Am I too late?

Many clients take a long time to reach the point of booking a physiotherapy assessment of their pelvic health problem. We often see ladies who arrive looking very sheepish, reporting that they have done some pelvic floor exercises but life is so busy it's gotten in the way and they've simply forgotten. We're not here to give you a telling off, rather we want to find out how best you can fit in an effective programme of pelvic floor muscle training.

As with any training programme for the muscles of our body, progress will only happen when place increasing demand on the muscles. Whether you have had your problem for weeks, months, years or even decades, it's highly likely that you can make a positive change just from implementing a regular training programme.

During a physiotherapy assessment or wellbeing screening, your physiotherapist will assess your pelvic floor muscle function. This is usually completed with an internal vaginal examination. The examination seeks to find out the baseline of your muscle power, control, speed, endurance, range of movement and release. The examination also specifically targets the different muscles of the pelvic floor.

Sometimes there can be asymmetries that need addressing. For example, we often see weakness and disconnect in the muscles affected by tears or episiotomies (cuts) during childbirth. The examination can not only highlight this dysfunction but also identify the best visualisations and cues to help you access the correct muscle activity when practicing at home.

The more specific we are in the early stages of training, the more confident you will feel in your pelvic floor exercises and the more likely you will be able to maintain consistency in your training programme over the weeks and months of rehabilitation.

If you can maintain consistent demand on the muscles, in the absence of neurological disorders, they will respond. It takes time and patience but it will be worth it. Use your physiotherapy appointments to recharge your energy and motivation and you will get to the end of the rehabilitation road!