When to see a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

As Pelvic Health Physiotherapists, we are specially trained to assess and treat conditions relating to... you guessed it, the Pelvis! This includes the pelvic floor muscles and surrounds, the pelvic joints (pubic symphysis, SIJ, lower back, hips), bowel and bladder problems, pregnancy and sexual dysfunction.

 A literature review published in 2010 showed that women with stress urinary incontinence had the most benefit from a pelvic floor exercise program when they consulted a pelvic health physiotherapist or continence nurse compared to learning the exercises from a pamphlet (2). Without proper instruction, it is sometimes hard to tell if you are doing the exercises correctly and some women are actually doing more harm than good.

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, it might be wise to seek out a good Pelvic Health Physiotherapist near you (see the Find A Physio tab). 

What to look out for: 

  • Leaking of urine with any occasion (cough, sneeze, laugh, run, standing up from the toilet, getting home from an outing)
  • High frequency of urination eg. more often than every 2-3 hours
  • Urinary urgency and difficulty holding on
  • Inability to stop the flow of urine or difficulty starting
  • Incomplete emptying of the bladder
  • Pain with urinating
  • Difficulty holding stool in
  • Difficulty getting everything out 
  • Constipation and needing to strain to empty your bowels
  • Pain with bowel movements
  • Pain (can range from discomfort to sharp burning/stabbing) with tight clothing, tampons or touch around the vagina
  • Pain or discomfort with penetration and/or thrusting
  • Difficulty reaching orgasm
  • Feeling heaviness or pressure in the vagina or rectum (with/without pain)
  • Noticing a bulge in the vagina or feeling anything 'falling out' 
Other
  • Lower back pain, hip, pelvic and groin pain with various activities that doesn't respond to regular treatment
  • Pain in the tailbone (coccyx) which may or may not have been preceded by an injury (including childbirth)
  • Abdominal cramping pain
  • Pain in the pubic bone, sacro-iliac joints (SIJ), hips, lower back, sciatica
  • A desire to learn more about your body and optimise the recovery of your pelvic floor post-delivery
  • Rectus Diastasis management and prevention
  • Wanting to prepare your pelvic floor and body for labour and delivery to prevent tears and future pelvic floor dysfunction!
  • Post-partum for pelvic floor muscle rehab following either a vaginal or cesarean delivery, especially if you have any of the above concerns. 

 In the absence of any problems, it is still worthwhile having an appointment if you are interested to see if you have correct pelvic floor muscle activation and would like to learn more about prevention!

 Next post will be about what to expect at your pelvic health physio appointment. 

(2) Price, N., Dawood, R. & Jackson, S. 2010, 'Pelvic Floor Exercise in Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Literature Review', Maturitas, doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2010.08.004

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