Women and Men’s Pelvic Floor Health

Pelvic Floor Disorders are Difficult to Live with and Simple to Treat with Physiotherapy

Approximately 37% of women and 13% of men suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders that can be easily helped with physiotherapy and education, however, due to the embarrassing nature of the topic many people do not seek help to resolve these issues.

In fact 70% of people with urinary leakage, one common pelvic floor disorder, do not seek advice and treatment for their problem.

Pelvic floor disorders are the result of the pelvic floor muscle either being either overactive (due to muscle tightness) or underactive (due to muscle weakness).

Include diagram of pelvic floor being overactive and underactive to show what happens to organs in these two cases

Symptoms of an overactive (or hypertonic) pelvic floor include:

• Constipation
• Incomplete emptying of the bowels
• Straining when emptying the bowels
• Pelvic pain
• Low back pain
• Hip pain
• Coccyx pain
• Painful sex

Symptoms of a weak (or hypotonic) pelvic floor are common after pregnancy or surgery that requires cutting of the pelvic floor muscle (for example in the surgical treatment of prostate cancer) but are also associated with obesity, chronic constipation, low oestrogen levels:

• Bladder leakage
• Incontinence
• Loss of bowel control
• Reduced sensation during sex
• Uncontrolled breaking wind (anus or vagina) when bending over or lifting
• Tampons that dislodge or fall out
• A bulge at the vaginal opening
• A feeling of heaviness in the vagina

The pelvic floor is a muscle like any other and can be trained in the same way. Often with a better understanding of and connection to your pelvic floor strengthening is fast and easy.