Floor It includes an appendix of tools that can serve as a starting point to help you understand whether you’re experiencing symptoms of potential pelvic floor dysfunction that may be flying under the radar. This includes a sample screening to help providers identify athletes who might be experiencing dysfunction as part of an annual physical.
The Athlete Questionnaire can also be a useful tool to have on hand when you discuss your symptoms with your performance or medical team.
Even if that staff doesn’t have a full understanding of the pelvic floor, a tool like the one I’ve provided here may help them understand it in more depth and know when to refer you elsewhere.
Many of the existing screening tools focus on the absolute basics, including highly obvious pelvic floor dysfunction in vulnerable populations like postpartum athletes.
However, a screening tool that addresses pelvic health before it becomes a life-altering problem in an athletic setting is even better.
If you are currently pursuing pelvic health care, you can use this questionnaire to track your progress. You will want to see the “score” decrease over time, indicating improvement in the frequency, intensity, and duration of your symptoms. If you do not notice a decrease in those numbers over the course of treatment, you may need to coordinate with your medical team to make adjustments in training vol ume and treatment approach.
The Athlete Questionnaire includes questions on:
- Urinary Function
- Bowel Function
- Pelvic Pressure or Pain
- Core Coordination and Breathing
- Performance Impact
And it includes a scoring guide to help you self-assess the severity of your symptoms and their considerations for treatment.
To get an initial impression of your pelvic floor health, start with this external pelvic floor self test.
Pelvic Health Screening Tool for Providers
In the Appendix of Floor It, you will find a thorough annual pelvic health screening, as well as additional screening questions that can be included in your athlete profiles when you perform check-ins and intake. Making this a regular part of your routine is comparable to recognizing overload in other joints, tendons, and muscles—monitoring weekly load, observing form, and asking questions. Asking athletes about these symptoms and correlating them with changes in volume can be a helpful tool to encourage your athletes to discuss these topics with you before they become a season-ending injury. If you’re a coach or health-care professional, you likely already monitor weekly volume in some way—training clients in progressive overload and tracking personal records, 10-rep maxes, and modifications for symptoms as needed throughout their program. While the quads and glutes may be ready for a 1-rep-max back squat after a groin strain and the associated recovery, the pelvic floor may not be up to the task. How can we improve our ability to feel confident that these muscles are ready to participate at the capacities that we are demanding? While it’s impossible to create a screening tool that prevents or “catches” 100 percent of pelvic floor–related injuries, given that pelvic floor screenings are largely absent in athletics, it appears that there’s only one direction to go! You’re already one step closer to being part of the solution.
The Provider Screening Tool includes:
- Self-Reported Symptoms (e.g., bladder, bowel, pain, and pelvic sensations)
- Training & Lifestyle Factors
- Breathing & Pressure Strategy
- Pelvic Floor Screen
- Hip & Foot Integration (including range of motion)
- Functional Performance Observations (e.g., squatting, single-leg, landing, force, breathing)
- Clinical Summary & Recommendation
- Overall Screen Results
Let’s floor it! See more from Dr. Rachel Selman and her groundbreaking book on pelvic health and sports.
About Floor It
Floor It is the groundbreaking guide to your pelvic floor, the unsung hero of core strength and your hidden powerhouse for sports.
Dr. Rachel Selman, DPT, the NSCA’s 2026 Personal Trainer of the year, offers a fascinating resource to understand pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic muscle training for endurance sports, team sports, power sports, and sports that involve twisting like tennis and golf.