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WOMEN'S HEALTH

What is Women’s Health Physiotherapy?

Women’s health physiotherapy is the therapeutic treatment of all disorders affecting the pelvis and pelvic floor. From incontinence to prolapse, lower back/pelvic pain or constipation, there is growing evidence that physiotherapy can alleviate, and in many cases cure these symptoms. If you're happy for a male therapist, Physio Jonny is experienced in treating women through pregnancy, post-natally, through menopause and beyond.

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How can Women’s Health Physiotherapy help my pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is a complex structure made up of a group of muscles that support the pelvic organs and form the birth canal and passages for urine and stool. The pelvic floor muscles are often described as a hammock lifting and supporting the pelvic organs above. These muscles need to be able to contract to keep us continent, but also they must relax to allow for urination, bowel movements, childbirth and sexual intercourse.

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Problems with the pelvic floor can occur when these muscles are too weak (hypotonic) or too tight (hypertonic). It is also possible for these muscles to combine a pattern of too much tension in some areas while too relaxed in others. When the pelvic floor muscles are low-tone (hypotonic) the hammock becomes less effective at supporting the pelvic organs and symptoms such as urinary or bowel incontinence, urgency and pelvic organ prolapse can occur. These are NOT a normal part of ageing and the muscles can become weak for many reasons. The good news is that a structured exercise program to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles is effective in reversing the symptoms in 80% of women. When the pelvic floor muscles are high-tone (Hypertonic) they can cause urinary frequency, urgency, hesitancy or incomplete emptying and painful urination as the muscles are unable to relax fully to allow the passage of urine down the urethra. You may also experience constipation or pain with bowel movements, unexplained pain in your low back, pelvic region or genital area, pain during or after intercourse, orgasm, or sexual stimulation due to the tension in these muscles.

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Conditions we treat

  • Low back pain

  • Pelvic Floor Muscle Tightness vs Weakness

  • Pelvic organ Prolapse

  • Pelvic pain, including Pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain

  • Incontinence

  • Constipation

  • Urinary frequency and urgency – Including overactive bladder syndrome

  • Pudendal nerve injury

  • Diastasis recti abdominis muscle – tummy muscle separation post-natally

  • Perineal/episiotomy and caesarean section scarring

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Treatments we offer

  • Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises

  • Diagnostic ultrasound for pelvic floor retraining and abdominal muscle recovery

  • C-Scar massage

  • Pilates for pregnancy and post-natally

  • Post natal rehabilitation

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