How women's (pelvic) health physio can help you
Find the help that you need for your pelvic health
Pelvic health or women's health physiotherapy is a specialist area of physiotherapy and can be helpful at any stage of life, but especially with:
Pregnancy
Post baby (post partum)
Peri menopause
Post menopause
Before or after gynaecological surgery
Tummy gap check (rectus abdominus diastasis check)
Rectus Abdominus Diastasis (RAD) is a normal adaptation at the end of pregnancy, whereby the connective tissue between the six pack muscles (rectus abdominus) thins and there is a widening of the gap between the two muscle bellies.
Post natal abdominal rehabilitation needs to be individualised and specific, depending on the type of exercise or activities you need to return to. Evidence suggests that exercise in general is important for abdominal recovery to improve strength in this area. Having a personalised plan plays a key part in loading and testing muscles in a progressive way.
Sarah will guide you through how best to do this after an initial assessment
Vaginal prolapse can be difficult to navigate for some women, especially when they want to keep active and continue with certain hobbies and sports. Vaginal pessaries in combination with pelvic floor physiotherapy can be very successful in enabling this.
A thorough assessment is required initially to fully assess any pelvic floor dysfunction and level of prolapse. If appropriate Sarah will discuss the type of pessary recommended and arrange a subsequent fitting appointment.
More about pessaries HERE
A pessary can be a useful non-surgical option for women with symptoms of vaginal prolapse, including heaviness, bulge or pressure.
Book an initial appointment HERE to find out more
Having a pessary has made me feel so much freer, I can't thank Sarah enough for her kindness and patience. She has given me the time and support to be able to get the right pessary for the things I want to be able to do and best support my prolpase. I can insert and remove it myself and feel confident in using it." | Mary
If you feel we could help you
Book your first assessment
Mummy MOT®
Mummy MOT® assessment | "The postnatal check you deserve"
Whether your baby is 6 weeks old or 6 years old, a Mummy MOT® assessment is appropriate at any stage after pregnancy. This is especially important if you have had a c-section delivery, instrumental delivery, perineal tearing that you're concerned about, tummy gap separation, symptoms of vaginal heaviness/prolapse or new symptoms related to back pain or pelvic pain post-natally.
What is covered within the Mummy MOT® assessment?
- Postural check including upper back/neck/ribs cage
- Abdominal wall check including tummy gap check and advice around loading and strengthening your deep core
- Pelvic floor assessment as requried
- Use of real time ultrasound (as appropriate) for pelvic floor rehabilitation
- C-section (and perineal scar) checks
- Scar therapy techniques and scar product recommendations as appropriate
- Individual exercise plan and goal setting
Book your Mummy MOT HERE
"I can’t recommend Sarah highly enough. I saw her for a postnatal check following the birth of my first baby, to check out a few niggles and advise on returning to exercise. Sarah is lovely and immediately put me at ease. On my first visit she carried out a thorough assessment and provided personalised exercises to prepare me for returning to CrossFit and running. I booked a follow up appointment and am so pleased with my progress. I’m recommending Sarah to all of my friends with new babies, as these appointments have been absolutely invaluable to me. She’s great!" Lauren
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect up to 1 in 3 women in their lifetimes. Pelvic floor problems can contribute to symptoms such as urinary leakage, pelvic organ (vaginal) prolapse and pain. Unfortunately, due to the intimate and embarrassing nature of these issues, people can often take months or years to seek the help they need.
Pelvic/women’s health physiotherapy is highly specialised and treatment is holistic and individual in nature.
Conditions treated include:
Urinary incontinence
Vaginal prolaps
Pelvic pain
Endometriosis
Vulvodynia and Vaginismus
Constipation/bowel incontinence
Perineal scars after birth (including episiotomy)
Knowing how the pelvic floor is working is vital when trying to help with these problems. Internal pelvic floor assessment may also be offered following discussion with Sarah on an individual basis.
For a Pelvic health assessment please BOOK HERE
Mary came to Baslow Physiotherapy as she was leaking when running. This was making her feel frustrated and angry that her pelvic floor was letting her down. Due to this she had stopped running altogether and was avoiding social events due to fear of further episodes. Sarah and Mary worked together to identify when leakage was happening and after a full assessment, Mary started a progressive programme of muscle strengthening and graded return to running. Four months later, Mary has confidence in her body and pelvic floor to be able to run again and has even entered her first half marathon!
C-section recovery can be easily forgotten about after birth due to the busy and exhausting period as a new mum. However, taking some time to look at your scar and know a few things to do to care for it can be really helpful.
