The Taboo Topic:
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Welcome
This resource is designed to improve your understanding of what pelvic floor dysfunction is and how to help your patients with a pelvic floor condition. This resource is aimed at physiotherapy students completing their clinical placements and new graduate physiotherapists in their first few years of work. This website may also be helpful for other allied health professionals looking to brush up their skills in this area.
The aims of this resource:
1. Build your confidence to start or engage in a conversation with a patient with pelvic floor dysfunction
2. Be able to discern whether a patient's problem should be referred to a specialist service
3. Be able to offer that patient a piece of advice or some education about their issue to assist the start of their rehabilitation or treatment journey
What is pelvic floor dysfunction?
Pelvic floor dysfunction is the inability to appropriately control the pelvic floor muscles leading to weakness, incontinence, pain or increased tone. Pelvic floor dysfunction is an overarching term which includes the following conditions:
-
Stress urinary incontinence
-
Urge urinary incontinence
-
Overflow incontinence
-
Faecal incontinence
-
Constipation
-
Pelvic organ prolapse
-
Increased pelvic floor muscle tone
-
Painful sex (dyspareunia)
[1]
Where might you see a patient with pelvic floor dysfunction?
-
Outpatient clinics
-
Community care
-
Aged care or supported living facilities
-
Acute or subacute wards
-
High level sporting population
-
Pre and postnatal care