Pelvic Floor
Pelvic floor issues are extremely common amongst women and even in men. But there is a solution.
We understand that pelvic floor issues can affect your ability to enjoy life to its fullest. There is widespread recommendation in the medical world that pelvic floor physiotherapy should be the first treatment option for women with pelvic floor issues such as incontinence.
Women’s Health Physios ensure that management of your pelvic floor issues is always private and respectful. Treatment with your Women’s Health Physio may include retraining your bladder habits and learning how to use your pelvic floor correctly with an individualised and focussed pelvic floor exercise program. Assessing how your fluid intake and diet may be influencing your continence issues and looking at lifestyle related changes will help manage your problem. A Clinical Pilates program is often used to help bridge the gap between pelvic floor exercises and day to day pelvic floor function.
Benefits of seeing your Women’s Health Physio can include:
- Improved continence
- An increase in lifestyle options eg: running
- Stronger pelvic floor muscles
- Pain free and enhanced sex
- Improved bladder and/or bowel function
- Less worry and more freedom
Musculoskeletal Injury
Expert management of common musculoskeletal dysfunctions encountered in pregnancy, post-natally and throughout a Women’s life.
Lumbo-pelvic and hip dysfunction, low back pain, and thoracic, rib and cervical conditions related specifically to the female body all have the capacity to produce pain and limit our lifestyle. We can address pelvic girdle, pubic symphysis, sacroliliac and coccyx pain associated with your body’s changes in carrying a baby, preparing for and giving birth. Overuse injuries in the hand and wrist often result from the repetitive use of caring for your new born and we can address these early and effectively. Rehabilitation will often include real time ultrasound imaging for effective muscle retraining.
Pregnancy
A rapidly changing body to accommodate your baby can often come at a cost.
Whilst our bodies are essentially designed for this purpose – things don’t always go to plan. We are here to help guide you through this exciting time in your life and will help you prepare for the birth of your baby and to maintain a fit and healthy body throughout your preganancy.
Management of conditions associated with pregnancy include:
- Stress urinary incontinence
- Urinary Urgency and frequency
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse
- Pelvic floor birth preparation
- Advice for safely continuing or starting pregnancy exercise
- Pilates classes for strength and motor control training to prevent musculoskeletal aches and pains
- Clinical Pilates for management of specific issues including pelvic floor dysfunction
- Maintaining a fit and healthy body during pregnancy
Our Birth Prep Program has been designed by our Women’s Health Physios to help pregnant women to make informed choices and decisions about the best birth for you and your Bub, reduce your risk of pelvic floor injury during birth and set you up for the next exciting chapter in your life.
It has been designed as a Four-Part Program
- Screen your risks of birth injury and incontinence
- Assess your pelvic floor and function
- Create an individualised pelvic floor exercise program
- Assess your pelvis and low back and provide exercises to reduce risk of developing issues
- Check your pelvic floor progress and update your program
- Discuss what to expect in Stage 1
- Discuss pain management techniques - such as breathing, tens, massage
- Assess and help prepare your pelvis for birth
- Discuss what to expect in Stage 2
- Discuss your risk and how to minimise the risk of perineal tearing
- Discuss pain management
- Teach and discuss the use of Perineal massage
- Teach pelvic floor relation and techniques for pushing
We suggest starting this program as early into your pregnancy as you can. However it's never too late and any information, preparation and advice is always helpful and will assist you in your birthing process. It's not uncommon for us to see our women for all 4 appointments in their last few weeks of pregnancy. It's worthwhile - Even for one appointment at 39 weeks!
Ideal timing for the program:
4 sessions with a Women's Health Physio
1hr initial assessment
Booked in pre-pregnancy or during first/early trimester
3 x 30min follow up appointments
1st follow up - 2 weeks after the initial assessment
2nd & 3rd follow up at 34 and then 35 weeks
Post Natal
Having a baby is one of the most significant changes a women’s body ever experiences during her lifetime.
The joy of a having brand new baby is often overshadowed by some significant issues that can occur as a result of giving birth. These issues are common among women who have had both vaginal and caesarian births. We are here to help guide you through this stage of life to maximise this special time with your new family.
Management of conditions associated with having a baby:
- Pelvic Floor 6 and 12 week post-natal checks
- Abdominal Separation (tummy muscle) – use of real-time ultrasound to retrain abdominal muscles
- Perineal tears
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation
- Pelvic floor issues including incontinence
- Prolapse
- Post-natal specific exercise
- Mums and Bubs post-natal Pilates
- Strengthening your body after pregnancy
- Retraining your pelvic floor muscles
- Returning to running and other high-level exercise
Osteoporosis and Menopause
Changes occur in tissues in the vagina, bladder and bowel occur as a result of the hormonal changes associated with menopause.
