VAGINA PHYSIO, SAY WHAT?!
Caitlin Day was kind enough to speak with me and answer some common questions I get asked in practice. Read on to find out more, straight from the horses mouth about why pelvic floor health is important.
Why does pelvic floor health matter?
Your pelvic floor gives you bladder and bowel function, sexual function and gives support to your lower back and pelvic joints. Most people don't really think about their pelvic floor until something goes wrong. Bladder leakage, bowel leakage, constipation, painful sex, prolapse and back pain can disrupt a person's life significantly. I think everyone with pelvic floor dysfunction would agree that pelvic health matters for quality of life!
What does a pelvic floor physio do?
We see clients (women AND men) for pelvic floor dysfunction:
- bladder leakage, going to the toilet alot, bladder urgency
- bowel leakage or incontinence of gas
- constipation or difficulties emptying bowels
- pelvic organ prolapse
- painful sex
- endometriosis or pelvic pain
Lots of pelvic floor physios are also experts in 'women's health' physio:
- pregnancy pains (back pain, wrist pain etc)
- post natal recovery
- returning to exercise after having a baby
- abdominal muscle separation
- recovery from gynaecological/breast cancer or gynae operations
Why would you see a pelvic floor physio?
If you are bothered by any of the symptoms listed above, or if you'd like to be prepared for pregnancy/birth or menopause, we can do a pelvic floor 'WOF' to see how well it functions.
Can you see a pelvic floor physio if you haven't been pregnant?
Yes I see a lot of women who haven't been pregnant and have difficulties with overactive pelvic floor muscles (spasmed or short pelvic floor). This can cause issues such as difficulties with tampons/pap smears and painful sex. Overactive pelvic floor muscles can also cause bladder leakage, needing to go to the toilet to urinate often and/or constipation.
Can you see a pelvic floor physio when you are pregnant? What is the ideal time to get checked by a pelvic floor physio during pregnancy? Is it smart to get checked before getting pregnant?
Yes a prenatal WOF is important. You can visit a pelvic floor physio at any time for a check, but the earlier the better, so that you can get individualised advice on:
- what you need to work on pelvic floor wise (strength, endurance, or relaxing the muscles etc)
- what exercise regime would be best for YOUR body, YOUR joints, YOUR pelvic floor and YOUR mental health, before, during and after pregnancy
- how you can avoid pelvic joint pain or back pain during pregnancy
- how you can get the best child birth outcomes for you
- how you can recover well after birth
Is a post partum WOF necessary?
Yes. 100%. Countries like France offer 10 sessions of government funded pelvic floor physiotherapy to everyone who has had a baby. We have a great public pelvic floor service in NZ but many women slip through the cracks and the referral criteria is a bit different here. Many women need to seek out pelvic floor physio themselves, but there is help for every woman in NZ, no matter the budget (free through the public system, paid for a private physio appointment)
What does getting a post partum WOF mean long term, how does it help you in in 30 years time?
What happens during your birth, and in the first few months after birth, has a long term effect on your pelvic floor function. I see many post-menopausal women who are still very active who are struggling with prolapse or bladder control, which often stems from injury during childbirth. The more functional your pelvic floor is before menopause, the less likely you are to have issues. A post-natal pelvic floor check can pick up on anything that might be missed or is asymptomatic, that has the capacity to worsen over time.
I hope you learnt something today and some of these questions have made you more comfortable to seek help and support you deserve.
I am a huge advocate for pelvic floor health as I hear this line WAY too often in practice: "my low back pain started after the birth of my first child", 20+ years on these woman sit in front of me and my heart bleeds for them. They fell through the cracks, they didn't get the healthcare or the support they deserved.
Let's break that trend. Help us do that by talking to your Mum friends about pelvic floor health, send them this link to read, follow @thevaginaphysio on instagram. Let's get educated!
If you knew what I knew, and if you knew what Caitlin knew, you would make your pelvic floor WOF's pre and post bubbas (every individual baby, not just after your last baby) a priority.
