No one wants to experience bladder or bowel incontinence, rushing to the toilet or difficulties emptying, prolapse, pelvic pain or pain with sex. Unfortunately, these issues are common across all genders and substantially impact physical, emotional, social and financial health and wellbeing. There is often associated stigma, leading to people suffering in silence, thinking it is normal or that nothing can be done to help.
Waking overnight to urinate, also known as nocturia, can be annoying and frustrating, resulting in you feeling tired and unrefreshed. Many people assume urinating overnight is a normal part of ageing, but this isn’t necessarily true. Nocturia may be a sign of other underlying health problems.
As pelvic health physiotherapists treating people with sexual pain and supporting them to improve their sexual health, we are often asked what lubricants we use for examinations and what we recommend for personal use.
It may appear a little strange to write a blog about breathing, when it is something that we do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and have been doing so consciously and subconsciously since we were born! However, just because breathing is automatic, it doesn’t mean that we do it effectively! Many people hold their breath without realising, they breathe into their upper chest only, or they don’t breathe in and out all the way. Being more aware of your breath and optimising the way you breathe can have a profound impact not only on your pelvic health, but your health in general.
Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy (WMHP) exists to restore pelvic health, empowering every person to live their best life. This is our cause, our belief and what we stand for. As the physiotherapists treating, guiding and supporting you to restore your pelvic health, it is vital that we are all clear on what you would like to achieve as we embark on your journey to pelvic health.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in Australia. Receiving this diagnosis can be a difficult experience for men and their families. There is often emotional and psychological distress faced throughout the cancer journey.
During pregnancy, there is a large amount of pressure placed on the pelvic floor muscles. Imagine the pelvis is like a trampoline; the rim being the bones of the pelvis, the springs being the ligaments and the mat being the pelvic floor muscles. The weight of the growing baby, hormonal changes and weight gain, weaken and stretch the mat and the springs, which is exacerbated further by vaginal birth. It is well known that weakness of the pelvic floor muscles (the mat) can lead to the development of poor control of the bladder and bowel (incontinence) and pelvic organ prolapse.
In Australia, 1.34 million men and boys live with incontinence. A national health campaign is set to improve their social and economic participation and quality of life – but it needs support.
BINS4Blokes is an Australia-wide awareness campaign advocating for the installation of incontinence bins in male public toilet facilities. The campaign is an initiative of the not-for-profit Continence Foundation of Australia, Australia’s peak body in promoting bladder and bowel health.
Bladder leakage is a significant problem for Australian women and is an issue that needs to be taken more seriously. There are over 5 million Australians who experience bladder leakage and 80% of these are women. The physical, emotional and social impact that this can have on a woman’s life cannot be underestimated. Whilst bladder leakage is very common, it is also very treatable - pelvic floor muscle training is the number one recommended treatment world-wide.
Prolapse can be a bit of a scary word. Women have often heard horror stories from their mothers, aunties or friends. However, having a prolapse isn’t actually that scary. It’s also very common – 1 in 2 women who have had a baby have one. Want to know the good news? Prolapse is very treatable, and pelvic floor exercises are the number one treatment recommended for prolapse worldwide.