This often means menopause is the first time many women may experience symptoms such as incontinence or prolapse. Physiotherapy is a great option to manage many of these problems conservatively without the need for surgery. The significant drop in oestrogen levels at menopause along with other hormonal changes, physical inactivity and reduced muscle strength and size mean a loss in bone density can occur at a rapid rate. Maintainig your strength, mobility and independence becomes a priority as we get older.
- Prolapse management
- Sexual pain
- Vaginal dryness
- Pelvic floor dysfunction
- Advice for managing osteoporosis
- Falls prevention advice and balance exercises
- Resistance exercise using weights to improve bone health
- Falls and Balance Classes
- Clinical Pilates to address menopause related issues
Exercise Rehabilitation and Pilates
Individual assessment and appropriately prescribed clinical exercise programs allow us to ensure you are safely addressing the correct areas for your problem.
Regaining the strength losses associated with pregnancy and child birth is paramount in returning safely to your previous activity level or if you are taking on new challenges. Maintaining muscle mass and bone density is vitally important for women of all ages.
Our exercise and Pilates programs can assist with:
- Abdominal separation rehabilitation
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation
- Perineal tear rehabilitation
- Specific exercises for managing pelvic floor dysfunction
- Pregnancy and postnatal specific exercise
- General rehabilitation and wellness programs
- Exercise to improve bone health (osteopenia/ osteoporosis)
- Mums and Bubs Postnatal Mat Pilates – 0-6 months
- Individualised Equipment Pilates: ideal for all ages and conditions including pre/postnatal, pelvic floor rehabilitation, osteoporosis, and menopause.
Do I need a doctor’s referral?
No, you can book in and come directly to see a Women’s Health Physiotherapist without a Doctor’s referral.
We do however work with many of our wonderful local GP’s and specialists and happily share our assessment findings and management of conditions with them.
Patients attending for Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, or Department of Veteran Affairs do require a doctor’s referral for funding purposes. When attending under an insurance claim you will need your claim number for us to liaise with your insurance company on your behalf.
What’s involved in a Women’s Health appointment?
An initial 1 hour consultation is normally required with a Women’s health Physio for pelvic floor and bladder issues. Assessment and treatment will include a detailed history of your problem to ascertain your main problem and what is causing it. An external ultrasound through your abdomen to view your bladder and pelvic floor muscle function is often used. In cases where the condition relates to the pelvic floor, bladder or bowel an internal examination may be necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. This will be discussed with you during your appointment.
Your Physiotherapy Consultation Will Include:
- Thorough questioning and examination to establish a diagnosis
- Discussion of your goals and what you hope to achieve with physiotherapy
- Detailed education and explanation of your symptoms as well as the underlying cause of your problem
- Discussion of your treatment options
- Development of a personalised pelvic floor health program
Our aim is to work with you to treat your symptoms or pain to allow you to enjoy life to the fullest.
Making an Appointment
Our friendly and helpful reception team will help you to make an appointment to see one of our Physiotherapists or answer any questions you may have. They are passionate about the service we provide and their aim is to make you feel comfortable and glad that you called.
Appointments can be made online here or by calling 9968 3424.
Do you treat pregnant women?
Yes, pregnant women make up a large part of who we see at Women’s Health. All of our Physiotherapists have extra knowledge on the pregnant body and our techniques are all safe for your baby.
If you are heavily pregnant we also have a specialised pillow to accommodate your growing baby which allows you to lie face down during treatment if required.
Can I claim on private health insurance?
Yes, our appointments still fall under Physiotherapy. If you have private health insurance with extra cover, you can claim at the time of your appointment through our HICAPS machine and you will only need to pay the gap.
Some may be able to access their cover for “pre/post-natal” and “pelvic floor physio” if their insurance company offers this.
As every insurance company is different please check with your individual one for up to date information on what it covers.
Preparing for Your Visit
Our Physiotherapists need to know as much about your symptoms and medical history as possible in order to develop a personalised pelvic health program. Please be assured that any information you provide will be kept highly confidential.
Please come to your first appointment with some water in your bladder. This will allow us to use our ultrasound machine to view your bladder and pelvic floor. Generally having a glass or two of water 30 mins before your appointment is adequate. If this is an issue- let your Physiotherapist know when you arrive.
