Pelvic Health

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At Exceed Health Hub, we are lucky enough to have an experienced female Pelvic Health Osteopath as part of our team. Pelvic Health Osteopaths are dedicated to addressing the often-distressing presentations of pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence, pelvic pain and bowel and bladder dysfunctions.

Pelvic health issues can present differently for everyone. For some, it can look like hip, back, genital or coccyx pain. For others, it can be associated with bladder leakage and rushing to the toilet. Some women experience menstrual pain or pain with vaginal penetration. Others may have chronic constipation or prolapse symptoms. In any case, we know that many people are too embarrassed to ask for help, or simply do not know where to ask for that help. This results in many suffering is silence, something that we believe is completely unnecessary.

Reasons to make a Pelvic Health appointment

Pelvic floor dysfunction (weakness or over-activity)
Diastasis recti (abdominal separation)
Bladder leakage
Bladder and bowel urgency
Incontinence
Constipation
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Pregnancy Pelvic Girdle Pain
Labour and birth preparation

Vaginismus (fear of vaginal penetration)
Dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse)
Vulvodynia (chronic vaginal pain)
Bladder pain
Coccydynia (tailbone pain)
Sexual disorders
Voiding issues
Pudendal Neuralgia

What to expect at your Pelvic Health appointment

Working up the courage to see someone about your pelvic health concerns can be hard, but knowing what to expect at your first appointment can help dissipate some of the worries you may have.

At your first appointment, your osteopath will want to find out as much as they can about what you’re experiencing and your history, so that they can make an accurate diagnosis and formulate the best management plan to help you. It can be useful to think about what you might want to discuss with your Pelvic Health Osteopath before you arrive, including:

How long you have been experiencing your symptoms, and whether things are getting better or worse
What you have done to improve things so far, if any
Whether you have problems with your bladder, bowel, prolapse, sexual problems or maybe a combination of some – or all – of these issues
How your presentation is affecting your life
Your previous medical history

What kinds of examinations will be performed?

When seeing a Pelvic Health Osteopath, it is likely that at some stage they will need to examine your vulva and pelvic floor muscles. This will commonly occur at the first appointment, but not always. Your osteo will always ask you for permission before performing any examination, and you always have the right to say no.

A typical pelvic health examination may include:

Observation: An observation examination of the external genital area. While this may be uncomfortable, it is important for your osteopath to check the skin for signs of infection, age-related changes and signs of prolapse.
External examination: When performing an external examination, your osteopath may also ask you to try to contract the pelvic floor muscles, so they can see what happens from the outside in the vulva and your abdomen when you do this.
Internal vaginal examination: An internal vaginal examination may be performed (with your full consent). Your osteo will use one or two gloved fingers to check the pelvic floor muscles internally. They can also check for prolapse and any tender or tight areas internally. They will ask you to contract and relax the muscles several times. This will usually be done lying down, but sometimes your osteo may ask to check these muscles while you stand or sit.
Other osteopathic examinations: Osteopaths believe that the body is a unit and therefore will assess your posture, movement patterns and musculoskeletal functions.

What kind of treatments might be suggested?

The types of treatment(s) your pelvic health osteopath recommends will depend on your individual presentation and circumstances. However, common treatment options can include:

Hands-on treatment: myofascial release techniques, both internal and external, to treat pelvic floor dysfunction. Along with other general osteopathic techniques to areas contributing to your condition. These can include various treatment techniques such as soft tissue massage, manipulation, articulation, stretching and strengthening, dry needling, and more.
Pelvic floor exercise prescription: Typically, these will be exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor. However some women may be given exercises to learn to relax their pelvic floor muscles if their problem relates to the pelvic floor muscles being too tight or over-active.
Bladder training strategies may be used if you often get an urgent or frequent need to go to the toilet. These strategies are used to help you gain back better control over your bladder habits.
Bladder diary: You may be asked to do a bladder diary at home if you have not done one already. Bladder diaries are an extremely useful tool for charting your fluid intake (what you drink) and fluid output (how much and when you urinate) over a three day period. This can be very useful for diagnosing and reassessing the issue. Modifying the amount and type of fluid you drink or modifying your diet and fibre intake can sometimes be recommended.
Lifestyle changes: Modifying various factors in your lifestyle may be recommended, such as the type of exercise you do or reducing heavy lifting. In many cases these modifications will be temporary until you can get better control over your incontinence.
Pessary referral: If you have a prolapse that is influencing your incontinence, our osteopath may refer you to a physio who can fit you with a support pessary to assist. This is a silicone device fitted inside the vagina. Your osteo will discuss this with you if they think this might be helpful.

Pelvic Health

Reasons to make a Pelvic Health appointment

What to expect at your Pelvic Health appointment

What kinds of examinations will be performed?

What kind of treatments might be suggested?

Are you ready to take your pelvic health back into your own hands?

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