What is Pelvic Health?
We specialize in rehabilitation and treatment of a variety of pelvic concerns and symptoms, as well as pre and postnatal care.
Pelvic Health concerns can be quite varied and most commonly include:
- Pelvic pain
- Bladder control, leakage, urge to urinate
- Sexual dysfunction and/or painful intercourse
- Bowel control, leakage, urgency, hemorrhoids
Our Approach
We consider each client’s individual concerns and experiences and work to tailor treatments to your particular needs and therapeutic goals.
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Our pelvic health team works with you to build healthy habits, prevent future symptoms, and address unhelpful beliefs about your body.
Physiotherapy
Pelvic health physical therapy is a focused area of physiotherapy that addresses concerns of the pelvic muscles and surrounding organs. The goal is to increase your ability to engage in meaningful activities and improve your quality of life.
It is important to have a pelvic assessment before beginning pelvic exercises. A pelvic assessment will allow your physiotherapist to determine your pelvic strength as well as the mobility and coordination of your pelvic muscles.
Naturopathy
Naturopathic medicine can identify and address causes of pelvic health concerns such as vaginal dryness, endometriosis, and constipation. Trained naturopathic doctors can also assess pelvic floor muscles and overall pelvic health.
Naturopathic doctors also offer cervical cancer screening, when indicated.
- Reduced or eliminated pain or discomfort
- Improved muscle strength
- Improved sexual function and experience
- Improved bladder or bowel control
- Confidence and comfort in regular activity
Please note, some people prefer not to have internal assessments or treatments. It is always your choice.
Physiotherapy
Initial assessments
60 to 90 minutes
Meeting a practitioner for the first time can be overwhelming. This is especially true when it involves a sensitive area of the body. You’ll have a better idea about the cause of your symptoms and a treatment plan after your initial assessment.
Follow-up appointment
Your therapist will recommend an appropriate amount of time for a follow-up appointment based on your personalized treatment plan. This can vary from session to session.
Note: We recommend booking a longer session if you have multiple conditions, long-standing history of your condition, and/or an extensive medical history.
Naturopathy
Initial assessments
60 minutes
Your naturopath will thoroughly discuss and review your symptoms and history with you.
Your treatment may include:
- Initial pelvic floor exercises
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Other supportive naturopathic therapies (e.g., nutrition support, supplements)
Your practitioner may refer you to a physiotherapist for further exercises.
Follow-up appointments Follow up appointments are specific to your concerns and treatment plan.
Our Beliefs
More About Pelvic Health
Pelvic health involves the study and care for conditions that affect the pelvic floor.
The pelvic floor is made up of the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that support the
pelvic organs and structures. These include:
- Bladder
- Vagina
- Uterus
- Rectum
- Intestines and bowel
Healthy pelvic floor muscles prevent bladder and bowel leakage and prolapse. They also play an important role in sexual function.
The pelvic floor can be weakened by pregnancy, childbirth, prostate cancer treatment, obesity and the straining of chronic constipation.
Alternatively, you can have problems with your pelvic floor if these muscles are working too hard. This is known as pelvic floor hyperfunction and can lead to symptoms such as pelvic pain, urinary frequency and pain with intercourse.
Concerns may include:
- Low back pain
- Bladder or bowel incontinence
- Groin pain
- Painful intercourse or pain when inserting a tampon or diva cup
- Pregnancy, labour preparation, and after-pregnancy pelvic care
- Pain in the scrotum and penis
- Erectile dysfunction
- Prostatitis and postprostatectomy
- Hernias
- Constipation
- Painful menses
Our Practitioners
We take an empathetic approach to your care and always provide the most up-to-date information and resources. We want to help you on your journey to recovery.
Not sure where to start? Call 250-475-1522, ext 2. and our patient care coordinators will help.
FAQ
Still have more questions? Check out the tabs below. If your questions are still unanswered, please reach out, we love to help get to the root of things.
Our practitioners work exceptionally well with each other, and it’s not critical to start with a specific clinician instead of another.
Starting somewhere you feel familiar or comfortable is always a great place to start. We find our best results come with a multidisciplinary approach, so expect to see more than one clinician in your journey.
When in doubt, our helpful administrative team can guide you to the right practitioner to start with. Call now for help.