The Overactive Bladder (OAB) causes great distress for women (and men) and can be helped by some very ‘easy-to-implement’ strategies which are outlined in both books – Pelvic Floor Recovery: Physiotherapy for Gynaecological and Colorectal Repair Surgery and Pelvic Floor Essentials. OAB involves bladder symptoms of urgency, frequency, urge incontinence and/or nocturia (getting up too many times at night) and can be a consequence of a life-time of poor bladder habits – going to the toilet ‘just-in-case’, before you leave the house, when you get to the doctor’s surgery, always before the movies- or simply by having an excessive caffeine intake. There is an expanded chapter on Nocturia in both books. There is an outline of timed voiding training to help sensory urgency in recalcitrant OAB.
Gynaecological (and colorectal) repair surgery can also trigger OAB symptoms so it is important to be prepared and know what to do early on post-operatively to ‘nip it in the bud’. I have recorded a short video for those people who prefer to listen rather than read!
Prolapse Management
There is no-one so unhappy as the young woman who has just been told she has vaginal prolapse. Her world is often turned upside down (or ‘inside out’ with prolapse) and she is desperate for information and advice as to how to manage it properly. You will be interested to know that there is excellent evidence around Physiotherapy strategies being the first line of attack when managing prolapse. These conservative strategies are extensively outlined in both books. Prolapse can occur in the vagina – with the front and back walls of the vagina coming down; the uterus can descend; following a hysterectomy, the top of the vagina (the vault) can prolapse and in the rectum such as from straining at stool and following lifting heavy weights such as young males can in the gym there can be rectal prolapse. Here is a blog about Rectal Prolapse (which can be acquired from these heavy weights or straining at stool).