Bladder & Bowel

Bladder Pain Syndrome

People with painful bladder syndrome typically experience an unpleasant sensation of pain, pressure or discomfort when their bladder fills to normal capacity. The condition might cause an increased urge to empty the bladder day and night, and can be associated with pain, lack of sleep and anxiety.

If you experience lower urinary tract symptoms for more than six weeks, without infection or other identifiable causes, your doctor might diagnose you with painful bladder syndrome. The condition includes what was previously known as Interstitial Cystitis, and there are now more options available for its treatment and management.

Constipation & Straining

Constipation, straining and problems with complete evacuation of the stool can affect people of all ages. It is normal to open your bowel from once every three days, to three times a day as long as the stool is soft and formed and no straining is needed to empty the bowels. Being constipated can contribute to bladder urgency.

Incontinence

Continence refers to the ability to be in control of our bladder and bowel at all times so that we can run, jump, cough and sneeze, watch a long movie, sleep through the night, stand in the queue at the supermarket and get to the toilet without losing control.

Men, women and children can experience issues with bladder and bowel control, bed wetting, passing urine, constipation and straining. Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy involves pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strengthening exercises, functional bracing, bladder retraining, voiding instruction and bladder and bowel functional training.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders, affecting one in seven Australian adults. It is a disorder that affects intestinal motility and causes discomfort, lower abdominal pain, bloating, wind, loose stools and constipation.

Prolapse

If you notice a bulge in your vagina, this is most likely a prolapse. Prolapse is not an organ problem but a problem with the support of the organ. Some of the organs in the pelvis are suspended from above by ligaments, attached sideways by fascia (connective tissue) and supported from below by the muscles of the pelvic floor.

Fascia is like lycra in your swimming costume – it holds the fabric together. Too much wear and tear and the lycra gives way and the swimmers go saggy in parts. Fascia in the vaginal wall holds the vaginal walls together and keeps the pelvic organs up where they belong, if the fascia stretches or tears the vaginal wall stretches and the pelvic organ bulges through.