What are these? A guide to pelvic floor tools

When I pull my pelvic floor tools out of my bag, I'm usually the only one in the room who looks excited. Everyone else tends to give me a nervous laugh, a little side eye, or a polite "so, what exactly is that?"

I get it. Most women have never seen a pelvic wand or a dilator set, and nobody sits you down to explain them. They live in this quiet corner of women's health that people don't talk about much, so it makes sense that they feel a little intimidating at first.

So let's talk about them. Here's what each tool is, who it can help, and why none of them are the starting point.

Pelvic wands

A pelvic wand is a curved tool designed to reach the muscles of the pelvic floor from the inside. Think of it like a foam roller or massage ball for an area your hands can't easily get to.

It can be helpful when those muscles are tight, tender, or holding tension, which often shows up as pain with sex, pelvic or tailbone pain, or a feeling of pressure that doesn't seem to let up. Once I've assessed what's going on and we've worked through it together in session, a wand gives you a way to continue that work at home, at your own pace.

Dilators

Dilators usually come as a set of smooth, graduated sizes, starting very small and getting gradually larger. They're often used when sex, pelvic exams, or tampon use are painful, and they can also help after childbirth, surgery, cancer treatment, or the changes that come with menopause.

The goal isn't to force anything or simply stretch tissue. It's to help your body and your nervous system relearn that this kind of pressure can feel safe. You move up in size only when you're ready, and you're in control of the process the entire time.

Kegel weights

Kegel weights add resistance to pelvic floor contractions, the same way you'd add load to a squat or a deadlift. They're most useful when strength is the one thing we're working on. That means your pelvic floor can fully contract and fully relax, it coordinates well with your breath and movement, and there's no pain or tension, but the muscles fatigue quickly or can't yet produce the force your training asks of them.

Here's the catch. A lot of women assume their pelvic floor is weak and that more Kegels are the answer. In my practice, I often find the opposite: muscles that are already working overtime and have a hard time letting go. Leaking, urgency, and pressure can come from tension just as easily as weakness, so symptoms alone don't tell us which one we're dealing with. Adding a weight to a pelvic floor that's already overworked can make things worse, not better.

That's why a weight never comes out until we've checked the basics. Can you fully contract and fully relax? Do those muscles work with your breath and with movement? Is there any pain? Once those pieces are in place and strength is truly the gap, a Kegel weight becomes a simple way to progressively load your pelvic floor, just like you'd progress any other muscle you train.

The assessment comes first

None of these tools come out on day one, and none of them are mandatory. Plenty of my clients never use any of them.

Our first session is about understanding you: your symptoms, your training, your goals, and how your pelvic floor is actually functioning. Sometimes that points us toward one of these tools. Often it points us toward breathing, load management, strength work for the rest of your body, or simply learning how to coordinate and relax those muscles. The tool always follows the assessment, never the other way around.

Curious? Let's talk

If you've been wondering about any of these tools, or quietly wondering whether something you're feeling is worth getting checked, I'd love to hear from you. I work one-on-one with active women in Boise, in your home, your gym, or virtually, through pregnancy, postpartum, and every stage of training in between.

Reach out through the interest form, or send me a DM on Instagram. No question is too awkward. I've heard them all, and I'm happy to answer yours.

More on pelvic floor physical therapy

This post is general education, not medical advice. It isn’t a substitute for an evaluation by a qualified healthcare provider.

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