Women’s Health: Promoting Continence with Physiotherapy

Interesting facts:

• Both men and women experience urinary incontinence.

• In Australia, it affects up to 13% of men and up to 37% of women.

• Some women leak during pregnancy, after childbirth and following menopause. These are the most commonly spoken causes of urinary incontinence but it can also occur in fit and healthy younger women.

• Only approximately 40% of those with incontinence seek help.

• Just because urinary incontinence is a common problem, it does not mean that it has to be accepted.

Many women, both young and older, are too embarrassed to treat incontinence. Often, any leaking will only occur when exercising so some people just stop exercising and live with it for years before seeking treatment. If left untreated, it can lead to worse incontinence later in life.

In many cases, treatment is very simple. Keeping a bladder diary, pelvic floor muscle retraining, postural retraining, and education from a physiotherapist are all ways that can help you improve any symptoms of urinary incontinence.

During an appointment with our women’s health physiotherapist, Ailish, she will work with you to come up with an appropriate treatment programme to help you tackle the problem. Using real-time ultrasound imaging, Ailish can assess and monitor the strength and endurance of your pelvic floor muscles and develop an exercise programme for you to continue with at home.

There’s no need to let this problem have an impact on your life.

If you have any queries, email Ailish on ailishtoomey@ssop.com.au or make an appointment to come in and see her.