During a scar assessment, Sarah will look at your abdomen as a whole, checking your freedom to move and breathe and if your scar is having any effects on this.
The way the abdomen looks after a c-section is so much more than losing weight. The way a scar heals can also positively impact on the outcome log term.
Sarah will show you how best to care for your scar including scar massage therapy, exercises and any products that may be helpful to use as well.
C-section scar check ups can be booked here
Why wait for tomorrow?
Book your appointment today to get the help you need
FAQs for Baslow Physiotherapy Services
Babies and young children are always welcome and we will adapt the session as needed.
Advice based on the best available evidence, suggests no earlier than 6 weeks after a vaginal delivery and 12 weeks after a c-section (due to nature of significant abdominal surgery).
Internal pelvic floor examinations are the best way of assessing the pelvic floor muscles and how they are functioning, in addition to checking any presence of prolapse or associated scarring. However, if this is recommended, Sarah will explain in detail about the process and ensure you are fully understand before proceeding.
If you have been referred by a GP, Consultant or another specialist pelvic health physiotherapist then a pessary may be fitted on a first assessment.
For most women, a thorough initial assessment will be required before fitting a pessary, to ensure that this is the right option, and also to talk through the process and management moving forwards. Vaginal oestrogen may also be needed to prepare the tissues prior to pessary fitting in liaison wit your GP.
Sarah specialised in women's health physiotherapy more than 12 years ago and has undertaken advanced post graduate training in this area. She can assess for pelvic organ prolapse and also advise and fit pessaries to manage this as needed.
If you are living in pain or discomfort and unsure as to what to do in relation to pelvic floor dysfunction such as urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse then pelvic floor physiotherapy can give you the knowledge and confidence to better control these issues.
Pelvic health or women’s health physiotherapists specialise in the treatment of pelvic floor problems. Sarah has specialist training in fitting vaginal pessaries for women suffering from symptoms of vaginal prolapse.
Pelvic floor dysfunction such as urinary incontinence, vaginal prolapse and pelvic pain can affect women at varying stages of their lives; most commonly during and/or after pregnancy and around menopause, this can be up to 1 in 3 women.
Yes, women's health / pelvic health physiotherapists have specialist skills and training in pelvic pain including vaginismus and vulvodynia. Treatment is varied and involves physical assessment and also understanding how pain affects people differently and individually, making a tailored plan to improve symptoms over time
Pelvic health physiotherapists use digital palpation to directly assess the pelvic floor, grading scores are used to measure risk of vaginal prolapse and muscle strength/co-ordination to best determine treatment options. Real time ultrasound scanning can also be key in examining the pelvic floor, providing moving images from external scanning. This can be really insightful for patients to see how to best contract and relax this vital muscle group during rehabilitation and for future pelvic floor health.
Scar therapy performed by a physiotherapist can be very helpful in the optimal healing of many scars, especially after surgery. Physiotherapists can offer the correct advice in a timely way after surgery with advice on scar care, massage techniques and specific stretches and exercises to optimise scar recovery.
Scar tissue will never be the same as original tissue, that’s just the way our bodies heal. It is likely that we will all have scars of some sort during our lives, some people heal very well and other people benefit from scar therapy to get the best outcome in terms of function and cosmetic appearance.
Yes, specialist pelvic health physiotherapists can assess and treat changes to the tummy/abdominal muscles after birth and prescribe targeted exercises to help improve weakness and build strength as needed. This is with a view to return to exercise and activity over a timely period.
I cannot recommend Sarah highly enough and only wish I’d found her sooner. She is incredibly knowledgeable and professional but also very friendly and puts you totally at ease which incredibly important. She has absolutely made me appreciate me the importance of post natal physio and I will definitely be going to see her again at a much earlier stage if I’m lucky enough to have another baby. Thank you for everything Sarah!
Holly
I had problems with adhesion from scar tissue on my stomach. Sarah, through tissue massage and guiding me through specific exercises managed to sort this for me, and I will be forever grateful. She is an amazing woman... very professional and makes you feel at ease right from the start. The treatment room also shows the high level of professionalism that she and her husband have. This was a specialised area of physiotherapy and she did it with absolute confidence and compassion. She's a very special, and personable woman. Thank you.
Sally
The nature of individual health problems means that previous success in helping patients with these problems is no indicator of a guaranteed positive outcome for everyone. We are unable to predict or guarantee outcomes for any patients.
