pelvic pain Archives - Life Fit Wellness

Postnatal Related Pelvic Floor Problems

Manager — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 11:50:17 +0000

By Kate Leishman, Pelvic Health Specialist Physiotherapist

Is there such a thing as a ‘normal’ birth? And what happens when you suffer with embarrassing problems related to your ‘normal’ birth? Forceps deliveries, tears (including third and fourth degree tears that tear into the anal sphincters), prolapse and incontinence can all occur after giving birth. And contrary to what the marketing people at a certain incontinence pad company would have you believe, ‘Oops moments’ are not normal, or even worse, that they should be accepted as part of your life from now on.

There is still a very ‘fairy tale vision’ of childbirth, where in reality many women suffer significant injuries or issues following it. Research shows that one in five women develop problems with bowel control in the first five years following vaginal delivery, and there are many more who have prolapse and urinary incontinence. Women are too embarrassed to draw attention to their pelvic floor issues after childbirth, many feel shame, or even fear of what may happen during examinations, or feel that surgery is their only option. More about these experiences women face can be found in this article.

However, there is still much that can be done to help once you seek some advice and support.

Women should be offered a 6 week check by their GP following birth. However, many have missed out on this due to pressures on the services during Covid. There are pelvic health physiotherapy departments in most major hospitals but again waiting times can be long and some GPs are still unaware that these even exist therefore women are just not able to access the care they require.

Kate, our pelvic health physiotherapist, has seen many women throughout the past 2 years who were seen by their GP/hospital and diagnosed with a prolapse and then basically shown the door. No information, no reassurance and no advice on how to move forward with their rehabilitation. A pelvic health physiotherapist can carry out a full pelvic assessment including internal examinations and diagnosis of prolapse. For many, conservative management is all that is needed. Physiotherapists can provide most of this, including pessary fitting if required.

So where is the help when you need it?

Thankfully help is available at Life Fit Wellness in our pelvic health clinic with our specialist pelvic health physiotherapist Kate Leishman. Kate has over 20 years experience in pelvic health and can offer a full assessment and individualised treatment programme.

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy and Prostatectomy

Manager — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 08:28:59 +0000

By Kate Leishman, Pelvic Health Specialist Physiotherapist

Having a prostatectomy can be a concerning time for some men, particularly when it’s combined with a cancer diagnosis. Removing the prostate to treat the cancer usually results in most men (80%) developing urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction as a side effect of the surgery. This can improve with time but it has been reported that 16-51% of men can still be incontinent at one year post operatively. Urinary incontinence can be extremely distressing and can have a significant impact on daily life for these men. The wearing of pads and leakage during daily activities, sport and exercise can impact on the man’s self-esteem and confidence.

There is lots of research to suggest that being taught and undertaking pelvic floor exercises before and after your surgery can limit the degree of incontinence and improve it more quickly (Milios, J (2019). It is recommended that men diagnosed with prostate cancer who are planning surgery as a treatment option should consult with a pelvic health physiotherapist to initiate pelvic floor exercises as soon as possible. There is also good evidence that doing pelvic floor exercises can help the recovery of erectile dysfunction too.

A pelvic health physiotherapist can assess the pelvic floor to look for dysfunction and weakness and can assist in achieving a correct pelvic floor contraction. This can be very important as it has been suggested that up to 50% of patients given written instruction only will do these exercises incorrectly. The physiotherapist will tailor a home exercise programme for each individual patient. They will also give advice on keeping your bladder happy and healthy along with a return to sport and exercise following prostatectomy.

At Life Fit Wellness, our pelvic health physiotherapist, Kate Leishman offers appointments for men undergoing prostate surgery around 6-8 weeks prior to surgery and then again 6 and 12 weeks post operatively to help you get your bladder under control sooner. With our new online booking system, making that appointment has never been easier. Open https://lifefitwellness.connect.tm3app.com in your phone or browser and follow the booking instructions. Our pelvic health clinics are available at both our locations, Life Fit Wellness in Falkirk and Life Fit at Kingsfield, Linlithgow.

Why do I need physio for my pelvic floor?

Manager — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 12:27:27 +0000

By Kate Leishman, Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist.

Ask most people what a physiotherapist does and they’ll think of the physio who runs on to the field during a game of football or rugby. Or they may think of the physio who helped them when they had an episode of low back pain or the physio that helped Grandad after his stroke.

But very few people think of a physio for their pelvic floor!

It’s still very common for people coming into clinic to wonder why they are here and what physio will be able to do to help them with their condition.

I mean, lets face it, only a gynaecologist can help ‘down there’ right? WRONG!

Firstly here’s a few facts about your pelvic floor

It has a range of functions from spinal stability to sexual function. Many people know about its bladder control function, but did you also know you pelvic floor controls your bowel. It also contributes to arousal and orgasm during sex. For the men, it helps them to keep an erection. It is part of our ‘core’ system and works with other muscles like our abdominals and diaphragm to maintain stability in our spine. All of this from a small group of muscles most people don’t even know about!!!
Men have pelvic floors too!!! I often get ladies asking if men have a pelvic floor and the simple answer is Yes, they do. A strong pelvic floor in men can help with erectile dysfunction as well as bladder and bowel control.
Stress can manifest in your pelvic floor the same way you can show stress in your hands, jaw or shoulders. Increased tension in the pelvic floor presents as pelvic or abdominal pain, bladder and bowel problems, erectile dysfunction and painful sex.
Childbirth increases your chances of having a pelvic floor problem, but a Caesarean section isn’t always protective, you still need to do your PFE. Think of the stretch on your pelvic floor while you have carried that baby inside you for 9 months, getting heavier and heavier. All that pressure onto your pelvic floor can cause weakness.
Your pelvic floor holds up all of your pelvic and abdominal organs. A good pelvic floor keeps your guts off the floor!

The pelvic floor are a group of muscles at the ‘floor’ of the pelvis and they can suffer dysfunction and pain like any other of our muscles. Therefore a specialist pelvic health physio can help to restore function and reduce pain.

Pelvic Health physiotherapists are physiotherapists who have gone on to have specialist training in this area. We have a very specific knowledge of the anatomy and function of this intimate area of the body. We have often worked with gynaecologists and other surgeons to further our knowledge.

So, if you are suffering from the conditions below, it would be worth a specialist assessment by a pelvic health physiotherapist

Stress incontinence (leakage when you cough, laugh, sneeze or do high impact exercise)
Overactive bladder (urgency, leakage before reaching the toilet, getting up frequently to urinate at night and always feeling the need to go to the toilet during the day)
Bowel incontinence (the leakage of stool from the back passage, or urgency associated with bowel movements)
Chronic constipation (infrequent bowel movements or difficulty emptying them)
Prolapse (the downward movement of the pelvic organs generally causing bulging, heaviness and dragging sensations in the pelvis or vagina)
Painful intercourse
Pelvic pain (a feeling of pain in the vagina, bladder or rectal areas)
Childhood daytime wetting
Post childbirth pelvic floor problems such as painful scars
Post Prostatectomy urinary incontinence

So don’t suffer in silence, help is available and very effective. We’ll soon have you back to normal activities and exercise without the fear of losing bladder or bowel control.

If any of the information in the blog strikes a chord with you, or perhaps you can relate the content to someone close, then please contact us at info@lifefitwellness.co.uk or book an appointment online here.