We will send you an information email explaining all of this once you have made your appointment
What do I need if I am coming for a Musculoskeletal Issue?
Appointments with a Women’s Health Physio generally cover conditions that are mostly related to pregnancy or having a baby. e.g. back pain, hand/wrist pain, shoulder pain. Please bring any relevant X-rays or scans. These appointments typically require 30 mins and sometimes 60 mins for complex cases or your initial assessment.
Abdominal separation and post-natal check appointments
We recommend all women see a Women’s Health Physio after they give birth. An appointment at a minimum should cover abdominal (tummy muscle) separation and some screening questions to assess your risk of pelvic floor issues both now and in the future.
Your Physio will go through some screening questions which will assess your pelvic health. They may recommend further pelvic floor assessment from your answers.
Real-time ultrasound will often be used to assess your abdominal wall and pelvic floor and teach you how to best help them to recover their function.
Real-time Ultrasound:
For best results we require you to have some water in your bladder. We recommend emptying your bladder approximately one hour before your appointment and then drinking 2 glasses of water prior to coming in. It doesn’t need to be bursting – just make sure it’s not empty!
These appointments typically require 60 mins
What do I need to prepare for a real-time ultrasound?
For best results we require you to have some water in your bladder. We recommend emptying your bladder approximate one hour before your appointment and then drinking 2 glasses of water prior to coming in. It doesn’t need to be bursting – just make sure it’s not empty!
What to expect for Bladder/Bowel/Pelvic floor/Vaginal/Pelvic pain issues
These often complex issues will first require a detailed history. Based on your history it will be discussed with you whether you require an internal assessment.
Internal assessments: In cases where your condition relates to the pelvic floor, bladder or bowel an internal examination may be necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
This does not have to happen on the first appointment if you are worried and can be discussed at length with your Women’s Health Physio if you require time to get used the idea as there are other options available. Most women find them comfortable and much easier than a pap smear.
If you can get a pelvic floor contraction then your Physiotherapist may wish to use a vaginal probe and a measuring machine called a peritron to measure the strength of your pelvic floor. This gives your Physio and of course you, a clear idea of your strength and endurance and we can benchmark you against where you should be. These results often form an integral part of your treatment goals and program and to accurately measure your impairments and subsequent improvement. Vaginal probes are purchased separately and are kept for your individual use.
Most women find it more comfortable to attend these assessments when they are not menstruating although it is also fine to attend if you are.
These appointments require 60 mins for your initial assessment.
What does treatment with a Women’s Health Physio involve?
We see many conditions and as our treatment approaches are Individualised treatment approaches are varied.
Treatment however may involve:
- Treating your sore body part with manual therapy, needling, massage, taping and exercises i.e. back or neck
- Abdominal strengthening to encourage healing and retraction of your separation
- Teaching you how to use your pelvic floor muscles correctly
- An individual targeted pelvic floor exercise program
- A Clinical Pilates program to help bridge the gap between pelvic floor exercises and day to day pelvic floor function
- Discussing lifestyle changes to help you manage the problem
- Looking at how your diet and fluid intake may be influencing your problem
- Bladder training
- Relaxation and releases of the pelvic floor muscles
- Muscle release techniques
After explaining your problem, your Physio will discuss your treatment options and work together on agreed timeframes to resolve it.
Can I see Women’s Health Physiotherapist when I am menstruating?
This is of course is a natural process all women go through and we see many women whilst they are menstruating. However, during the first few days when your period is heavier you may be more comfortable not making an appointment over these days.
How soon should I see a Women’s Health Physio after I have a baby?
Most women do in fact see a Physio in hospital straight after they have given birth so there are no limitations. Early treatment might be directed towards back and neck pain, hand and wrist pain, breastfeeding problems, abdominal separation or incontinence. We normally wait until you stop bleeding until we can assess your pelvic floor internally however, we can use our ultrasound prior to this.
We recommend every woman who has a baby attend at approximately the 6-week mark to have their abdominal separation and pelvic floor checked. This is also appropriate and recommended for women who have had a C-section.
Fee Schedule
Our Women’s Health Physiotherapists have undergone special training to enable them to treat pelvic health issues.
Our fee structure reflects this expertise and the intimate assessment and treatment techniques they obtain.
Women’s Health Initial $190 (60 mins)
Women’s Health Follow Up $130 (30 mins)
Women’s Health Extended $175 (60 mins)
For more information about appointments and fees please see our Patient info page
