Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

ReformPhysio & Pilates offer a specialist pelvic health service for the diagnosis and treatment of pelvic floor muscle problems in men and women, particularly the treatment of urinary and faecal incontinence, constipation, pelvic organ prolapse or pelvic pain.

Physiotherapy for Female Urinary incontinence

It is estimated that up to a third of women in the UK have symptoms of urinary incontinence. Many women believe that these symptoms are a normal consequence of childbirth or ageing, unaware that physiotherapy can offer a safe and effective treatment for incontinence.

During an appointment we will discuss your symptoms, may perform a thorough internal examination of your pelvic floor muscles (we can still help you with out an internal exam) and provide a tailored treatment programme to help improve your symptoms.

Physiotherapy for Lower Bowel Dysfunction

Our Physiotherapy team are able to assess and treat conditions affecting the lower bowel, such as constipation or incontinence. Through a combination of education, exercise, biofeedback and liaison with your medical team we aim to reduce and manage symptoms.

We work with both men and women in this area.

Pelvic health Physiotherapy FAQ’s

What is does a vaginal/anorectal examination entail?

Your Physiotherapist will fully describe to you what an examination entails and ask for your consent before continuing. At any point you can ask for the examination to stop. You also have the right to ask for a chaperone and this can be arranged with another member of our Physiotherapy team being present.

During an examination we will ask you to remove you trousers/underwear and you will be covered with a towel.

We will first have assess your pelvic region externally, checking sensation and asking you to cough and perform pelvic floor contractions.

With your consent we will then perform an internal examination using a gloved and lubricated finger. We insert a finger into your vagina or back passage and will assess the vaginal walls/rectum for any tightness or pain. We will the ask you to contract your pelvic floor muscles so that we can grade your pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance.

We will only carry out vaginal/anorectal examination if indicated and with your consent.

Anorectal examination is more likely to be indicated in assessment of lower bowel dysfunction such as constipation/faecal incontinence.

What if I don’t want an internal examination?

We can still run through all of our questions and assess posture and breathing and abdominal muscle function as we do normally, excluding the vaginal exam/anorectal examination. Please don’t allow concerns regarding an internal examination to put you off seeking help.

Do I need to cancel my appointment if i’m on my period?

We can still examine you while you are on your period, but understand if you would prefer not to or wish to reschedule.

Can I have a Pelvic floor examination if I am pregnant?

Please discuss this directly with your Physiotherapist to discuss any risks/benefits. Alternatives to internal examination may be offered instead.

How do we treat the pelvic floor muscles?

Treatment routinely involves individualised:

Exercise (including specific pelvic floor exercises)

Advice (eg on toileting, fluid intake)

We may refer back to the GP for prescriptions of vaginal oestrogen or similar

We may use or recommend equipment such as EMG or biofeedback