Now that you know what a women’s health physiotherapist does, the question that follows is do you need to see one to help you with your symptoms?
If you are struggling with symptoms such as the ones listed below, then you should consider seeing a women’s health physiotherapist.
Bladder symptoms
– peeing when sneezing, coughing, laughing or when doing sports
– having pain when peeing (without having a urinary tract infection)
– needing to go to the loo and not being able to “hold it” for long.
Bowel symptoms
– pelvic pain associated with bowel movements
– not being able to control or hold for long a bowel movement/wind
– chronic constipation and straining when having a bowel movement
– anal pain before, during or after a bowel movement
– feeling increased anal tension like there is something stuck
Pelvic organ prolapse symptoms
– vaginal and/or anal heaviness or/ bulging
– feeling like something is falling out of the vagina
– feeling pressure or fullness in the pelvic area
– painful intercourse
Menstrual symptoms
– pelvic, perineum and lower back pain associated with your menstrual cycle
– pain and a burning sensation in the perineum, groin, inner thighs or pelvic/lower back area
– abdominal and pelvic floor cramping
Sexual and vaginal/anal symptoms
– vaginal and/or anal pain or a burning sensation associated with sitting, periods, sex, urination/ defecation or wearing tight clothes.
– Vulvodynia – a sensation of vulval burning and soreness in the absence of any obvious skin condition or infection.
– Pelvic and perineum (anal, vaginal) pain associated with intercourse
– Vulvovaginal athrophy caused by the lack of estrogen in the tissues
Pregnancy and childbirth-related symptoms
– pregnancy/ postpartum pelvic girdle, hip, tailbone, perineum, symphysis pubic, sacroiliac joint or upper/lower back pain
– After 6 weeks postpartum as part as postnatal detailed physiotherapy assessment of the back, abdominal and pelvic area.
– Abdominal separation/rectus abdominis diastasis/ tummy gap after pregnancy
– vaginal and/or anal heaviness or/ bulging
– feeling like something is falling out of the vagina
– lower back/ tailbone pain when sitting
Postural/ sports associated symptoms:
– vaginal and/or anal pain or a burning associated with physical activity and sports
– vaginal and/or anal heaviness or/ bulging
– feeling like something is falling out of the vagina
– lower back/ tailbone pain
If you are struggling with one or more symptoms on this list, first I want you to know that you are not alone and that there is treatment for each and every symptom listed above. It is also important that you know that a women’s health physiotherapist can provide you with effective treatment techniques and advice on lifestyle changes that will help improve significantly or resolve your symptoms. More often than not, in some cases, and depending on the severity of the condition, a multidisciplinary team of health practitioners working together to improve your pelvic health is also needed. A women’s health physio will be able to screen and assess you to see if there is a need to refer you to other specialists.
What should you expect on pelvic physiotherapy consultation?
On every pelvic physiotherapy consultation you should expect confidentiality and respect as well as discussion and explanation of your presenting condition.
A careful, detailed and confidential history will be taken in order to understand the nature of your symptoms, possible triggers and what contributing factors aggravate them. Most importantly, I need to understand how this is affecting your life and what you can start doing to change it. This is a very important part of the assessment as it will be from here that your physical examination and further treatment will be planned. The initial consultation can be done as an online consultation. This option is a quick and effective way of initiating your treatment and some women find it really useful as it easier to find the time to do it and they also feel safer doing it from the comfort of their homes.
The second part of the assessment is the physical examination. This is usually done in the clinic and as I mentioned before, this part can vary from person to person and depending on the condition.
The physical examination will likely start with an assessment of your posture. The way you move and breathe will give me valuable information about the pain you are experiencing and how your muscles, fascia and joints are feeling and behaving. The next step is to examine your abdominal and lower back muscles and fascia as well as the pelvis, hips and lumbar spine joints. Once all this information has been gathered from the external structures, a pelvic floor internal examination may be required. This is an important part of the examination as it will provide valuable information about the way your pelvic floor muscles are working and how this can be a contributor to your pain.
The internal examination of the pelvic floor muscles can be done through the anal or the vaginal passage. The examination is done using digital (one finger) palpation of the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissues. The pelvic floor will be assessed for sensation, injury or scarring, muscle tone, signs of pelvic organ prolapse, tenderness or pain, and neural sensitivity. Following this, the pelvic floor muscles will be tested for function, coordination, ability to contract and relax, strength and endurance.
It is important that you know that an internal pelvic floor examination whilst important, is not fundamental to start treatment. If you are not ready to do it then I can start by addressing the symptoms found on the external structures and combine that with important advice on lifestyle changes that will improve your condition.
The findings from both the subjective and physical assessment will be discussed with you and a personalized treatment plan will be established according to your individual needs. The treatment will be a journey, and the assessment will be an ongoing process. This will involve team work so you can expect a lot of discussion and to have an active role on every decision.
If you are ready to start your journey to a successful recovery then book now for an online consultation or alternatively you can book to see me in person at a clinic.
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