Pelvic Physiotherapy Highland

We need to be talking about this more so it is not taboo.

This is a very strong statement from the FDA in the USA about the risks of laser to 'rejuvenate' the vagina - you may have heard them called 'Madonna' lasers.

I've been saying this for years.....it takes a long time for your pelvic floor to recover from being stretched to 2-3 times its normal length - if your hamstrings stretched that much you would take really good care of them forever!

interesting article on a hot topic

Today's article from the POGP journal is about the effects of water and land based exercise programmes on women with pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain. The researchers found that there was a clinically significant improvement in all oucome measures in the water based exercise group compared to the land based one. So - if you are pregnant and sore grab yourself some hydrotherapy!

Sadly, it's true - patients have reported similar things to me.

The next article from the POGP journal discusses how acupuncture is used by physios to treat overactive bladder in women (Munur, J. and Wilson, J.) They found that physios in some Trusts are using acupuncture, and that it gave positive results for some patients. However it is used infrequently and not as a first line intervention; lack of guidance, time and confidence were given as the reasons for this. It was considered useful to have an intervention option that has no significant side effects, unlike most of the medication offered for this condition.

Well folks, a couple of weeks ago I promised you all some insights from the current Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy Journal. I'm a bit late getting started on it, but really the weather has been so fabulous I've been out in the garden, up in the hills and wild swimming - i hope you've all been taking advantage of it too and not been spending too much time on FB waiting for these posts 😉. So - first up is an article by Dawn Sandalcidi, a physio from Colorado... USA on paediatric incontinence. This is an opinion piece from a widely respected lecturer. 90% of children achieve daytime continence by the age of 5, but this leaves 10% who haven't, and in many of these children if it is not addressed it may persist into adulthood - the correlation between childhood problems and persistent adult problems has long been recognised. Also, constipation in children is a common but underrecognised problem, often with knock on effects on the bladder - if the bowel is loaded with faeces, there is less room in the pelvis for the bladder to expand, which can cause urgency and frequency. Children have the ability to learn to contract and relax their pelvic floor, and can do really well with biofeedback training ( I use ultrasound to show them their pelvic floor contracting and relaxing). Children can suffer huge psychological trauma from a misbehaving bladder or bowel and these problems should always be taken seriously. So - my take home message for you - if your child is over 5 and still regularly daytime wetting, or has constipation or soiling (which can be another sign of constipation) then seek help, do not be fobbed off, and remember, physiotherapy can help with all these problems.
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glad to see Westminster following Scotland's lead (only 3 years later....). About time too - along with my colleagues, we have seen too many women suffering serious unintended consequences from the insertion of mesh.

If you have suffered birth trauma, or know someone who has, then it is important to know that help is available. The Birth Trauma Association website is a good place to start.

Bowel problems - even harder to talk about than urinary incontinence. Well done to Greg for finding the courage to talk about his lifelong problems.

for those of you who haven't seen why you should use a footstool in the bathroom when having a bowel movement - here it is....

Last week I was down in London for a Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy Journal meeting. Along with a brilliant team, I do the research reviews for the journal, ensuring my colleagues who don't have time to read every journal are kept up to date with the latest research relevent to physios. It was great to meet up again with some of the editorial team and hear about the great research soon to be published. Over the next week or so I will share with you some of the information from our recent edition. I also managed to fit in a swim in the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park when I was down - what a great thing to do in the centre of London!

This week is world continence week. If you can all reach out to one person and discuss bladder or pelvic dysfunction, it will help to spread the word and make it less taboo. Some of the articles I have shared on this page might give you a good starting point if you are struggling to know what to say. Let me know how you got on!

read and share! Leaky bladders are common but not normal, lets spread the word and make it easier for people to access the help that is available.