a working diagnosis and a personalized estimate of how many visits you may need.
Where to Find Us
Pelvic floor appointments are at our Division Street clinic at 2618 W Division St Ste B, Chicago, on the border of Wicker Park and Humboldt Park. We see patients from Ukrainian Village, Logan Square, Bucktown, West Town, and across Chicago.
Phone: (773) 599-3393
Pelvic Floor PT FAQs
Do I need a referral?
Most patients do not need a referral to book an evaluation. Illinois is a direct access state, which means patients with commercial insurance plans like Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna, as well as cash-pay patients, can schedule directly. Medicare has specific requirements for physician involvement in your care, so if you have Medicare, please call us at (773) 599-3393, and we will walk you through what is needed for your visits to be covered.
What does it cost?
We are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, and Medicare. Call (773) 599-3393, and we will verify your benefits before your first visit. For patients paying cash or using out-of-network benefits, the evaluation is $175 and follow-ups are $150. Each visit is a full 45 minutes with Dr. Nemec.
Is an internal exam required?
No. When it is clinically indicated, an internal exam gives information no external assessment can match, but many conditions can also be treated effectively through external work alone. You will never be pressured, and the choice is always yours.
How do I know if my symptoms are pelvic floor related?
Leaking, urgency, pelvic pain, bowel changes, and back or hip pain that has not responded to standard rehab can all involve the pelvic floor. An evaluation is the most reliable way to find out, and every Free Body clinician screens for pelvic floor involvement during orthopedic evaluations.
Book a Pelvic Floor Evaluation
One-on-one, 45-minute care with Dr. Nemec. Most patients can schedule directly, and we will verify your insurance before your first visit.
