For Pelvic Floor Concerns
For women experiencing symptoms of urinary incontinence, overactive bladder or painful intercourse, it is important not to suffer in silence. We offer pelvic floor physiotherapy with our physiotherapist who has specialized training and experience in assessing pelvic floor dysfunction and helping you restore pelvic floor health.
Function of the Pelvic Floor
Forming the bottom of the pelvis, your pelvic floor is a complex and intricate group of muscles which is critical for the following:
- Supports the organs in the pelvis (including your bladder, uterus and rectum)
- Helps to start and stop urine, and to control your bowel movements
- Is active during sex, contributing to sexual health and pleasure
- Helps with posture support and core stability
- Stretches to facilitate labour and delivery during childbirth
Who Needs Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy?
Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a first-line conservative treatment for the following:
- Urine leakage when you cough, sneeze, exercise or lift heavy objects
- Frequent urination and feeling of bladder urgency with an inability to reach the toilet in time
- A sensation of heaviness or bulging vaginally
- Difficulty controlling bowel movements or persistent constipation
- Painful intercourse
- Pelvic pain following gynecologic surgery or childbirth
- Improving pelvic floor and core muscle strength in your postpartum recovery
Your Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Session
Assessment
At your first visit, your pelvic floor physiotherapist will listen to your concerns, review your symptoms, and conduct a thorough assessment of your pelvic floor muscles, postural alignment and core control. An internal pelvic exam may be conducted at the first visit if you are open to it. This allows for direct assessment of pelvic floor muscle tone, strength and flexibility. If you suffer from pelvic pain and disorders such as provoked vestibulodynia, an intra-pelvic exam allows the therapist to identify areas of nerve sensitivity.
Physiotherapy Treatment
Depending on the findings, your physiotherapist will formulate a customized treatment plan for you incorporating any of the following:
- instruct you on how to contract and relax the pelvic floor muscles properly
- optimize your breathing patterns
- build a home exercise program to improve pelvic floor and core muscle control
- use manual therapy and soft tissue work to release muscle tension or address scar tissue
- improve posture
- movement education including learning how to lift and handle pressure changes in your abdomen
- retrain the bladder and learn calming techniques when urge is difficult to control
- improve bowel habits to minimize straining
- pre-operative strengthening and preparation for those who may require gynecology surgery
The goal of our evidence-based approach is to reduce symptoms, restore pelvic floor function and support your long-term wellbeing. Follow-up sessions may be weekly or span several weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms and your ability to continue working the treatment program at home.
Get Started with Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
See pelvic floor physiotherapist Janet Leung at our clinic today. To book an appointment with Janet, please phone the clinic at 604-568-1337.