Pelvic Health Physiotherapy
Expert assessment and treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction — incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain, and diastasis recti — at any stage of life.
Pelvic floor dysfunction — impaired strength, coordination, or relaxation of the muscles at the base of the pelvis — presents as urinary or bowel incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic or sexual pain, and reduced core function. It is common across the lifespan; urinary incontinence alone affects an estimated 1 in 3 women. Pelvic floor physiotherapy is an evidence-based, first-line treatment for many of these presentations, delivered by a registered physiotherapist with post-graduate pelvic-health training.
What Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Involves
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles spanning the base of the pelvis. It supports the bladder and bowel — and, in women, the uterus — contributes to continence and core stability, and has a role in sexual function. Like other muscle groups, it can become weak, overactive (too tight), or poorly coordinated, which produces the symptoms above.
Treatment is assessment-led and may combine pelvic floor muscle training, manual therapy, biofeedback, and bladder or bowel retraining, individualized to the examination findings. It is an active, exercise-based intervention rather than a passive or single-session treatment.
Care Across Every Life Stage
Pelvic floor dysfunction is not limited to the postpartum period, nor to women. Our team assesses and treats women through fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and perimenopause and menopause; men, including after prostate surgery and with chronic pelvic pain; and, through the paediatric team, infants and children.
Presentations can arise at any point — during a first pregnancy, years after a delivery, with high-impact training, or with the hormonal changes of midlife — and treatment is matched to the life stage and the specific findings.
The Assessment
The initial assessment comprises a subjective history — symptoms, medical and obstetric background, and goals — and an objective examination of posture, breathing, spine, hips, and core.
Internal (vaginal or rectal) examination is the standard method for assessing pelvic floor muscle strength, tone, and coordination, which cannot be evaluated externally. It is performed only where clinically indicated and with informed consent, and is not required to begin treatment. A same-sex clinician can be requested at the time of booking.
Assessment Precedes Exercise Prescription
Pelvic floor muscle training (Kegels) strengthens an underactive pelvic floor. However, a substantial proportion of patients with incontinence, pressure, or pain have an overactive (hypertonic) pelvic floor, in which further voluntary contraction can worsen symptoms. An exercise prescription therefore follows assessment rather than preceding it, and is directed at whether the muscles require strengthening, down-training, or improved coordination.
Conditions We Treat
Pelvic health physiotherapy helps across bladder, bowel, sexual, and pelvic-pain health — for women, at every stage of life. These are the conditions we see most often; if what you're experiencing isn't listed, reach out and we'll talk it through first.
Urinary Incontinence
Leaking with a cough, sneeze, laugh, or workout (stress incontinence), or a sudden urge that's hard to hold (urge incontinence) — a common concern that pelvic floor physiotherapy addresses directly.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse
A feeling of heaviness, pressure, or a bulge as the bladder, uterus, or rectum loses some of its usual support — eased with guided pelvic floor work and, where it helps, a pessary.
Vaginismus & Penetration Difficulty
Involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor that makes penetration — tampons, intimacy, or an exam — painful or difficult; it responds well to gentle, graded physiotherapy.
Pregnancy & Postpartum Concerns
Pelvic-girdle and back pain, leaking, heaviness, core separation (diastasis recti), or a slow recovery through pregnancy and after birth — vaginal or c-section, recent or years ago.
Bowel Dysfunction
Constipation and straining, incomplete emptying, or trouble controlling gas or stool — often tied to how the pelvic floor coordinates.
Painful Intercourse (Dyspareunia)
Pain with penetration, deeper pain, or discomfort afterward — assessed gently and privately to find what's driving it.
Sexual Dysfunction
Changes in comfort, arousal, sensation, or orgasm connected to pelvic floor tension or weakness — after birth, surgery, or with menopause.
Endometriosis
Cyclical or ongoing pelvic pain related to endometriosis, supported with pelvic floor physiotherapy that works alongside the rest of your medical team.
Menopause-Related Symptoms
Bladder leaks, urgency, dryness, prolapse, or discomfort as hormones shift through perimenopause and beyond — treatable rather than inevitable.
Vulvodynia
Ongoing burning, stinging, or rawness of the vulva, with or without touch and without a clear infection — often eased by settling an overactive pelvic floor.
