Women's Health Physiotherapy
Women’s health physiotherapy supports women at various stages of life, whether you are experiencing pelvic floor symptoms, pregnancy-related discomfort, or recovery after childbirth. Appointments start with a comprehensive assessment to understand your symptoms and how your body functions. From there, a personalised rehabilitation plan is devised, which may include exercise guidance, lifestyle advice, and hands-on treatment where suitable.
I offer three main types of women’s health physiotherapy assessment:
Mummy MOT® - Postnatal Physio Assessments (from 6 weeks to 12 months postpartum)
Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Assessments (pelvic health concerns outside of pregnancy and postnatal)
Pregnancy Physiotherapy Assessments (during any stage of pregnancy)
Mummy MOT® Postnatal Assessment
A Mummy MOT® is a specialist physiotherapy check designed to support women as their body recovers after pregnancy and childbirth. It provides an opportunity to look at how your body is healing, identify any issues that may be contributing to symptoms, and guide you safely back towards exercise and everyday activities.
A really helpful time to attend is around 6–8 weeks after birth, once the early stages of healing have taken place. Seeing a physiotherapist at this stage allows us to identify and address any issues early, helping to support a smoother recovery and safe return to exercise.
However, it is important not to worry if you are later than this. Many women attend a Mummy MOT® a few months after birth, and there is still plenty of time to make meaningful improvements and achieve a strong recovery. In fact, it is quite common for women to come around the 3–4 month mark, when they begin to notice that their body may not be recovering as comfortably as they had hoped and decide to seek some additional support.
During the appointment, we take a detailed look at how your body is functioning following pregnancy and birth. This typically includes assessing:
• posture and movement patterns
• abdominal muscle recovery and any diastasis recti (tummy separation)
• pelvic floor muscle strength and coordination
• any symptoms relating to bladder, bowel or sexual health
• overall core strength and stability
• C-section scar assessment and guidance on scar self-care (where relevant)
Where appropriate and with your consent, the assessment may also include an internal pelvic floor examination to better understand how the pelvic floor muscles are working.
Following the assessment, I will talk through the findings with you and provide clear guidance and a personalised rehabilitation plan. This may include exercises to help restore pelvic floor and core strength, advice on managing symptoms, and guidance on returning to exercise safely after having a baby.
At my clinic, I generally recommend the Mummy MOT® Postnatal Assessment for women within the first year after birth. If you are more than one year postnatal, you will usually be better served by booking a Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Assessment, where we can address any ongoing pelvic health and abdominal concerns.
The aim of the Mummy MOT® is to help women understand how their body has recovered after pregnancy, address any concerns early, and support them in regaining strength, confidence and comfort in their body.
A Mummy MOT® is a specialist physiotherapy check designed to support women as their body recovers after pregnancy and childbirth. It provides an opportunity to look at how your body is healing, identify any issues that may be contributing to symptoms, and guide you safely back towards exercise and everyday activities.
A really helpful time to attend is around 6–8 weeks after birth, once the early stages of healing have taken place. Seeing a physiotherapist at this stage allows us to identify and address any issues early, helping to support a smoother recovery and safe return to exercise.
However, it is important not to worry if you are later than this. Many women attend a Mummy MOT® a few months after birth, and there is still plenty of time to make meaningful improvements and achieve a strong recovery. In fact, it is quite common for women to come around the 3–4 month mark, when they begin to notice that their body may not be recovering as comfortably as they had hoped and decide to seek some additional support.
During the appointment, we take a detailed look at how your body is functioning following pregnancy and birth. This typically includes assessing:
• posture and movement patterns
• abdominal muscle recovery and any diastasis recti (tummy separation)
• pelvic floor muscle strength and coordination
• any symptoms relating to bladder, bowel or sexual health
• overall core strength and stability
• C-section scar assessment and guidance on scar self-care (where relevant)
Where appropriate and with your consent, the assessment may also include an internal pelvic floor examination to better understand how the pelvic floor muscles are working.
Following the assessment, I will talk through the findings with you and provide clear guidance and a personalised rehabilitation plan. This may include exercises to help restore pelvic floor and core strength, advice on managing symptoms, and guidance on returning to exercise safely after having a baby.
At my clinic, I generally recommend the Mummy MOT® Postnatal Assessment for women within the first year after birth. If you are more than one year postnatal, you will usually be better served by booking a Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Assessment, where we can address any ongoing pelvic health and abdominal concerns.
The aim of the Mummy MOT® is to help women understand how their body has recovered after pregnancy, address any concerns early, and support them in regaining strength, confidence and comfort in their body.
Pregnancy Physiotherapy Assessment
Pregnancy physiotherapy is designed to support women experiencing musculoskeletal or pelvic floor symptoms during pregnancy. As your body adapts to support your growing baby, it is common to experience changes in posture, movement and load through the pelvis and spine. Physiotherapy can help you understand what is happening in your body, manage symptoms more comfortably, and continue to stay as active as possible during pregnancy.
Women may seek pregnancy physiotherapy support for concerns such as:
• pelvic girdle pain (PGP)
• lower back pain
• hip or pelvic discomfort
• rib or thoracic pain
• difficulty walking, turning in bed or getting in and out of the car
• difficulty staying active due to pain
• stress incontinence (leaking with coughing, sneezing or exercise)
• urinary urgency or increased bladder symptoms
During the appointment, we take time to understand your symptoms, how they affect your daily activities, and what your goals are for the remainder of your pregnancy.
