Pam has post graduate qualifications in Pelvic Floor Rehab and Incontinence treatment from the University of Melbourne. She has over 20 years experience in successfully treating incontinence. Pam teaches Pelvic Floor exercises for weak pelvic floors. The pelvic floor is made up of muscles and other tissues such as ligaments. The pelvic floor muscles stretch like a sling from the pubic bones at the front to the tailbone at the back supporting a woman’s uterus, vagina, bladder and bowel.
These muscles can be weakened by:
– Pregnancy and childbirth
– Bowel problems especially constipation
– heavy lifting
– being overweight
– general lack of fitness and strength
– age and menopause related pelvic floor muscle weakness.
Recent Studies have shown mild prolapse can be improved by a good program of Pelvic floor exercises taught by a Continence Physiotherapist with special training. The Pelvic Floor Exerciser PFX 2 is available for purchase for home use.
Whilst some physiotherapists are dependent on an ultrasound machine to identify weak muscles, the diagnostic “gold standard” for Pelvic Floor physiotherapy, as with most other musculoskeletal conditions, is based upon an evaluation of your history and clinical examination. It is against this “gold standard” that the reliability and validity of diagnostic modalities such as ultrasound must be compared. Most reviews of the scientific literature have concluded that the diagnostic reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasound imaging for pelvic floor dysfunction are poor. Diagnostic ultrasound does not reliably differentiate between the various causes of pelvic floor disorders causing incontinence such as:
– Pelvic Floor inco-ordination
– Irritable Bowel Syndrome
– bladder urgency and bladder frequency, detrusor overactivity, sensory urgency
– urinary retention
– related ano-rectal dysfunction
– pelvic organ prolapse
– related lumbar and sacroiliac spine problems
– Recurrent bladder infections
– Cystitis
– Proctalgia Fugax
– Prostatectomy
– Urethral Stretching
– Interstitial Cystitis
– Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH)
The physiotherapy treatments for these types of incontinence are very different. There is a lot more to it than just squeezing your muscles. Pam, a specially trained and qualified physiotherapist, will assess your condition, identify your symptoms and weaknesses and develop a programme specifically targeted to your needs comprising:
– Pelvic Floor Exercises
– Bladder Training
– Voiding Techniques
– Diet and Fluid Dynamics
– Pelvic Floor Exercise Classes
– Pelvic Floor Classes run on a Tuesday and Thursday, 2 classes each day.
4.30-5.30 pm, and 5.45- 6.45 pm, 8 week classes run from the 2nd week of school term. Please ring Corrimal Physio to register for theses classes run by a Physiotherapist.