Pelvic Health
Pelvic health is a specialist area of physiotherapy that focuses on issues around the pelvis with the bladder, bowel and reproductive organs as well as the surrounding musculoskeletal tissues. Here at Totnes Physio Clinic, we currently focus this service on females with urinary continence issues. If you have any other issues regarding pelvic health, we are well supported by a local physio Wendy Farren Physiotherapy who can treat a wide range of conditions.
Grace is a physiotherapist and member of the POGP (Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy) with specialist training in urinary dysfunction in women. She can help assess your pelvic floor muscles, address bladder symptoms such as incontinence, or needing to go urgently or frequently. She can also help with training pelvic floor muscles to work effectively and ultimately returning to physical activity without issues
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need any information before my visit?
Prior to your appointment, you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire. This will help us to determine if the service is suitable for you. You will receive a call to follow up on this information if needed.
How long are the appointments?
Appointments are up to 85 minutes long. This is to allow us to take a comprehensive history of the issues and start treatment, teach and practice exercises and ensure you have all the information you need to succeed.
What does a session involve?
The first part of session involves questions and a discussion, this may involve some sensitive questions regarding the pelvic area, toilet habits and continence. You may be asked to fill out a bladder diary to look at what you are drinking, how often you go to the toilet and how much urine you pass, usually over a three-day period. This will allow us to prescribe an individualised plan.
The second part of the session involves a physical examination of the lower back, pelvis and abdomen. An internal vaginal assessment is usually beneficial to fully assess the pelvic floor and how it’s working (tone, strength and control of the pelvic floor muscles). This is performed with gloves and gel. We can still help you without performing an internal examination, if you would prefer. You can bring a friend/family member if you wish. A chaperone can be provided by the clinic, please let us know when you book if you would like a chaperone.
Internal examinations are used to:
- Assess the function of the pelvic floor muscles. This includes how they tighten and relax.
- To assess for pelvic organ prolapse
- Look for causes of pain
- Examine for scar tissue
Throughout the examination the physiotherapist will provide feedback regarding the assessment and explain what they want you to do. Short pauses in the examination may take place to allow muscles to recover. You can choose to change your mind about consent at any time. We will use this information to make a treatment plan which we will discuss and decide on together.
After the examination the physiotherapist will discuss the results of the examination with you. Using all the information gained from the examination, we can discuss your options and agree on a treatment plan designed for your individual needs.
It might be recommended by your physiotherapist to repeat the examination at a future appointment in order to re-assess the impact of treatment and/or provide further feedback to support effective treatment. This will be discussed with you if it’s appropriate.