Women’s Health Physiotherapy
What is women’s pelvic health physiotherapy?
Women’s pelvic health physiotherapy is the assessment and treatment of all conditions affecting the female pelvis. These conditions can begin with the onset of menses, changes in the comfort of sexual intercourse, ante-natal preparation for pregnancy, birth prep and preparing for pushing, post-partum rehabilitation for first or multiple-baby moms, urinary or stool incontinence, prolapse and vaginal changes with ensuing menopause. There is an abundance of growing evidence that physiotherapy can alleviate and often cure symptoms!
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that hammocks across the bottom of the pelvis to serve many important roles for our well-being. Think of these as the floor of your home (your body being the whole house). These muscles lift and support the organs in the pelvis (the bladder, uterus, rectum, etc), connect the pelvis to the spine, the abdomen, and the hips. The pelvic floor has openings such as the vaginal canal for birthing a baby and for sex, as well as passages for the excretion of urine, gas and stool.
It is very common for these muscles to become unbalanced, leaving them either too tight, too short or too weak to perform their regular duties! Women whose pelvic muscles are unbalanced may experience frequent urination (overactive bladder), urinary incontinence (leaking urine / bladder leakage), pelvic / hip / spine pain and pelvic organ prolapse (prolapsed bladder). Many women will suffer in silence unaware that there are so many ways to restore health and balance to their pelvic floor! Working alongside a pelvic health physiotherapist, you can restore better function to these tissues.
Continue reading below for more information…
Pelvic health physiotherapists assist women through-out their lifespan in the following ways:
Ante-nataly:
- To identify/address any conditions related to the low back, hips and pelvis (ie., old strains,joint irritations, ongoing low back pain, etc)
- To address any mechanical barriers to conception (ie., increased connective tissue due to endometriosis, tight pelvic floor limiting sexual intercourse, etc)
- Safe exercise prescription and recommendation
- Pregnancy related education
During pregnancy:
- To identify/address signs of a pelvic floor that needs support, healing, strengthening or relaxation
- Due to pelvic, hip, low back, or sacroiliac (SI) joint pain or discomfort
- Preparing the body and pelvic floor to push
- Exercises to help create enough space in the pelvis to allow baby to turn into the most optimal position for birthing
- To work on pelvic floor muscle strength and relaxation in preparation for labor and post-partum well-being
- To explore maintaining SAFE exercise during pregnancy
- Involving, preparing and preparing the birth partner for labor and delivery
- Birth prep: specific exercises, manual techniques, pain management and education for all stages of labor
Post-partum:
- Scar tissue work, mobilization and healing after C-section or vaginal delivery (post episiotomy or natural perineal tearing)
- Rehab of pelvic floor and abdominal muscle strength and mobility
- To improve pelvis, hip, or low back pain or discomfort
- To improve/heal an abdominal muscle separation; diastasis recti (DRA)
- Safe return to exercise (strength training, running, etc) and guidance as to proper exercise for healing of abdominal separation (DRA)
- Resumption of comfortable sexual intercourse
- Education and management toolkits to decrease the risk of pelvic dysfunction in the future Peri-menopausal & Menopausal:
- Education & information regarding impact of hormonal changes in women as they begin their journey toward menopause
- Discussion of lifestyle changes to improve symptoms and optimizing the body through this life stage
- Education and discussion of pelvic floor tissue changes and implications on lubrication
- Addressing painful or uncomfortable sexual intercourse due to menopause
- Post-surgical (ie. bladder lift, hysterectomy, hip surgery, etc) rehabilitation of the pelvic floor and pelvis
Senior Health
- Education regarding anatomical changes in the pelvis and pelvic floor with aging
- Exercise prescription and recommendation for maintenance of good pelvic, bone and organ health
- Assessment and treatment of urinary stress and/ or urge incontinence, fecal stress and/or urge incontinence
- Maintenance of comfortable sexual intercourse
- Post-surgical (ie. bladder lift, hysterectomy, hip surgery, etc) rehabilitation of the pelvic floor and pelvis
Specific Conditions:
- Endometriosis
- Lichen planus and/or sclerosis (auto-immune diseases)
- Vulvodynia
- Vaginismus
- Vestibulodynia
- Dyspareunia (painful intercourse)
- Interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome)
- Hemorrhoids
- Anal fissures
- Chronic constipation
Address
Unit 7 - 35 Victoria Street East
Alliston, ON, L9R 1T4
(entrance from the parking lot,
off Wellington St.)
*our office is located INSIDE the
Caring Hands Midwifery clinic
1-647-206-7650
Office Hours
Weekdays
Monday through Friday by appointment only
Weekends
Saturday & Sunday by appointment only
Mindful Movement Physiotherapy
* Located in Town Square, next to the Beach House Spa.
Entrance to the unit is from the PARKING lot, off of Wellington Street.
* Our physiotherapy clinic is located INSIDE the Caring Hands Midwifery office