Although it’s been around for a while, in recent years many people are fast discovering the massive benefits of pelvic floor physiotherapy, and just how much it can help with pelvic floor dysfunction including bowel/bladder issues, pelvic pain and various women’s health issues. But how do you know if you need a pelvic floor assessment?
Who needs a pelvic floor assessment?
First of all, anyone can have their pelvic floor assessed by a pelvic physiotherapist if it’s something you’d just like checked; however, there are certain populations who have more to gain. These are:
1. Postpartum moms
If you’ve recently given birth, and especially if you’ve had any tears or other trauma, a pelvic floor assessment can be incredibly helpful to assess the state of your muscles and work on a recovery program to get you back to normal function BEFORE something small turns into a bigger issue.
2. Menopausal women
Menopause comes with a variety of changes, many of which affect the pelvic floor. You may find that you struggle to hold your urine, or that the tissues of the vagina are much more sensitive which may affect sex, or you may feel increased symptoms of pelvic prolapse. A pelvic physiotherapist is well placed to assess and treat conditions like these.
3. Anyone who ‘has to go’ NOW – you can’t wait
If you find that you are unable to defer the urge to pee or poo, or even have accidents on your way to the toilet or after wiping (i.e. leaking pee, poo or gas), you may benefit from a bladder/bowel retraining program. This is designed by a therapist after assessing your pelvic floor, and aims to gradually help you control and defer that urge so you don’t have to plan your life around access to a toilet!
4. The chronically constipated
Contrary to popular belief, constipation isn’t always solved by taking a laxative. Sometimes the issue isn’t with the consistency of your poo, but the ability of the pelvic floor muscles to co-ordinate and ‘get it out of the back end’. If you’re finding yourself sitting on the toilet for ages, straining as much as you can, but nothing seems to be coming out – then do yourself a favour and book a pelvic floor assessment. Once you understand exactly what the problem is, there is TONS that we can do for it
5.Those with pelvic pain
The pelvic floor is very well-supplied with nerves and there are a number of things that could create pelvic pain e.g. trauma during childbirth, sexual abuse, irritable bowel disease, endometriosis, or a pelvic floor which can’t relax. Pain may be associated with certain activities, like sex or eating certain foods, or be of a more constant nature. Pelvic physiotherapists are equipped with a variety of skills to help bring you relief.
6. Female sportspeople/athletes
The pelvic floor is part and parcel of your power-generating core mechanism, and optimising function of this area (especially if you’ve had kids) can help boost performance, as well as treat pelvic floor issues which you find may be associated with exercise e.g. leaking pee on jumping, or being unable to control the urge to poo on a run.
7. Those relying on pads to catch ‘leakage’
Do you find urine or stool stains on your underwear? Or maybe you’re at the point where you simply rely on pads to catch any leakage. There are a number of reasons why someone could be leaking urine, stool or gas including pelvic floor weakness, pelvic floor tightness, reduced tissue sensitivity, or even as a result of underlying constipation. We can’t look to fix things if we don’t know what the underlying cause is, so a pelvic floor check can be especially beneficial for you.
How do I find a pelvic physio?
These are just a few conditions pelvic physiotherapy can help with; but there are tons more. For more information or to book an appointment, head over to calendar booking or email info@bellystrong.com to start your recovery!
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