Do you have bladder leakage when you exercise, cough, sneeze, laugh or bend down? Our goal is to get you back to doing the things you love…
Pelvic health problems are very common, and they occur with men and women of all ages. The pelvic floor can be weakened by:
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Being overweight
- Gynecological surgery, e.g. after having a hysterectomy
- Menopause
- Chronic constipation
- Chronic respiratory conditions
- Medication
- Smoking
The good news is that conservative treatment can help up to 80% of patients. Body in Motion has a team of physiotherapists with a special interest and extensive experience in treating pelvic health conditions.
Our well-trained Pelvic Health Physiotherapists can provide many options for treatment of pelvic heath issues. What is right for you will depend on your symptoms and assessment findings, as well as on your personal preferences. Our pelvic floor experts can professionally assess and treat your condition using:
- Real Time Ultrasound Imaging (RTUI)
- Biofeedback devices
- Electrical stimulation
- A personalised pelvic floor and bladder-training programme.
Pelvic organ prolapse is also very common and can be reduced through pelvic floor strengthening. Symptoms of a prolapse are:
- Vaginal or pelvic bulge
- Lower abdominal discomfort/low backache
- Difficulty emptying the bladder or the bowel
- Pain with intercourse
Strengthening your pelvic floor during pregnancy can help with the second stage of labour and your recovery after the birth. Pelvic floor exercises should continue after childbirth to help prevent stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse later in life.
We can measure your pelvic floor strength and give you objective timeframes for safely returning to jogging or the gym after giving birth.
We offer a free 5-minute Pelvic Health consultation by phone to discuss if physiotherapy can help you (please ask for Alice).
What to expect at your appointment
Your Pelvic Health Physiotherapist will do their best to make you feel as comfortable as possible. You will be asked questions about your general health, lifestyle and exercise habits and medical history as well as questions regarding your current bladder, bowel or sexual symptoms. This is an opportunity for your physiotherapist to get to understand your symptoms; form an idea on what they think is causing them, and focus on your assessment and treatment.
Your physical assessment is then completely individual depending on your symptoms and condition. It may include one or many of the following:
- Posture and pelvic alignment assessment
- Perineum examination (to check for scaring after a vaginal birth)
- Bladder Ultrasound (to check you are emptying your bladder fully)
- Bladder diary (you will be taught how to do this at home)
- Vaginal examination (to assess for prolapse, pelvic floor function and vaginal wall health)
- Rectal examination (to assess for pelvic floor and anal sphincter function)
Please note: vaginal and rectal examinations are the most accurate way to assess the pelvic floor muscles but you always have the right to refuse a vaginal or rectal examination. We will a find another option if this makes you feel uncomfortable.
Your treatment plan options will then be discussed with you and you will be given lots of information about your condition and assessment findings. You will also get the opportunity to ask any further questions you might have.
Almost always your treatment plan will include some home exercises but may also include some hands-on treatment to the pelvis, TENS, pelvic floor muscle stimulation or vaginal re-trainers.
If your Pelvic Health Physiotherapist thinks you need input from another health professional, for example your GP, Urologist, Gynecologist, Colorectal Specialist, Dietician, or Psychologist then they can arrange this referral for you.
Read our Top 5 tipsfor a healthy bladder and bowel HERE