How Women's Physiotherapy Can Benefit You
Posted on: 21 August 2017
Women's health physiotherapy refers to a type of specialized physical therapy that can benefit women and their particular health concerns. Your doctor may recommend such therapy for you if you're dealing with certain medical conditions, but note when you may want to talk to a therapist or your doctor about such treatment, and how it can help treat certain female health conditions.
After pregnancy
After having given birth, you may struggle with persistent back and joint pain and even balance issues. This may be caused by added weight you haven't lost since pregnancy, or it could be because you developed poor posture or had other muscle overuse issues during pregnancy. You may also have problems with incontinence, or you may have a painful episiotomy scar. Whatever the case, a physiotherapist who specialises in assisting women after childbirth can help you heal much faster from any pregnancy-related condition or procedure.
Bowel- and bladder-control issues
If you have urinary or faecal incontinence, even if it's not related to pregnancy, or if you experience urgency, meaning you need to rush to the ladies' room when you feel the urge to "go," physiotherapy can often help. A therapist will help you to strengthen the muscles around the bladder and bowels so you can better control any type of incontinence and so you can better control that urge to relieve yourself.
Strengthening the muscles of the bladder and bowels can also help with constipation and painful urination. The muscles that control elimination may have become weak over time, so the body might not eliminate waste quickly or easily. Strengthening those muscles, and even becoming more aware of them and their function, can then allow for more frequent and easier elimination.
Painful intercourse
Sexual intercourse can be painful for women for a variety of reasons, but women-specific physiotherapy can often help. Strengthening and relaxing the muscles around the pelvic region can mean less pain during intercourse and more control over your sexual responses.
Pelvic floor collapse
Pelvic floor collapse is when the organs that are located in the pelvic region, such as the bladder, actually shift and "drop," so that they then press against the belly. This is often due to weak muscles in the pelvic region, and itcan happen because of childbirth or age. Pelvic floor collapse can cause painful urination, painful intercourse, backaches, a sense of being full in the belly, and odd sensations in the pelvic area. These symptoms can get worse over time, but the right physiotherapy sessions can strengthen the pelvic muscles so you can better control your overall pain and other symptoms.
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