Did you know?

• 1 in 2 women experience prolapse

• 1 in 3 women who have had a baby will wet themselves

• 1 in 5 women experience pelvic or sexual pain

• 1 in 10 women suffer from poor bowel control

 

Nowadays many women do know their pelvic floor exists and may be familiar with some of the key benefits of doing pelvic floor muscle exercises. However, many women do not feel confident in how to correctly contract and relax this muscle, and feel confused about how and when they should be doing these exercises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We know that:

• 1 in 2 women cannot effectively contract their pelvic floor when provided with written or verbal instruction alone.
• 1 in 4 women will use a counter-productive technique which can weaken the pelvic floor further.
• Not everyone with pelvic health concerns has a pelvic floor that is weak, pelvic floors can become too tight and traditional pelvic floor exercises aimed at strengthening the muscle can worsen such problems.

 

It is important that women know how to do pelvic floor exercises correctly in order to improve their symptoms and prevent unintentional aggravation of the problem.  Research has shown that women are only likely to succeed with conservative management options that incorporate pelvic floor programs if this is performed under the guidance of a physiotherapist with further training in this specialised field.

 

 

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms;

• Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or with other activities such as sport, running or lifting.
• Feeling a sudden sense of urgency and having to rush to the toilet, this may occur with or without urine loss before you get there.
• Having to go to the toilet frequently throughout the day and possibly overnight.
• Feeling like you haven’t emptied your bladder or bowel properly, or finding you need to return to the toilet again soon after.
• A bothersome feeling of heaviness, dragging, a lump or bulge in the pelvic/vaginal area.
• Difficulty controlling your wind, having to rush to the toilet with bowel motions or occasions of bowel incontinence.
• Pain with sex, pap smears and/or tampon use.

 

Or you may just want to have your pelvic floor assessed and technique checked to prevent issues later in life.

If this sounds familiar, we encourage you to book an appointment with one of our women’s health physiotherapists.

Prevention is better than cure but it is never too late to start taking care of your pelvic floor!

 

Kate Goode, myPhysioSA for Her Partner Physiotherapist and Clinical Director