Pelvic Health and Alignment

Urge and Stress Incontinence are quite different although they can often occur together. What is it? Urge Incontinence is a symptom of Overactive Bladder (OAB) which is the overly frequent contractions of the detrusor muscle which forms the muscular wall of the bladder. This occurs even when the bladder is not full and can be in response to certain triggers, for example warm water, getting home from an outing (key-in-the-door syndrome), and different foods.  It can also make you feel like you need to go to the washroom every 20 minutes but when you do, there's not a whole lot to empty.  OAB does not always cause leaking, however it can lead to urge incontinence if you are unable to make it to the washroom on time. Particularly if you do not have adequate pelvic floor muscle strength.  While it sounds annoying at the most, it can have a significant impact on your lifestyle as you are constantly worried about where the closest bathroom is. When it becomes more s...

Now that we've had a look at some easy changes you can make to protect your pelvic health, lets look at some of the conditions you will be preventing. For those who are experiencing some of these conditions, I will provide some reliable information on what it actually is, reasons why these problems may be occurring, as well as options for treatment. I'm starting with urinary incontinence because it is very, very common. Increasingly so in a younger population, often after childbirth but not necessarily. It is one of the leading causes for admission of older people (not just women) into nursing homes and can cost a small fortune to manage using pads. And while I am glad that awareness of adult incontinence is increasing thanks to television advertisements for adult diapers, I do not agree with their message that leaking is just something to put up with.  If you only take away one message from this post, let it be this: Urinary incontinence, regardless of whether ...

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:  Bladder Leaking of urine with any occasion (cough, s...