Let’s get talking about women’s health and sexual dysfunction
Hi everyone!
My name is Marguerite and I am a physiotherapist with a special interest in women’s health.
I have been practicing for five years and have found a deep passion for this field of physiotherapy after being introduced to it by a former colleague and being shown what a need we have for this type of physiotherapy in South Africa. I have done extensive courses and trainings to be able to practice women’s health and I am LOVING it!
Well what does a women’s health physiotherapist do?
I treat everything to do with the female pelvis and pelvic floor. Has anyone ever told you “Oh leaking urine just happens when you get older” or “Now that you’ve had your baby you can’t run without leaking urine!”
Has anyone ever said to you “Intercourse has always been painful for me” or have you ever just accepted that it will be painful to wear tampons?
None of these need to be true! And ALL of them can be treated and eliminated with physio and self maintenance.
Incontinence, constipation, issues during pregnancy, postpartum, pelvic organ prolapse, pain on vaginal penetration, chronic pelvic pain are all associated with pelvic floor dysfunction. This has been my passion for a long time and I love seeing my patients thrive.
Being a women’s health physio means I can empower women on a daily basis. I can help them reduce their pain and also live their daily lives without having the worry of their pelvic symptoms get in the way. Women should be given the tools to help and maintain their own pelvic health and that means to not come to physio every week for the rest of their lives!
So what does pelvic floor physiotherapy look and feel like?
First of all I would need to explain the pelvis and pelvic floor! The pelvic floor is a structure that really has not been exposed to women as it should have been. The pelvis is a part of the anatomy that is so important for stability, support, mobility and balance. For this reason, it has to be looked into in fine detail.
Next I would do an extensive evaluation about your symptoms and even delve into your past to see what could have contributed to your pain. Sometimes I would need to do an internal assessment to really see what is happening in your pelvic floor so that I can be as effective as possible in the time we have together.
No one pelvic floor is the same and I don’t treat it like a recipe. Each individual pelvis needs something different and together we work on how we can eliminate your symptoms as quick as possible.
Women’s health is a topic that has not been spoken about enough. The subject of pelvic and sexual health has always been a difficult one to work around but it is so important for the women in our communities to know what is out there and that there is a way to fix their problems! Creating awareness on the topic is another thing that I am very passionate about.
Let’s get talking about pelvic and sexual health and it can be the start of something beautiful!
Yours truly in TMJ and pelvic floor,
Marguerite