Women's Health Physiotherapy

Approximately 1 in 4 women experience women’s health problems at some point in their lifetime, with a wide range of severity and nature, across a broad age range. A large number of women are affected but may be too embarrassed to talk openly about their problem and so it often goes unreported. It can create enormous stress and may impact on a woman’s quality of life as well as her health and wellbeing. Yet often it just takes some specialist advice and training to resolve the problem.

What we can do to help

Women’s health physiotherapy can help women regain control of their bladder, their bowels and hopefully thereby improve the quality of their lives. Physiotherapy is, in fact, the first-line course of action to treat stress or mixed urinary incontinence. It can also help improve the quality of a woman’s sex life, if that’s an issue. By taking a detailed assessment of all factors which may exacerbate a patient’s problem, we can tailor treatment to address their individual concerns. We can offer a number of treatment options, including:

• teaching correct pelvic floor muscle exercises and designing an exercise programme to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor,
• bladder and bowel re-education,
• dietary and lifestyle advice, and
• where appropriate, biofeedback and electrical stimulation.

We also treat women with musculo-skeletal problems arising from pregnancy. (Please see ‘Pain in Pregnancy’ page.)

Contact us

If you have any of the following problems:

• frequency going to the toilet to pass urine (during the day and/or at night),
• urgency - when you feel that you cannot hold on until you get to a toilet,
• urinary incontinence - caused by stress (e.g. coughing, sneezing or laughing) or urgency or both, however mild it may be,
• faecal urgency and/or incontinence,
• problems controlling wind, and/or
• a prolapse, of which there are several kinds.

Risk factors

The following can increase the likelihood of experiencing bladder or bowel problems:

• pregnancy and childbirth,
• the menopause and ageing,
• obesity,
• jobs involving heavy lifting,
• certain types of surgery, and
• a history of constipation and/or bad bowel habits.

The causes

These conditions may have a number of causes but are usually associated with weak pelvic floor muscles. Not only do the muscles of the pelvic floor support the pelvic organs but they also help control urinary and faecal continence. When they have become damaged or stretched they may no longer work properly and/or they may no longer be able to hold up the bladder, vagina or backpassage. The pelvic floor muscles might be weak or damaged or it might be that they’re just not being used properly. Some women don’t know where their pelvic floor muscles are or have very little awareness of how to use them. Others think they are doing pelvic floor muscle exercises but are not doing them correctly or appropriately. Others might have a strong pelvic floor, but are not using it when they should.

Strictly confidential

We recognise that this is an extremely sensitive area and maintain the highest professional standards. All information received and any treatment given remains strictly confidential. Our assessment and treatment is subject to on-going consent, which patients are free to withdraw at any time.

SO, IF YOU’VE GOT ANY BLADDER OR BOWEL PROBLEMS, OR YOU’RE NOT SURE WHERE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR IS OR HOW TO USE IT, CONTACT US, IN CONFIDENCE, FOR SPECIALIST HELP.