Posts

Showing posts from July, 2013

What is your pelvic floor?

Image
The pelvic floor muscles are literally the muscles that form the floor of your pelvis. Running from the pubic bone at the front to your tailbone at the back, they act as the main support against gravity for all your pelvic organs. They also play vital roles in bladder and bowel control, sexual function and stability of your spine and pelvis. For more detail, see Pelvic Anatomy . Because they perform so many different functions, problems with the muscles of the pelvic floor can manifest in many different ways. The most common problem that comes to mind is Urinary Incontinence or leaking of the bladder. This may be mild, for example only with a cough or sneeze, or quite severe with a complete lack of control.  Other problems can include: Lower Back, Hip, Pelvic and Tailbone Pain Painful Sex Urinary frequency and Overactivity Urinary Incontinence   Faecal Incontinence, Constipation Abdominal Cramping  Pelvic Organ Prolapse In my experience as a Pelvic

Intro to Pelvic Health!

A lot of people and patients ask me how and why I got into Pelvic Health Physiotherapy. I can appreciate that it is not the first choice for a lot of new grads, particularly as it involves treating very personal and private areas of the body and isn’t quite as glamorous as being a physio for elite athletes.  My introduction to Women's and Pelvic Health was during my first clinical placement within a Brisbane maternity hospital where every woman who gives birth has the opportunity to consult with a specifically trained physiotherapist.  I particularly enjoyed getting to see and hold lots of newborn babies, educating the new mothers and getting to be (a small) part of such a momentous event in people's lives. Since moving to Canada I have had the opportunity to learn from some amazing, experienced mentors and further my interest. I think it is an incredibly important area of health and physiotherapy services that can empower women by teaching them and helping them t