The assessment may include:
• discussion of your symptoms and pregnancy history
• observation of posture and movement patterns
• gentle assessment of pelvic and spinal movement
• guidance on modifying everyday activities to reduce strain
Most pregnancy physiotherapy assessments do not include an internal pelvic floor examination. In the majority of cases, we can still provide helpful support through discussion, observation of movement, and guidance using external cues and markers to help assess and improve pelvic floor function.
Many women in pregnancy find it particularly helpful to receive clear cueing, positioning advice and technique guidance to ensure they are performing pelvic floor exercises effectively. This can help improve the efficiency of pelvic floor contractions and support symptoms such as stress incontinence or urinary urgency, without the need for an internal assessment.
Occasionally, where a pregnancy is considered low risk and there is a clear clinical benefit, an internal pelvic floor examination may be discussed as an option. This would only ever be carried out with your consent, and only if it is likely to provide useful information to guide treatment.
Treatment approaches may include
• manual therapy where appropriate (only during the second and third trimester)
• targeted exercises to support pelvic stability and core function
• pelvic floor exercises and guidance on correct activation
• breathing and pressure management strategies
• movement and positioning strategies to reduce strain during everyday activities
• ergonomic advice for work, sleep and daily tasks
• self-care strategies to help manage symptoms at home
• guidance on staying active safely during pregnancy
Hands-on manual therapy is not used during the first trimester, but may be considered later in pregnancy, where appropriate and comfortable.
The aim of pregnancy physiotherapy is to help you stay as comfortable, active and confident as possible while your body adapts throughout pregnancy.
Pregnancy physiotherapy is designed to support women experiencing musculoskeletal or pelvic floor symptoms during pregnancy. As your body adapts to support your growing baby, it is common to experience changes in posture, movement and load through the pelvis and spine. Physiotherapy can help you understand what is happening in your body, manage symptoms more comfortably, and continue to stay as active as possible during pregnancy.
Women may seek pregnancy physiotherapy support for concerns such as:
• pelvic girdle pain (PGP)
• lower back pain
• hip or pelvic discomfort
• rib or thoracic pain
• difficulty walking, turning in bed or getting in and out of the car
• difficulty staying active due to pain
• stress incontinence (leaking with coughing, sneezing or exercise)
• urinary urgency or increased bladder symptoms
During the appointment, we take time to understand your symptoms, how they affect your daily activities, and what your goals are for the remainder of your pregnancy.
The assessment may include:
• discussion of your symptoms and pregnancy history
• observation of posture and movement patterns
• gentle assessment of pelvic and spinal movement
• guidance on modifying everyday activities to reduce strain
Most pregnancy physiotherapy assessments do not include an internal pelvic floor examination. In the majority of cases, we can still provide helpful support through discussion, observation of movement, and guidance using external cues and markers to help assess and improve pelvic floor function.
Many women in pregnancy find it particularly helpful to receive clear cueing, positioning advice and technique guidance to ensure they are performing pelvic floor exercises effectively. This can help improve the efficiency of pelvic floor contractions and support symptoms such as stress incontinence or urinary urgency, without the need for an internal assessment.
Occasionally, where a pregnancy is considered low risk and there is a clear clinical benefit, an internal pelvic floor examination may be discussed as an option. This would only ever be carried out with your consent, and only if it is likely to provide useful information to guide treatment.
Treatment approaches may include
• manual therapy where appropriate (only during the second and third trimester)
• targeted exercises to support pelvic stability and core function
• pelvic floor exercises and guidance on correct activation
• breathing and pressure management strategies
• movement and positioning strategies to reduce strain during everyday activities
• ergonomic advice for work, sleep and daily tasks
• self-care strategies to help manage symptoms at home
• guidance on staying active safely during pregnancy
Hands-on manual therapy is not used during the first trimester, but may be considered later in pregnancy, where appropriate and comfortable.
The aim of pregnancy physiotherapy is to help you stay as comfortable, active and confident as possible while your body adapts throughout pregnancy.
Pelvic Health Physiotherapy
Women's Pelvic Health Physiotherapy is designed to support adult women experiencing pelvic floor or core-related symptoms outside of pregnancy and beyond the first year after having a baby.
Women may seek support for a range of pelvic health concerns, including bladder, bowel or pelvic floor symptoms, abdominal weakness, or discomfort affecting the pelvis, hips or lower back. These assessments allow us to take a detailed look at how your body is functioning and develop a plan to help you move forward with greater comfort and confidence.
Women may seek Pelvic Health Physiotherapy to support them with concerns such as:
• stress or urgency incontinence
• urinary frequency
• pelvic organ prolapse (I mostly treat grade 1 and grade 2 prolapse)
• vaginal or pelvic pain or an overly tight pelvic floor
• difficulty coordinating or activating the pelvic floor muscles
• abdominal weakness or diastasis recti
• preparing for or rehabilitating following gynaecological surgery
During the appointment, we take time to understand your symptoms, medical history and goals. The assessment may include a movement and posture assessment, discussion of bladder or bowel symptoms, and pelvic floor assessment, where appropriate and with your consent.
Following the assessment, I will talk through the findings with you and provide clear guidance and a personalised rehabilitation plan. This may include exercises to improve pelvic floor and core function, advice on symptom management, and practical strategies to help you return to the activities that are important to you.
The aim of the assessment is not only to address current symptoms, but also to support long-term pelvic health, confidence in movement and safe participation in exercise and daily life.