Strengthening your pelvic floor with Hayley Runting

Improving your pelvic floor with Senior Physiotherapist Hayley Runting

I’ve been to a physiotherapist for a sprained ankle before, but never anything like this! What can a physio do to help address pelvic floor strength?

The pelvic floor muscles can be exercised to build strength, just like any other muscle in the body! Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists have done post-graduate training to learn how to assess, treat and manage any bladder, bowel, pregnancy or pelvic floor issues. So, seeing a Pelvic Floor Physio can help to ensure you’re completing exercises correctly, formulate a tailored plan and confirm that there are no other underlying issues. Research has shown that completing pelvic floor exercises correctly is one of the best first-line interventions you can do to help with your pelvic floor.

So, can a physio really test my pelvic floor muscles? How do they do this?

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists can assess your pelvic floor muscles in several ways. The most common two assessment methods are an internal assessment or by using a real-time ultrasound machine – please be assured that both are pain-free and safe. Your physio will discuss with you the pros and cons for each method and which one may be the best fit for your situation. We always get your consent and make sure that the assessments are appropriate for you before we start.

Are you really telling me that my pelvic floor can get back to the point where I can do all the things I used to without worrying about it?

In the vast majority of people, yes – you can get back to all the things you enjoy, with the right education, advice and tailored exercises or management plans. Working towards this point may include pelvic floor exercises, optimising your fluid and fibre intake, correct toileting techniques, appropriate exercises and lifestyle modifications where needed.

If I were to work with you to improve my pelvic floor, what would be involved in the treatment process?

The first part of putting any treatment plan together is for us to get all of the information about you and how the condition is affecting you. This helps us to discover more about what the condition might be and what I need to assess for, but it also means we can discover what your goals are for treatment and what things matter most for you. From this conversation and assessment, I can give you some realistic expectations about what’s possible, and what will be required to reach the result you’re after. Helping you understand this process is a key component to having a successful result. In some instances, there are several options for how together we could proceed, and in those instances, I will help you understand the pathways of each one and whether a certain option might be better than another.

Following this discussion, a treatment pathway can be decided on together. Throughout the treatment process, there may be milestones reached or times where reassessment occurs to continue to ensure you are on the right path. This is a great way to ensure you know that the process is working, or discuss any different options that might be available to you if the results are not as fast as we initially expected them to be.

How can I prevent my pelvic floor function from going backwards once I’ve improved it?

Depending on your original issue, prevention may involve some ongoing exercises or lifestyle modifications. This could include exercises at home, functional use of the muscles throughout the day or alternatively attending a regular exercise class like Clinical Pilates. Clinical Pilates is an excellent way of keeping you motivated with your pelvic floor exercises, incorporating them into movements and helping to build your general strength and flexibility.