Women’s physiotherapy and rehabilitation

How we can help

Women’s physiotherapy and rehabilitation can support you during pregnancy, after childbirth, and at other stages of life when pelvic health, pain, continence, or recovery is affecting how you feel or move.

Your physiotherapist will assess what’s happening, talk through your concerns, and build a treatment plan around your symptoms, goals, and activity level. Care can include pelvic floor rehabilitation, exercise, manual therapy, pain management, and support returning to everyday activity.

What we can help with

• Pregnancy-related lower back, pelvic, hip, and pubic symphysis pain
• Pelvic and abdominal pain
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Urinary incontinence and bladder-control problems
• Bowel symptoms, including urgency, incontinence, and constipation
• Pain during intercourse and other pelvic-health concerns
• Postnatal recovery, including pelvic floor and abdominal rehabilitation
• Return to exercise and activity after childbirth

Physiotherapy during pregnancy

Pregnancy can place extra strain on your lower back, pelvis, hips, and pelvic floor. Physiotherapy can help you manage pain, stay active, and prepare physically for labour and birth. Depending on your needs, treatment may include:

• Posture and movement advice
• Gentle core and pelvic floor exercises
• Stretching and manual therapy
• Massage and trigger point release
• Breathing and relaxation techniques
• Pelvic floor muscle relaxation and coordination
• Perineal massage
• Guidance on birth positions and pushing techniques

Physiotherapy after childbirth

After childbirth, physiotherapy can help your body recover from pregnancy and birth and support you as you return to everyday movement and exercise.

Your assessment may look at:

• Pelvic floor function
• Abdominal strength and coordination
• Your pelvis and lower back
• Ribcage function
• Caesarean scar recovery, where relevant

Your treatment may include pelvic floor exercises, abdominal rehabilitation, scar assessment and treatment, support garments, electrical stimulation where appropriate, and a progressive return-to-exercise plan.

Pelvic floor, bladder and bowel problems

Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect bladder control, bowel function, sexual comfort, and pelvic pain. Physiotherapy can help improve strength, coordination, and relaxation of the pelvic floor, depending on what your assessment shows.

Urinary incontinence is common, and risk factors include pregnancy and childbirth, constipation, a chronic cough, being overweight, and a generally sedentary lifestyle.

A pelvic floor examination is carried out with your consent and may involve an external and internal assessment, either vaginally or rectally, to check the strength, endurance, coordination, and tone of the pelvic floor muscles.

Treatment may include pelvic floor rehabilitation, lifestyle advice, breathing and relaxation techniques, manual therapy, and exercises designed around your symptoms.