Physical therapists (PTs) regularly recommend the at-home use of pelvic wands to patients experiencing an overactive or tight pelvic floor, chronic pelvic pain, painful sex, endometriosis, vaginismus, hemorrhoids, tailbone pain, and bladder or bowel issues. After some in-clinic guidance on using pelvic wands, patients are often encouraged to continue self-care at home to restore and maintain healthy pelvic floor function.
Given the varied types of pelvic wands, choosing one without a PT's recommendation can be a little daunting. The shape and design of a pelvic wand are important for reaching the deepest pelvic floor muscles and administering effective relief. However, manufacturing material, hygiene, comfort, and value for money are just as significant for a sustainable pelvic care journey.
Read on to discover the best pelvic wands according to experts and learn how to use them to ease pelvic pain and restore pelvic floor health.
What Do Pelvic Wands Do?
Healthy pelvic floor muscles naturally contract and relax to support the bladder, bowel, core, posture, and sexual organs. If they become overactive or too tight, however, the pelvic floor muscles can have difficulty fully relaxing, resulting in pelvic pain, discomfort during sex, and issues with urination or bowel movements.
Pelvic wands are pelvic health tools designed to address these issues. Once lubricated, they are gently inserted, either vaginally or rectally, and softly pressed against tense pelvic muscles or painful trigger points to relieve tension, pain, and gradually reinstate pelvic health over time.
Most pelvic wands are dual-ended and shaped like an S with a longer and thinner, finger-like end to reach the deepest pelvic floor muscles. While the shorter and thicker, thumb-like end is designed to massage and relax superficial muscles closer to the entrance of the vaginal and anal canals.
Conditions that Benefit from Pelvic Wand Massage
Essentially, any condition that causes the pelvic floor muscles to tighten can be treated and relieved with the right type of pelvic wand. Although a Hypertonic Pelvic Floor is a condition in itself, several other conditions can contribute to its occurrence and severity. So much so, as many as 10% of people are believed to experience symptoms.
Pelvic injuries, surgical complications, neurological disorders, stress, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, prostatitis, sexual trauma, hemorrhoids, and levator ani syndrome are all known to contribute to a hypertonic pelvic floor in males and females.
Aside from these conditions, the female pelvic floor can involuntarily tighten after the trauma of a birth resulting in injury, distressing labor, or C-section. Other conditions that can lead to a hypertonic pelvic floor in females include dyspareunia, endometriosis, fibroids, interstitial cystitis (IC), menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and vaginismus.
Before Choosing a Pelvic Wand: What to Know?
When choosing a pelvic wand, there are a few essential criteria you'll want to consider.
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Not all pelvic wands are well designed or user-friendly, meaning some can be less effective or more difficult to use than others. Check online customer reviews and PT recommendations before purchasing.
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The comfort level, safety, flexibility, and hypoallergenic properties of the manufacturing material used on pelvic wands can differ between brands. Medical-grade silicone is considered the safest, smoothest, and most comfortable for internal use.
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Choosing a pelvic wand brand that provides accessible video tutorials, expert feedback, and customer service can be particularly helpful when getting started.
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A higher price does not necessarily mean superior quality. Compare the wand's design, features, comfort, price, travel & storage options, and customer support to ensure value for money over other brands.
The Best Pelvic Wands According to a PT
Based on the above criteria for choosing a safe and effective pelvic wand that provides value for money, the only pelvic wands we recommend are Intimate Rose Pelvic Wands.
Designed by pelvic physical therapist, Dr. Amanda Olson, who also happens to be the pioneer of using medical-grade silicone on pelvic health tools, the Intimate Rose Pelvic Wands are the best on the market and trusted worldwide by pelvic health educators, PTs, and their patients.
Design Features
Perfectly shaped and angled to reach the deepest pelvic floor muscles, the thinner, finger-like end on the Intimate Rose Pelvic Wand is longer than most other wands for deeper relief. And the thicker, thumb-like end is perfectly shaped for relaxing tight superficial muscles in the vaginal or anal canal.
Material & Comfort
The medical-grade silicone coating on the Intimate Rose Pelvic Wands is non-porous, BPA-free, hypoallergenic, considered the safest material for internal use, and the least likely to harbour bacteria. It also feels silky-smooth, life-like and flexible against the sensitive vaginal or rectal skin.
Customer Resources
Customer care from Intimate Rose is excellent, with a wealth of pelvic health articles, detailed video tutorials on pelvic wand use, and an expert customer service team to answer questions.
