Pelvic & Sexual Pain
Almost half of Australian women have experienced pelvic pain in the last five years.
On average it takes about seven years for women and people AFAB to be referred to a health professional that can help with their pain.
Women’s health physiotherapists are trained to assess and treat your pelvic pain.
Despite what you have been told, we don’t think that your pain is all in your head, we won’t tell you to have a drink before you have sex and we will always 100% believe you.
What conditions do we typically see?
Vaginismus
Dyspareunia (painful sex)
Vestibulodynia
Endometriosis associated pain
Persistent pain into the back, hips, groin and coccyx
Bladder Pain Syndrome (pain as your bladder fills)
What to expect at your first appointment
A women’s health physio will always start with a thorough background of your pain. We understand that this is something you may have dealt with for years and it can be difficult to talk about.
Our initial appointments are one hour to allow for enough time for you to tell your story.
We will then offer a physical assessment.
Know that we can assess externally as well as internally. If you are worried about coming to see us as you have always experienced pelvic pain with internal assessments, we can start our treatment externally first.
Our internal pelvic floor assessments are often quite different to when you have seen a GP or gynaecologist. We don’t use a speculum and we try to make it as therapeutic and as comfortable as possible. You can also stop at any time.
We will then provide education about what is the likely driver of your pain. Sometimes when you don’t know what is driving your pain, it can increase the fear around your pain and we lose a sense of control. By understanding why you’re in pain, it brings you back to being the one in the drivers seat.
We will also come up with a plan together to achieve your goals. We may recommend treatments such as breathing techniques, meditations, stretches or internal release such as dilators or pelvic wands.
