Your Women’s Health Appointment

What to Expect at Your Physiotherapy Assessment

Your physiotherapist may:
✓ Discuss your symptoms, goals, and medical history
✓ Assess posture, breathing, and movement patterns
✓ Evaluate pelvic floor muscle function (with your consent)
✓ Develop an individualised treatment plan
✓ Provide education and self-management strategies

Evaluating pelvic floor muscle function

During a Women’s Health appointment, you may be offered an internal vaginal and/or rectal examination*. These examination’s provide clear information regarding your pelvic floor function and can be used to more accurately guide diagnosis and management. It usually involves both an external and internal examination, while performing a series of actions such as squeezing your pelvic floor muscles, coughing and bearing down.

If you are not comfortable with an examination, there are alternate options such as external assessment of adjacent body points through clothing (ie. The tail bone and abdominal wall) or real time ultrasound imaging over the abdomen.

*Please note that at this time, Brooke Simmons is our only physiotherapist offering internal examinations.

What appointment do I need?

Please refer to the following list of appointment type’s we offer to determine what type of appointment you require. If you are still unsure, please call to speak with one of our friendly and discrete admin staff members.

Women’s Health Assessment

For your first visit or if your situation has changed reasonably significantly since your last visit (ie. You have had pelvic surgery, recently birthed, or it has been over 12 months since your last visit).
Our assessment consults are a longer consultation, typically lasting approximately 50 minutes. This gives our therapists sufficient time to collect a detailed history of your condition and carry-out appropriate assessments before providing the indicated treatment. Please plan accordingly to allow time for this consultation.

Postnatal Assessment

Six weeks post-partum is an ideal time to see one of our women’s health physiotherapists for a Postnatal Assessment. All postnatal assessments are booked as a Women’s Health Assessment, even if you have been seeing our physiotherapists while you are pregnant. This gives our physiotherapists the extra time needed to collect information about your birth, assess changes and provide appropriate intervention.

Women’s Health Subsequent

After your assessment, subsequent appointments will typically be shorter, lasting approximately 30 minutes. For more complex presentations, we may ask you to book a ‘Long Women’s Health Subsequent’.

Pregnancy Musculoskeletal Assessment

This assessment appointment is for pregnant women whose primary concern relates to a musculoskeletal problem such as back pain, pelvic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome etc. These are shorter first consults which usually means we can see you sooner.

Pregnancy & Postnatal Musculoskeletal Subsequent

Follow-up appointments for pregnancy and postnatal where no significant pelvic floor dysfunction has been identified during your assessment – eg. No bladder, bowel, prolapse or sexual pain concerns, the primary issue being treated is a musculoskeletal issue and/or general preparation for birth or general postnatal recovery.