Myths

• Incontinence is a normal consequence of child birth or aging
• Men don't need to do pelvic floor exercises

1 in 3 women and 1 in 9 men will experience incontinence during their lifetime.

The good news – there's growing evidence that physiotherapy can alleviate, and in many cases cure these symptoms.

However, you do need to seek help and one survey found that 60% of women with incontinence problems would not visit their GP.

The pelvic floor is a complex structure, made up of a group of muscles acting like a hammock to support the pelvic organs above. These muscles need to be able to contract to keep you continent, but they must also relax to allow for urination, bowel movements, child birth and sexual intercourse. Problems with the pelvic floor can occur when these muscles are either too weak, or too tight.

Blog

www.premierphysio.com/blog/incontinence-prolapse-pelvic-pain-constipation-treatment-runcorn-warrington

An assessment with a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist is often all you need to prevent this. Making sure that you are doing the right pelvic floor exercises; activating the correct muscles for a suitable length of time is important in maintaining a strong pelvic floor through your pregnancy and beyond. Pilates based pelvic stability exercises are also valuable through pregnancy to strengthen the supporting muscles of the pelvis and ease the pressure on the pelvic floor.

Incontinence during pregnancy

Pelvic girdle pain and stress urinary incontinence are common in pregnant women. These symptoms often occur due to hormonal changes and the ever increasing weight of your baby and uterus. You may notice that you leak urine when you sneeze or find it harder to hold your urine when you need to 'go'. Urinary incontinence in pregnancy should not be ignored. Research suggests that if you develop symptoms during your pregnancy, or within 6 weeks following childbirth, you are more likely to suffer from incontinence 5 years later.

Men's Health

Pelvic floor exercises aren't just for women – for men they can help with erectile dysfunction and incontinence too.

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New Mum MOT

Be Body Confident, Body Fit & Body Aware... For Motherhood. For Life! Our specialist Women's Health Physiotherapist, Andrea Shaw can help to optimise your recovery after the birth of your baby. You may not have had a postnatal NHS check-up & have lots of questions relating to recovery and what you are physically able to do. Doing the wrong types of exercise can lead to more harm than good. We recommend booking our "New Mum MOT" from 6 weeks onward.

What does our New Mum MOT include?

60 minute post-natal assessment with our Specialist Physiotherapist:

M – measure pelvic floor strength & tummy gap; scar tissue reduction techniques O – observe your posture, assessing any physical problems arising from pregnancy & birth with a thorough head to toe assessment T – teach you how to return to exercise safely, with your personal exercise plan and advice.

Your personal concerns and goals will be addressed within this session. Everything you need to get back into shape safely!