So many women put up with things for years. Ladies put up with painful sex, prolapse symptoms where it feels like your insides are falling out through your vagina, leaking bladders, constipation or chronic pain in the hips or back.
Why?
Sometimes, it’s because they don’t know we exist but more often than not, it’s because they thought their symptoms were part of being a woman. Part of life. Things you had to go through, because your mum and grandma did. Often, they feel ashamed of their problems. Like it’s a dirty secret that should be hidden away.
We would like you to repeat after me. You. Deserve. Better.
We’ve had women come to us after decades of embarrassment with issues leaking bladders and constipation or bowel incontinence. They hardly wanted to leave the house. After just a few sessions we were able to get them drier, confident and get their lives back. The only thing they wish, is that they’d seen us sooner.
One in three women suffer from incontinence (whether you’ve had a baby or not) and as many as 50% of women also have vaginal prolapse. But incontinence is NOT a normal part of having a baby or aging.
Ladies, enough already. Just because pelvic problems are common, doesn’t mean it’s normal! Often pelvic problems are due to issues with the pelvic floor muscles which can be weak, poorly controlled or too tight. Pelvic floor exercises can help muscles that are too weak, but they can cause more trouble if done incorrectly. A comprehensive assessment with our pelvic health physiotherapists can help you discover your potential and start your recovery – and the stats are on your side! Research shows that physiotherapy is effective in improving stress incontinence in up to 80% of cases.
We can help get things working fabulously again. For those looking to get pregnant or are ready to pop, we can help you prepare your body and pelvis for the extraordinary experience of childbirth. From high performance athletes to ladies entering their menopausal years, we have proven solutions to help every body be its best.
We collaborate with other health professionals to ensure you get the absolute best care – many of whom refer to us as they know we look for the cause of the problem, so we can get lasting improvements.
Stress incontinence may occur when you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump or lift and a pee leaks out. With effort or certain activities, the pressure on your bladder from above can cause leaking of urine. This is can be due to a number of things, including the position of the bladder and weakness to the pelvic floor muscles.
If you are pregnant and you hurt or you have a leaking bladder, then don’t put up with it! In pregnancy, many women suffer unnecessarily with pain in the back, hips, pubic bone and groin (pelvic girdle pain). Postural changes can occur due to the weight of the baby, and ligaments soften. This can put added strain on your body and lead to discomfort. Your women’s health clinic can help you stay active and pain free during your pregnancy, and prepare you for a smoother, easier birth, with a faster recovery.
So many beautiful new mums put up with problems like urinary incontinence, bowel problems, back pain, painful scarring and tummy muscle separation after bub because they think it’s part and parcel of having their new bundle of joy baby. We believe in prevention first at Pelvic Solutions, your women’s health clinic, and know that having a check-in with us can clear up confusion around what’s normal and what’s not.
A prolapse diagnosis can be a hugely emotional moment for women. Prolapse can be felt like a heaviness or dragging feeling into the vagina. It can cause bladder and bowel problems. This is an area that still carries a lot of stigma and shame, and we’re so passionate about breaking down the walls around this topic and empowering women to make choices that give them their lives back.
Pain can be felt in the pelvis, lower abdominals, vagina, around the rectum or in the area between the vagina and the back passage (the perineum). This can commonly be caused by pelvic floor muscles that are too tight (overactive), but can be from a host of other problems. We look for the why behind your pain and start there with treatment.
A healthy bowel habit varies considerably between people, bowels are very individual. Your bowel is healthy if your bowel motions (poo / faeces) are regular, soft and well formed, easy to pass, and leave you feeling that your bowel has been fully emptied. If you have painful bowel movements, bowel leakage, loose bowel motions, constipation, don’t feel completely empty or have to strain to pass a bowel motion, seek help from your women’s health physiotherapy clinic, as bowel problems can be a huge contributing factor to many other pelvic health issues.
Commonly women experience changes in their sexual wellbeing during stages of life. Some women have weak orgasms or have never had an orgasm. Vaginal dryness can cause problems or pain with intercourse.
Preparing your body and your pelvic floor for pelvic or abdominal surgery can help you recover from the surgery faster. If it is a prolapse repair surgery, haemorrhoid surgery, or an abdominal surgery such as a hysterectomy or a c-section, getting an assessment and expert advice on how to move forward to meet your exercise and movement goals can be hugely valuable.
Trying to be free from chronic pain can be like searching for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The often exhausting and emotionally draining journey to be pain free can take its toll on you and those around you. We take a different full body approach to look for the real reason for persistent pain, and take the time to find all the contributing factors. We treat holistically; the mind and the body, it is all deeply interconnected.
Lymphatic fluid build up post pregnancy is common as pre birth the body stores excess fluid to prepare for birth.
Some cancers such as breast cancer can affect the lymph nodes and lymphedema can be the result. Treatment can help to reduce the fluid build up, discomfort and ease movement.