Female Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy – more than just kegals.
There’s no doubt that pelvic floor physiotherapy has been gaining momentum, and with good reason. What used to be something that the majority of women never even brought up with their health care providers has now become a hot topic in both the research and clinical world, and with good reason.
In Canada alone, one in three women who are middle-aged or older are affected by urinary incontinence. 50% of women who have had children have some degree of pelvic prolapse (for example dropped/prolapsed bladder).
The good news is that a lot can be done in both the treatment and prevention of pelvic floor dysfunction. The Cochrane Collaboration (2010) has outlined that internal pelvic floor muscle training and rehabilitation has Level 1 evidence in the treatment of urinary incontinence. This is the highest level of evidence possible to support a treatment. It concluded that physiotherapists trained in pelvic floor rehabilitation is being recommended before surgical consultation as the first line of defense in the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction, for stress, urge and mixed incontinence in women.
Pelvic floor muscle strengthening helps to control and prevent urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. But because a variety of different things can cause pelvic floor dysfunction, strengthening isn’t always indicated. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can help diagnose what type of pelvic floor condition you have and determine what course of treatment is most appropriate for you.
Michelle Nicolson is our pelvic floor physiotherapist at Parkway Physiotherapy & Performance Centre. Appointments can be made online or via phone, no physician referral is necessary.
Dumoulin C, Hay-Smith J. Pelvic floor muscle training versus no treatment, or inactive control treatments, for urinary incontinence in women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD005654. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005654.pub2.