Pelvic Health

Pelvic health physiotherapy is for anyone experiencing symptoms related to their bladder, bowel, sexual function, pelvic pain, or core control — at any stage of life.

As pelvic health physiotherapists, we work with:

Women

• During pregnancy and after birth

• With bladder leakage, urgency or frequency

• Experiencing pelvic pain or painful intercourse

• With prolapse symptoms (heaviness or dragging)

• Managing conditions such as Endometriosis 

• With bladder pain, including Painful bladder syndrome

• Around menopause

Men

• After prostate surgery

• With bladder or bowel leakage

• Experiencing pelvic pain

• With erectile dysfunction linked to pelvic floor dysfunction

Children & Young People

• Bedwetting

• Daytime bladder leakage

• Constipation

• Withholding behaviours

People with Persistent Pelvic Pain

• Tailbone, hip, groin or lower abdominal pain

• Pain after abdominal or pelvic surgery

• Recurrent UTI-like symptoms without infection

Athletes & Active Individuals

• Leaking with running, jumping or lifting

• Core weakness

• Pelvic heaviness during sport

• Return-to-sport rehabilitation postnatally

You Don’t Have to “Just Put Up With It”

Many pelvic symptoms are common — but they are not something you simply have to live with.

If you are experiencing discomfort, leakage, heaviness, or pelvic pain, pelvic health physiotherapy offers assessment, treatment, and practical strategies tailored to you.

If you’re unsure whether pelvic physiotherapy is right for you, we’re always happy to have a confidential conversation to guide you.

At GP Physiotherapy I specialise in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of all pelvic health conditions in women only.

Not always.

An internal examination (vaginal or rectal, depending on your symptoms) can provide valuable information about:

• Muscle strength
• Muscle coordination
• Muscle tone (tightness or overactivity)
• Areas of tenderness or pain

However:

• It is only done with your full informed consent
• It is never compulsory
• There are always external alternatives if you prefer

You are in control at all times.

If appropriate and consented to, an internal assessment is performed gently and respectfully.

Typically:

• You lie comfortably, usually on your back with knees supported and a paper towel for your modesty 
• A gloved, lubricated finger is inserted into the vagina or rectum
• The physiotherapist assesses muscle strength, endurance, coordination, relaxation, and any areas of pain or prolapse
• You may be asked to contract, relax, cough, or bear down
• The assessment may also be carried out in standing if appropriate 

It should not be painful, though it may feel unfamiliar. You can ask to stop at any time.

Yes, pelvic physiotherapy can be very helpful for Painful bladder syndrome (previously known as interstitial cystitis).

Many people with PBS have:

• Overactive or tight pelvic floor muscles
• Bladder hypersensitivity
• Protective muscle guarding due to pain

Physiotherapy can help by:

• Releasing overactive pelvic floor muscles
• Reducing pain sensitivity
• Teaching bladder retraining techniques
• Improving nervous system regulation

It is often most effective as part of a multidisciplinary approach.

Yes — physiotherapy can be very beneficial for people with Endometriosis.

While physiotherapy does not remove endometrial tissue, it can help manage:

• Pelvic pain
• Painful intercourse
• Muscle tension and guarding
• Scar tissue after surgery
• Bladder and bowel symptoms

Treatment often focuses on reducing pelvic floor overactivity, improving mobility, and calming pain pathways and education around management of symptoms.

Physiotherapy does not treat active infections — antibiotics may be needed for true UTIs.

However, pelvic physiotherapy can help if:

• You have recurrent symptoms but negative urine cultures
• There is pelvic floor overactivity mimicking UTI symptoms
• You have incomplete bladder emptying
• There is bladder hypersensitivity

Addressing muscle tension, voiding patterns, and bladder habits can reduce recurring symptoms in some people.

Yes — very successfully in many cases.

Pelvic floor dysfunction may involve:

• Weakness
• Overactivity/tightness
• Poor coordination
• Difficulty relaxing
• Prolapse
• Pain

Treatment is tailored to your specific dysfunction — strengthening, relaxation, coordination training, manual therapy, and behavioural strategies are commonly used.

Symptoms can include:

Bladder symptoms

• Leaking urine
• Urgency or frequency
• Difficulty starting or fully emptying

Bowel symptoms

• Constipation
• Straining
• Incomplete emptying
• Faecal leakage

Pain symptoms

• Pelvic pain
• Pain with intercourse
• Tailbone pain
• Groin or hip pain

Other symptoms

• Heaviness or dragging sensation in the vagina or rectal area
• Difficulty inserting tampons/having smears

If you’re unsure whether your symptoms are pelvic floor related, a pelvic health physiotherapist can assess and guide you.

At GP Physiotherapy I specialise in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of all pelvic health conditions in women only.