Storage & Travel
Each wand comes with a discreet velvet bag for storage and travel, meaning your pelvic care routine can easily travel with you wherever you go.
Value for Money
Price-wise, Intimate Rose is cheaper than most competitors, despite providing a superior product and a plethora of customer care resources. Ranging from a very affordable $34.99 to $49.99, you'll never regret investing in your pelvic health with an Intimate Rose Pelvic Wand.
Does One Type of Pelvic Wand Suit Everyone?
Being an experienced pelvic expert, Dr. Olson clearly understands that every patient is different and responds to pain and healing in their unique way. Which is why she created slightly different versions of the original Intimate Rose Pelvic Wand (colored purple).
Although each Intimate Rose wand carries the same original design features, the Vibrating Pelvic Wand (colored blue or green) also includes 10 soothing vibration settings to improve blood circulation and pain reduction.
The Temperature Therapy Pelvic Wand, which is colored yellow in support of endometriosis patients, provides the extra option of hot and cold therapy for additional relief.
The Bendable Pelvic Wand (colored orange) offers a longer reach for antenatal and postnatal pelvic or perineal massage, and for people who are overweight or have limited mobility.
How to Use a Pelvic Wand Correctly
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Before each use, wash your hands and the pelvic wand with warm water and soap to ensure it's clean for internal use.
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After choosing a quiet place to use your pelvic wand, determine which end of the pelvic wand you intend to use and place a generous amount of water based lubricant on the first 2 inches of the end of the pelvic wand for comfortable insertion. (Silicone lubricant can degrade products covered in medical-grade silicone, therefore, only water-based lubricants should be used with Intimate Rose Pelvic Wands.)
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Lie down with your knees bent and feet gently planted on the floor or the bed beneath you. (You can also lie on your side with your knees bent and a pillow between them if it feels better.)
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Relax your pelvic floor muscles by inhaling and exhaling slowly a few times. When you're ready, insert the pelvic wand.
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Imagine the vaginal opening or anus as a clock and slowly sweep the wand clockwise until you notice an area of tenderness, pain, or tension. Gently push the end of the wand against it, mindful of not pressing too hard. Dr. Olson describes this as "gently compressing the end of the wand with the same firmness you would use to check a tomato for ripeness. But don't press so hard that you squish your tomato."
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Pressing gently against the painful area, move your knees slowly back and forth until you find a position where you can relax for 1-2 minutes while maintaining pressure against the trigger point or tense muscle with the wand.
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Concentrate on breathing with a gentle inhale and exhale while the soft pressure of the wand releases tension. As this occurs, blood circulation and oxygenation are also improved in the pelvic muscle tissues.
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Continue to sweep the wand clockwise to locate and massage any other tender points or muscle tension for 1-2 minutes each.
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Wash your pelvic wand with warm water and soap after each use, rinse with clean water, let it air dry, and store it back in its storage bag.
How regularly pelvic wands are used and for how long depends on each patient's condition and symptoms. Once or twice per day is typically recommended until symptoms begin to ease, then every other day, and eventually, once or twice per week suffices to restore pelvic health.
However, if no improvement is experienced within 4 weeks, consult a pelvic physical therapist for guidance.
Conclusion
By relaxing tight pelvic floor muscles and releasing painful knots or trigger points, pelvic floor wands help to relieve chronic pelvic pain and re-establish pelvic floor function in the comfort and privacy of your home. However, given their shape, design, and manufacturing material, some pelvic wands are more effective, safe, and hygienic than others.
Designed by a doctor of pelvic physical therapy and trusted globally by pelvic health experts, physical therapists, and their patients, Intimate Rose Pelvic wands are considered the best on the market.
Covered in hypoallergenic and BPA-free medical-grade silicone that feels silky smooth on sensitive internal skin, Intimate Rose Pelvic Wands are also impeccably curved and perfectly angled to relieve pelvic floor tightness and pain in both males and females.
References
Cleveland Clinic - Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14459-pelvic-floor-dysfunction
Medical News Today - Hypertonic Pelvic Floor - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/hypertonic-pelvic-floor
National Library of Medicine - Equal Improvement in Men and Women in the Treatment of Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Using a Multi-modal Protocol with an Internal Myofascial Trigger Point Wand - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26721470/
National Library of Medicine - Chronic pelvic pain syndrome: reduction of medication use after pelvic floor physical therapy with an internal myofascial trigger point wand - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25708131/
