Pelvic health
Catherine takes a holistic approach towards helping people with pelvic health issues & having a strong background in musculoskeletal & sports physiotherapy has greatly assisted her concentrated learning in this field, a highly sensitive topic. Catherine has dedicated much of her professional development in the last 15 years to pelvic health for both women & men.
Referrals may come through your GP, gynaecologist, midwife, obstetrician, urologist, colorectal surgeon, sexual health doctor, counsellor or yourself.
Her extensive training in this area and clinical observations have provided her with great insights in:
- Teenage girls with low back & pelvic pain who suddenly drop out of their sport.
- Ante & post natal women with ongoing back pain, mastitis, stress incontinence & haemorrhoids and frequently asked question is “Why didn’t anyone tell me this before I had my baby?”.
- Women who report they have stopped having penetrative intercourse because it’s too painful.
- Peri menopausal women whose sweats seem less profuse when they reduce wine &/or coffee in their diet.
- Post menopausal women wondering why they have suddenly developed a sore achilles or have started snoring.
- Women of varying ages bending over to lift something up then suddenly feeling like their “vagina has dropped out”.
- Male cyclists who report relentless pain that has become so severe they they can no longer sit down & are having all sorts of trouble ‘down there’ when trying to be intimate with their partners.
- There are many more pelvic & sexual health issues too embarrassing for some patients to disclose, however are desperately wanting a remedy.
Knowledge is power
An outline of the pelvic health presentations Catherine treats is as follows:
- Bladder Control – stress incontinence, urgency incontinence, frequency & prolapse.
- Bowel Control – faecal incontinence, constipation, urgency & prolapse.
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse – pre & post surgery & physiotherapy can improve long term outcomes.
- Pelvic Pain/Sexual Dysfunction – Endometriosis, persistent pelvic pain, vaginismus, dyspareunia, pudendal neuralgia & bladder pain syndrome.
- Pregnancy & post natal care.
- Men’s Health – bladder control issues, bowel control, persistent pelvic pain, erectile dysfunction, sexual pain, pre & post prostatectomy advice regarding return to continence & erectile function.
- Pelvic floor safe exercise – Catherine has a large repertoire of safe pelvic floor exercises & will advise you what exercises are appropriate for your level of pelvic floor function.
- Surgery – post surgery for bowel, bladder or gynaecological issues & advice regarding the role of pelvic floor strengthening & safe return to appropriate exercise with a tailored exercise programme.
Treatment for pelvic health presentations involves a comprehensive assessment, this may at times benefit from an internal examination. Followed by a specific programme & advice around strengthening (or relaxation), self management strategies & advice on possible lifestyle adaptations which can help improve quality of life. Catherine also has some other biofeedback device options which can assist practical learning.