Over and out,
Dr A
Caitlin Day was kind enough to speak with me and answer some common questions I get asked in practice. Read on to find out more, straight from the horses mouth about why pelvic floor health is important.
Why does pelvic floor health matter?
Your pelvic floor gives you bladder and bowel function, sexual function and gives support to your lower back and pelvic joints. Most people don't really think about their pelvic floor until something goes wrong. Bladder leakage, bowel leakage, constipation, painful sex, prolapse and back pain can disrupt a person's life significantly. I think everyone with pelvic floor dysfunction would agree that pelvic health matters for quality of life!
What does a pelvic floor physio do?
We see clients (women AND men) for pelvic floor dysfunction:
- bladder leakage, going to the toilet alot, bladder urgency
- bowel leakage or incontinence of gas
- constipation or difficulties emptying bowels
- pelvic organ prolapse
- painful sex
- endometriosis or pelvic pain
Lots of pelvic floor physios are also experts in 'women's health' physio:
- pregnancy pains (back pain, wrist pain etc)
- post natal recovery
- returning to exercise after having a baby
- abdominal muscle separation
- recovery from gynaecological/breast cancer or gynae operations
Why would you see a pelvic floor physio?
If you are bothered by any of the symptoms listed above, or if you'd like to be prepared for pregnancy/birth or menopause, we can do a pelvic floor 'WOF' to see how well it functions.
Can you see a pelvic floor physio if you haven't been pregnant?
Yes I see a lot of women who haven't been pregnant and have difficulties with overactive pelvic floor muscles (spasmed or short pelvic floor). This can cause issues such as difficulties with tampons/pap smears and painful sex. Overactive pelvic floor muscles can also cause bladder leakage, needing to go to the toilet to urinate often and/or constipation.
Can you see a pelvic floor physio when you are pregnant? What is the ideal time to get checked by a pelvic floor physio during pregnancy? Is it smart to get checked before getting pregnant?
Yes a prenatal WOF is important. You can visit a pelvic floor physio at any time for a check, but the earlier the better, so that you can get individualised advice on:
- what you need to work on pelvic floor wise (strength, endurance, or relaxing the muscles etc)
- what exercise regime would be best for YOUR body, YOUR joints, YOUR pelvic floor and YOUR mental health, before, during and after pregnancy
- how you can avoid pelvic joint pain or back pain during pregnancy
- how you can get the best child birth outcomes for you
- how you can recover well after birth
Is a post partum WOF necessary?
Yes. 100%. Countries like France offer 10 sessions of government funded pelvic floor physiotherapy to everyone who has had a baby. We have a great public pelvic floor service in NZ but many women slip through the cracks and the referral criteria is a bit different here. Many women need to seek out pelvic floor physio themselves, but there is help for every woman in NZ, no matter the budget (free through the public system, paid for a private physio appointment)
What does getting a post partum WOF mean long term, how does it help you in in 30 years time?
What happens during your birth, and in the first few months after birth, has a long term effect on your pelvic floor function. I see many post-menopausal women who are still very active who are struggling with prolapse or bladder control, which often stems from injury during childbirth. The more functional your pelvic floor is before menopause, the less likely you are to have issues. A post-natal pelvic floor check can pick up on anything that might be missed or is asymptomatic, that has the capacity to worsen over time.
I hope you learnt something today and some of these questions have made you more comfortable to seek help and support you deserve.
I am a huge advocate for pelvic floor health as I hear this line WAY too often in practice: "my low back pain started after the birth of my first child", 20+ years on these woman sit in front of me and my heart bleeds for them. They fell through the cracks, they didn't get the healthcare or the support they deserved.
Let's break that trend. Help us do that by talking to your Mum friends about pelvic floor health, send them this link to read, follow @thevaginaphysio on instagram. Let's get educated!
If you knew what I knew, and if you knew what Caitlin knew, you would make your pelvic floor WOF's pre and post bubbas (every individual baby, not just after your last baby) a priority.
Over and out,
Dr A