Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a specialist area of physiotherapy with a focus on treating a range of distressing conditions including, but not limited to

• Vaginal and pelvic pain
• Prolapse
• Urinary leakage
• Incontinence
• Bowel issues
• Painful intercourse
• Recurrent cystitis
• Endometriosis
• Back pain

Pelvic floor physiotherapy also plays an important role in postnatal care and should be considered an essential treatment for woman’s health after giving birth.

Our Physiotherapist Bella is trained in treating pelvic floor conditions.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attach to the bones of the pelvis and act like a sling for the organs in the pelvis. The muscles also wrap around the urethra, rectum and vagina.

The muscles of the pelvic floor need to be able to contract and relax appropriately in order to prevent incontinence, allow for ease of going to the toilet, allow sexual penetration and support the lower back.

The pelvic floor can be underactive or overactive. This means that both can cause issues.

An underactive pelvic floor can be caused by a number of things. Some of the more common causes are childbirth, age, persistent coughing and straining, chronic constipation, and constant heavy lifting.

An overactive pelvic floor also has a number of causes. The most common causes are stress and anxiety, over exercising – whether overdoing abdominal workouts or constantly working your pelvic floor muscles, an overactive bladder, and poor posture.

A Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy session will include two parts:

• Consultation and examination
• Treatment

Consultation and examination

During the consultation and assessment, Bella will take a thorough case history to help determine the presenting issue, associated pain and possible causes. She will also discuss past medical history including any previous tests and treatments.

Bella will then conduct an examination. This may include an external and internal examination. This is to what system of the body is contributing to your pelvic floor issues. Isabella will talk you through each stage of the examination to ensure you feel comfortable.

Treatment 

Once Bella has a good understanding of your condition from your consultation and examination, she will devise a treatment plan tailored to you.

This may include

• Manual therapy
• Relaxation strategies
• Stress management
• Exercises for stretching and strengthening
• Education

It is important to make a follow-up appointment to see if the treatment plan is helping to improve your condition, and to make changes to the plan if necessary.