Women's Health Physiother...

Questions

Women's Health Physiotherapy?

Women's Health Physiotherapy was founded from the clinical area of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and is the care of women in relation to childbirth, both antenatally and postnatally, including the teaching of antenatal classes, in the treatment of incontinence, and in the care of women undergoing Gynaecological surgery. The scope of practice has now increased to include all health concerns of women: incontinence, pelvic/ vaginal pain, and prenatal and postpartum musculoskeletal pain, and osteoporosis, rehabilitation following breast surgery, lymphedema, education prevention, wellness and exercise. All females across the life span, from the young athlete, the childbearing woman, the menopausal and elderly woman receive benefit from physical therapy.

How Does It Work?

Your assessment and treatment will depend upon your presenting condition. It usually starts with taking a confidential and detailed history. Whilst these sensitive issues are often difficult to discuss, understanding the onset of your symptoms and how your daily life is affected is vital in directing your treatment. The physical assessment will most likely begin with examination of your abdominal muscles, pelvis and lumbar spine. This is an important part of your examination and necessary in identifying the tone, strength and control of your pelvic floor muscles. Using finger palpation the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissue will be assessed for injury or scarring, signs of pelvic organ prolapse, muscle tone, tenderness, sensation and neural sensitivity. Following this the pelvic floor muscle will be tested for strength and endurance. It is important to determine if the left and right, superficial and deep pelvic floor muscles are working together, and if not why not. The assessment findings will be discussed with you and treatment will depend upon findings and your symptoms.

Conditions Treated.

Physical therapy for women treats conditions specific to women, like pelvic floor disorders. For millions of women, pelvic floor dysfunction and pain is a chronic problem. Pelvic floor disorders occur when women have weakened pelvic muscles and or tears in the connective tissue of the pelvic organs. Many women don’t know about therapy options that can help relieve pain and improve their quality of life.

Some of the conditions treated by women’s health specialist include:

·        Loss of bladder control, stress urinary incontinence or mixed incontinence

·        Frequent or sudden urges to urinate

·        Discomfort related to the bladder and/or urethra

·        Dropping of the pelvic organs; including bladder, bowel, rectum, uterus, vagina

·        Loss of bowel control

·        Constipation

·        Pelvic floor muscle weakness, tightness, or pain

·        Pelvic pain, including but not limited to vulvar pain, pain with urination, vaginal pain

·        Pain and dysfunction during and following pregnancy

·        Additional Women’s Health Physical Therapy Services

·        Breast cancer, including lymphedema management and congestive decongestive therapy

· Osteoporosis

· Pre-and post-partum low back pain and general deconditioning

. Dysmenorrhea

Who Will Benefit?

Pregnancy is an especially important time you should be considering physiotherapy. This includes prenatal, during pregnancy, and postnatal to help relieve any discomfort or pain. A lot of pregnant women experience lower back pain which can impact their ability to get a full night’s sleep and perform daily tasks. Physiotherapy is an effective way to manage any lower back aches and pains through stabilization exercises that focus on the muscles surrounding your spine. Physiotherapists can also help in controlling and reducing back pain for pregnant and non-pregnant women. Pelvic Floor Therapy is probably the most important service we can offer women before, during, and after pregnancy. This type of physiotherapy focuses on treating the muscles in the base of the abdomen that attach to the pelvis that support bladder, bowel, and uterus functions for women. Prenatal pelvic floor physiotherapy will help prepare your body for labour and limit any damage to the pelvic area. Postnatal treatment is also important to help strengthen your potentially stretched, strained, and often torn pelvic muscles. Both pre and post-childbirth, pelvic floor treatment can prevent urinary incontinence and lower back pain. In general, physiotherapy is a great and safe option for pregnant women to stay active which is important for an easier delivery.