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Continence and Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Move are pleased to introduce our new pelvic floor physiotherapy service.
Continence and pelvic floor dysfunction is extremely common. One in three women who ever had a baby will develop urinary incontinence, and a woman's risk of developing prolapse is two-fold after the first baby, and increases with subsequent pregnancies.
Pregnancy and childbirth are not the only factors that can contribute to the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction - prostate surgery, menopause, ageing, respiratory conditions, high-impact exercise and poor bowel patterns are just a few of the many risk factors for developing symptoms. Of course, pelvic floor dysfunction can have huge impact on a person's wellbeing and quality of life.
Sophie Mitchell has postgraduate training in continence and pelvic floor physiotherapy and has a strong committment to help prevent and manage the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.
A broad range of people may benefit from pelvic floor physiotherapy, including:
- Women with a diagnosis of pelvic organ prolapse
- People with difficulty controlling the bladder or bowels
- Men before or after prostate surgery
- Women pre-or post- gynaecological surgery (pelvic floor physiotherapy advice and treatment is an important adjunct to surgical management as specific training will assist in the support of the pelvic organs)
- Men or women who are experiencing pelvic floor pain
- Conditions related to pelvic floor over-activity (such as vaganismus)
- Women during pregnancy or postnatally to assist in the prevention of incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse
- Women post menopause, as there is a higher incidence of incontinence and prolapse at this time
Our pelvic floor physiotherapy services are underpinned by a strong evidence base. The International Continence Society (2005) have recommended pelvic floor exercise as a first-line treatment for urinary incontinence, based on a large body of high-level research demonstrating the efficacy of pelvic floor exercise, relatively low cost and lack of side-effects of this management option.
There is other recent research supporting the role of pelvic floor exercise in helping to minimise re-operation rates for pelvic organ surgery.
Pilates can form part of pelvic floor rehabilitation, and with our pelvic floor assessment services we are able to safely tailor a pilates program for patients who may have symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.
Please contact the clinic if you have further questions about these new services or would like to make an appointment with Sophie Mitchell, our continence and pelvic floor physiotherapist.