Protecting Your Pelvic Floor

How a good assessment can make a difference?

Having a pelvic floor assessment can sometimes feel intimidating to patients, however, it is an important part of the journey to pelvic floor health. It is the only way to assess the strength of the pelvic floor and to ascertain that the muscles are contracting properly. Women who present to their physiotherapist or a doctor with a weak pelvic floor can certainly benefit from pelvic floor education and physiotherapy.

Why should I have pelvic floor assessment?

The pelvic floor muscles have variety of functions, but the most important ones are maintenance of urinary and faecal incontinence. In women experiencing weakened pelvic floor muscles can experience serious medical conditions such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

Many scientists believe that pelvic floor rehabilitation can limit or even cure symptoms of incontinence in women.  Few women are aware of the importance of their pelvic floor health. This lack of knowledge of pelvic floor anatomy, dysfunction, and rehabilitation results in higher numbers of women suffering from incontinence or even pelvic organ prolapse.

To avoid lifetime problems with the pelvic floor strength it is advisable to have a pelvic floor assessment done. Doctors have advised that it is important for women that are thinking of getting pregnant as it can ease their recovery after childbirth.

Who assesses the patients?

Pelvic floor assessment is conducted by specially trained physiotherapists or GPs that show interest in pelvic floor prevention and treatment. A thorough medical check needs to be undertaken prior the pelvic floor assessment. This entails a comprehensive continence assessment, including a full medical, surgical and obstetrics history together with a review of lifestyle factors. After the medical history and examination is done, the doctor or physiotherapist will teach the patient pelvic floor exercises. This will aid in recovery or prevention from any future pelvic floor conditions.

Prevention is better than a cure, instead of treating symptoms once they occurred it is beneficial to have education and exercises to prevent the negative consequences of pelvic floor weakness.

Introducing Yvonne Kerr

Yvonne Kerr is one of the ROCs in-house physiotherapists with over 15 years of experience working in pelvic dysfunction. As an advanced practitioner in the physiotherapy pelvic dysfunction team, she undertakes expert assessment of patients including those with diverse or highly complex presentations/multiple pathologies. She is highly experienced in the interpretation and analysis of ultrasound images in pelvic dysfunction and utilises this in her practice.

Yvonne delivers specialised individual physiotherapy treatment programmes based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options. Yvonne is also trained in acupuncture and electroacupuncture that is sometimes used in the treatment of incontinence.

Yvonne is the ‘pelvic physiotherapy star’ in the region and we are delighted to have her on board. She works closely with the gyanecology, urogynaecology and urology teams at ROC and is able to provide consultations with or without referral. She consults women as well as men with pelvic floor dysfunction.

If you would like to discuss more about pelvic floor assessment and treatment, please call us:

01224 515 254

We can provide more information and advise you on Yvonne’s availability.

References:

Pelvic Floor Assessment – Core & Floor Restore (coreandfloor.com.au)

Female pelvic floor 2: assessment and rehabilitation | Nursing Times