Endometriosis Treatment
We provide pelvic floor physical therapy for women who have been diagnosed with endometriosis in Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Valley
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which uterine-like tissue grows outside the uterus — often on the ovaries, bladder, rectum, pelvic ligaments, and surrounding structures. This tissue causes inflammation, adhesions, and significant pain throughout the pelvis and abdomen.
When your body is in pain, your pelvic floor muscles respond by tensing up in a protective guarding pattern. Over time, this creates a cycle: the more pain you experience, the tighter and more reactive your muscles become, which can make the pain worse. This is where pelvic floor PT comes in. Many of the most common endometriosis symptoms have a direct pelvic floor component, including:
Pelvic pain and pressure
Painful periods (dysmenorrhea)
Pain with sex (dyspareunia)
Bladder urgency, frequency, or pain
Constipation or painful bowel movements
Abdominal bloating and tightness
Low back, hip, or tailbone pain
Nerve sensitivity and referred pain patterns
If you've been told your pain is "just bad periods," that your symptoms are normal, or that there's nothing more to be done, we want you to know: there is more. And pelvic floor physical therapy is an important part of your care.
At Cappuccino Physical Therapy, we specialize in treating the pelvic floor dysfunction that comes with endometriosis. Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women, and it takes most women 10 years to be diagnosed with endo. We truly understand endometriosis, and we’d love to help you.
What Pelvic PT for Endometriosis Looks Like
Our treatment approach is hands-on, individualized, and whole-body. We look beyond just the pelvic floor to understand how your nervous system, abdominal organs, scar tissue, and movement patterns are all contributing to your symptoms.
Treatment may include:
Pelvic Floor Muscle Release — We work to identify and release areas of tension and hypertonicity in the pelvic floor that develop in response to chronic pain.
Visceral Mobilization — Gentle, targeted work on the abdominal and pelvic organs to improve mobility and reduce pain from adhesions and inflammation.
Scar Tissue Mobilization — Whether from laparoscopic surgery or long-standing internal adhesions, scar tissue can restrict movement and cause pain. We address this directly.
Nervous System Down-Training — Chronic pain changes the way your nervous system processes sensation. We use specific techniques to calm hypersensitivity and reduce the pain response.
Core and Movement Rehabilitation — We help you restore functional movement patterns that may have shifted due to years of guarding and pain avoidance.
Red Light Therapy — Available in our clinic, red and near-infrared light therapy can reduce inflammation and support tissue healing — particularly helpful for post-surgical recovery and scar healing.
Endometriosis Surgery Preparation and Recovery
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Before Surgery
If you're considering or preparing for excision surgery, pelvic floor PT beforehand can help calm the nervous system, reduce baseline muscle tension, and set you up for a smoother recovery. We also support you in understanding your body and symptoms so you can communicate more clearly with your surgical team.
Many people with endometriosis have spent years bracing against pain, and that tension doesn't switch off on its own. Walking into surgery with less muscle guarding and a calmer nervous system gives your body a better starting point. Pre-surgical pelvic floor PT helps you:
Release chronic pelvic floor tension
Learn breathing and relaxation strategies
Build core and hip strength that supports healing afterward
Map your symptoms so you can advocate clearly with your surgical team
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After Excision Surgery
Excision surgery is the gold standard for treating endometriosis, but surgery alone doesn't always resolve every symptom. Many people continue to experience pelvic pain, muscle guarding, nerve sensitivity, and movement limitations after excision, even when the procedure went well.
This is completely normal. Your body has often been in a pain response for years. Post-surgical pelvic floor PT is a critical part of your recovery and helps you:
Reduce muscle guarding that persists after surgery
Desensitize nerves that have been in overdrive
Mobilize abdominal and pelvic scar tissue from laparoscopic incisions
Restore normal movement and core function
Feel at home in your body again
Dr. Rachael Cappuccino, founder of Cappuccino PT, has personal experience with endometriosis and excision surgery.
She brings both clinical expertise and lived understanding to every patient she treats. We know that endo is complex, that the path to diagnosis is often long and frustrating, and that you deserve a care team that takes you seriously.
We work collaboratively with excision specialists and other providers in the greater Los Angeles area to make sure you're getting comprehensive, well-coordinated care.
Is Pelvic PT Right for You?
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a meaningful part of endometriosis management, but it's one piece of a larger picture. We'll be honest with you about what we can address, where your symptoms may need additional intervention, and how to build the right team around you.
If you're living with unmanaged pelvic pain, recently diagnosed, preparing for surgery, or recovering from excision, we can help.