Pelvic Floor PhysiotherapyONE-ON-ONE TREATMENT WITH

WOMEN’S HEALTH PHYSIOTHERAPISTS

totalphysiomv.com02 9907 0321

Open Monday – Saturday extended hours.

reception@totalphysiomv.com 295 Condamine St, Manly Vale, NSW 2093

Physiotherapy plus everything your body needs.

CALL NOW 9907 0321

PHYSIOTHERAPY

EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

CLINICAL PILATES

PAEDIATRIC PHYSIOTHERAPY

MASSAGE

HAND PHYSIOTHERAPY

WOMEN’S HEALTH PHYSIOTHERAPY

OVER 60s EXERCISE CLASSES

Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation

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Common questions

Q: I have tried pelvic floor exercises but am not getting any better.

A: Particularly if your muscles are quite weak, you may in fact be pushing down rather than lifting up or muscle fatigue may be your main problem. Some people may be doing other types of exercise, work or household duties that are counterproductive to the pelvic floor exercises. The pelvic floor assessment will allow us to work out how to help you improve.

Q: I have recently had a baby and previously enjoyed running and going to the gym. I am not sure what form of exercise will be safe for my pelvic floor?

A: It is different for everyone depending on your delivery experience, pelvic floor strength and any symptoms you may be experiencing. That is why we recommend a post-natal assessment to provide the advice that is right for you.

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Initial visitWe allow 1-hour for the initial visit to enable us to take a thorough history of your symptoms, explain how the pelvic floor should work and an optional internal vaginal assessment to determine how strong the muscles are. Some women are nervous about this, however it is not painful and they usually find the information gained very helpful in working out how to do their pelvic floor exercises correctly.

We also have the option of using the real-time ultrasound to assess if your pelvic floor muscles are working to support the bladder. This is used externally over the lower abdomen.

Information gained from this assessment will be used to devise a specific programme of pelvic floor exercises to follow. Women with urge incontinence problems may be asked to complete a bladder diary (2-days of recording how much you drink and how much urine you pass). Other advice may be given on how to best help your pelvic floor.

Our specialists Louise Henderson:

Louise has worked in this area since 2003 and uses her experience and knowledge gained from post-graduate study to understand each individual’s problems and formulate solutions.

Rebecca Rutherford:

Rebecca has worked in this area for 3 years and has done additional training on assessment and fitting of simple pessaries for the management of prolapse.

Laura Wickens:

Laura’s experience in Pilates for pregnant and post-natal women led her to interest and further training in pelvic floor assessment and treatment, particularly for post-natal women.

HEALTH FUND REBATES APPLY

Ongoing visitsThe great thing about pelvic floor exercises is that it is mostly about you doing the exercises at home. We will usually see you a fortnight after the first visit to progress your exercises and then at 4-weekly intervals until a significant improvement is made.

Like all muscles, the pelvic floor takes 6-12 weeks to see a measurable improvement in strength. If you are not progressing as we would like, we will discuss with your doctor.

We can help At any one time, 38% of Australian women are experiencing bladder control problems*. Our women’s health physiotherapists are experienced in helping women of all ages overcome problems including:

®® Stress incontinence (leaking of urine with cough, sneeze, laugh, run etc).

®® Urgency/urge incontinence (sudden urge to empty the bladder, possible leaking before reaching the toilet).

®® Pelvic organ prolapse (bulging of the bladder, uterus or bowel into the vagina)

®® Post-natal (assessment of pelvic floor strength and correct exercise technique – any time after 6-weeks).

* Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2013. Incontinence in Australia. Cat. no. DIS 61. Canberra: AIHW

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