Vestibulodynia
Sharp pain or burning at the vaginal opening (the vestibule), frequently triggered by touch, tampons, or intimacy.
Interstitial Cystitis (Bladder Pain Syndrome)
Bladder pressure, pain, and urinary frequency in the absence of infection — physiotherapy helps calm the pelvic floor and bladder symptoms, alongside your physician.
Pudendal Neuralgia
Nerve-related pain, burning, or numbness through the pelvis, sit bones, or genitals — often worse with prolonged sitting.
Coccydynia (Tailbone Pain)
Persistent pain at the tailbone, usually worse when sitting or rising from a seat — common after a fall, childbirth, or long hours seated.
Levator Ani Syndrome
Aching, pressure, or spasm felt deep in the pelvic floor or rectum from chronically tight levator ani muscles.
Vulvar Skin Conditions
Support for the pelvic floor tension and discomfort that can accompany vulvar skin conditions, working alongside your dermatologist or physician.
Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Pelvic pain lasting three months or more without a clear medical cause — often driven by a guarding, overactive pelvic floor that responds to release-focused physiotherapy.
Clitorodynia & PGAD
Pain at the clitoris, or persistent unwanted arousal (persistent genital arousal disorder), linked to pelvic floor and nerve irritation — assessed sensitively, at your pace.
How This Helps at Every Stage
Fertility & Preconception
Many people don't realize pelvic floor physiotherapy is useful before you even start trying to conceive. A tense, uncoordinated pelvic floor can restrict blood flow to the reproductive organs and add unnecessary tension through the pelvis — addressing that ahead of time, rather than after a diagnosis, gives your body the most time to respond. It's also the easiest window to treat restrictions from past surgery, endometriosis, or scar tissue, before pregnancy adds another layer of change on top.
During Pregnancy
As your uterus grows, it changes how your pelvic floor is loaded, while the hormone relaxin loosens connective tissue throughout your pelvis and spine to prepare for birth — a combination that commonly shows up as pelvic girdle pain or low back pain long before delivery. Physiotherapy through pregnancy manages that pain trimester by trimester, and also prepares the pelvic floor itself for labour: teaching it to release and coordinate, not just tighten, so pushing works with your body instead of against it.
Postpartum Recovery
Whatever kind of delivery you had, the postpartum period is when the changes of pregnancy and birth actually get treated, rather than just monitored at a single six-week checkup — diastasis recti, incontinence, scar mobility, and pelvic pain are all addressable, and it is never too late to start, whether your baby is six weeks or six years old. A C-section doesn't mean you skip this stage either: nine months of pregnancy still loads the pelvic floor, and a C-section is still major abdominal surgery your core has to recover from.
Perimenopause & Menopause
Declining estrogen thins and reduces the elasticity of pelvic tissue, which is why bladder leakage, prolapse symptoms, or pain can appear for the first time in your 40s or 50s, or return after years of feeling fine. It's easy to dismiss this as "just aging," but the muscles themselves respond to the same physiotherapy approach as at any other stage, often alongside options like pessary fitting for extra support.
Ready to start your pelvic health physiotherapy?
What to Expect
A physician referral is not required. The initial visit consists of a history and a consent-based assessment, after which the findings are explained and an individualized treatment plan is provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a doctor's referral to book?
No referral is required — you can book directly online or by phone.
Is pelvic health physiotherapy covered by insurance?
Most extended health plans cover physiotherapy. We offer direct billing so you don't have to pay out of pocket and claim later.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies by individual — your physiotherapist will discuss a recommended plan based on your assessment and goals.
What should I wear to my appointment?
Comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that allows easy movement is best.
Explore by Life Stage
Fertility Care
Prepare your body for conception with pelvic floor care that supports circulation, hormone balance, and stress reduction.
Explore fertility care
Prenatal Care
Our prenatal treatments are smart healthcare, good parenting, and responsible preparation, all wrapped up in one self-care treat.
Explore prenatal care
Postpartum Care
Relieve postpartum pains, access a lactation consultant, balance your hormones, restore your core, and revitalize your whole spirit.
Explore postpartum care
Menopause Management
We help ease your most challenging perimenopause and menopause symptoms, restoring balance and vitality to your everyday life.
Explore menopause managementStill have questions? Let Leo help.
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