Women’s Health London

Giving birth is an extraordinary moment in a woman’s life, but the nine months of pregnancy put an extraordinary amount of pressure of the pelvic and abdominal muscles. The weight of the baby will of course keep increasing during pregnancy and the body will go through a physiological response of hyper secretion hormones such as oestrogen and relaxin; both actions will result in muscles being greatly stretched. These hormones are intended to allow your muscles and ligaments to relax and make room for your baby during pregnancy and to allow him to be delivered with minimum trauma to your body during childbirth. But once pregnancy and childbirth are over, you are left with muscles that have lost tone and tone is for a muscle the key for efficiency and good function.

The Role of perineum (pelvic floor)

The perineum, also call pelvic floor is commonly referred to as the hammock of the little basin as it supports the organs (vagina, bladder, rectum…) and ensures their continence thanks to its tone, which closes your sphincters. The perineum is also the basis for a good inertia for the back. It is that muscle which is pressed on by abdominals during contraction, thus allowing the lumbar muscles to maintain a non-painful posture. You also need a toned perineum to ensure your sex life returns to normal and get all the usual sensations back.

Why should I do pelvic floor and pelvic pain treatment in London?

After birth, some symptoms may appear. The most frequent is involuntary leakage during coughing, sneezing, any physical activity or strong emotion. It is triggered because you do not control the muscles necessary for your continence yet. In most serious cases, this could lead to a descent of organs, which are no longer maintained properly, a prolapse. (cf: prolapse treatment in London, Prolapse specialist London)

The lack of tone can also create back pain in women’s with weak pelvic floor and chronic pelvic pain due to the lack of support ( cf: pelvic pain treatment London, pelvic pain specialist London, Pelvic pain Physiotherapist in London )

Finally, at the level of your vagina, this phenomenon of muscle relaxation may affect the quality of sexual intercourse. These symptoms may even appear several years after birth, when muscles strength is decreased because of age, reducing the ability to contract properly. To regain muscles strength in your perineum and prevent any future symptoms, pelvic floor rehabilitation with trained specialists is highly recommended.

Pelvic Floor treatment in London, When and How

Pelvic floor rehabilitation usually starts 6 to 8 weeks after childbirth, following an examination with your gynaecologist. The first session involve a full women’s health assessment and medical history as well as any other relevant symptoms, The key is to be aware of the function of the perineum: its role, its location and how it is supposed to feel.

Our women’s health physiotherapist in London will evaluate muscle strength and offer rehabilitation tailored to each patient. Depending on your progress and how well you control your muscles, treatment will be primarily manual with exercises and hypopressive technique, but may be associated with electrotherapy in cases of pronounced weakness of your perineum. The goal is to allow constant and sustainable rehabilitation combining abdominals reconditioning with strengthening of the perineum.

For Information and appointment: 0207 125 0262