Lawson Physiotherapy & Pilates

29/08/2015

Post-prostatectomy incontinence:
Post-prostatectomy incontinence is one of the most devastating complications to arise following radical prostatectomy.

The causes of post-prostatectomy incontinence are multifactorial, and include dysfunction of the urinary sphincter mechanism,
bladder (detrusor) overactivity, and impaired bladder compliance. Consequently, post-prostatectomy incontinence includes symptoms of stress urinary incontinence, urgency urinary incontinence and often insensible urine loss.

Symptoms:
- a constant loss of urine
- loss of urine during coughing, sneezing and other activities
- sudden urge to pass urine which is difficult to defer

A pelvic floor physiotherapist is trained in the assessment and management of post-prostatectomy incontinence, and pelvic floor muscle training is considered the first-line of treatment. Treatment may also include 'behavioural retraining' which specifically addresses the urge urinary incontinence component of post-prostatectomy incontinence. For more information, or to book an appointment, please contact Upper Mountains Physiotherapy on 0432 112 617.

Upper Mountains Physiotherapy proudly provide services to visitors and residents of Mount Victoria, Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Bullaburra, Lawson, Hazelbrook, Linden, Faulconbridge and surrounding suburbs. We are located close to Leura village, at 69 Megalong St, Katoomba. We are proudly co-located with Blue Mountains Podiatry and Leura Medical Centre.

For more information, please see the Continence Foundation of Australia:
http://www.continence.org.au/pages/continence-management-following-prostate-surgery.html

Some information from this blog was obtained from this article:
Kim, J. C., & Cho, K. J. (2012). Current trends in the management of post-prostatectomy incontinence. Korean Journal of Urology, 53(8), 511–518.
This article can be accessed for free here:
http://www.kjurology.org/Synapse/Data/PDFData/0020KJU/kju-53-511.pdf

29/07/2015

Pelvic Organ Prolapse:
It is estimated that 1 in 5 women will undergo surgery for pelvic organ prolapse by the age of 80 years. A recent article stated that women lack awareness and knowledge regarding pelvic organ prolapse, and this results in limited health care seeking and reduction in quality of life. Therefore, it is essential that women who have symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse seek assessment from a pelvic floor physiotherapist.

What is pelvic organ prolapse?
Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the uterus, bladder or bowel press down into the va**nal tissues, often resulting in a va**nal bulge.

What are the signs of prolapse?
Symptoms can vary, and some women with prolapse may be asymptomatic. Symptoms may include:
- a heavy or dragging sensation va**nally
- a lump coming down or out of the va**na
- pain during in*******se
- poor bladder emptying or weak stream of urine
- urinary incontinence
- difficulty emptying the bowel
- low back pain

What causes a prolapse?
Vaginal childbirth is the main cause of a pelvic organ prolapse. The more va**nal births you have, the more likely you are to have a prolapse. Chronic coughing, heavy lifting and constipation may also be contributing factors.

If you believe you may have pelvic organ prolapse, call Upper Mountains Physiotherapy today on 0432 112 617. We proudly provide services to visitors and residents of Mount Victoria, Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Bullaburra, Lawson, Hazelbrook, Linden, Faulconbridge and surrounding suburbs. We are located close to Leura village, at 69 Megalong St, Katoomba. We are proudly co-located with Blue Mountains Podiatry and Leura Medical Centre.

See the Continence Foundation of Australia for more information: http://www.continence.org.au/pages/prolapse.html

Some information from this blog was obtained from this article:
Wu, J. M., Matthews, C. A., Conover, M. M., Pate, V., & Jonsson Funk, M. (2014). Lifetime Risk of Stress Urinary Incontinence or Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 123(6), 1201–1206. This paper can be accessed for free here:
http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2014/06000/Lifetime_Risk_of_Stress_Urinary_Incontinence_or.9.aspx- 

What is a va**nal (pelvic organ) prolapse? If your pelvic floor muscles are weak, then your pelvic organs might not be held in their right place and they may bulge or sag down into the va**na. This is known as a pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

14/06/2015

Urgency Urinary Incontinence
Urinary urgency is the complaint of a sudden, compelling desire to pass urine which is difficult to defer. Urgency urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine associated with urgency. It is estimated that around 10% of the world wide population suffer from urgency urinary incontinence. By 2018, this is estimated to increase to 20%, making 546 million sufferers world wide.

This condition has the capacity to seriously impact individuals across many life domains, including relationships, work and recreation. However, urgency urinary incontinence remains under-diagnosed and under-treated.

How do you know if you have this condition? Answer these questions:

1) During the past 4 weeks, have you had a sudden need to
rush to urinate? By sudden need to rush to urinate, we mean a sudden intense feeling of urgency where you feel you must urinate immediately.

2) During the past 4 weeks, did you leak urine in connection with a sudden need to rush to urinate?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may have urgency, or urgency urinary incontinence. Treatment is available. At Upper Mountains Physiotherapy, our pelvic floor/continence physiotherapist will conduct a thorough assessment, and discuss your treatment options with you. No GP referral is necessary. Call 0432 112 617 for more information, or to make your appointment.

More information can be found at http://www.continence.org.au/pages/urge-incontinence.html

We are conveniently located at 69 Megalong St, Katoomba, close to Leura village. At Upper Mountains Physiotherapy, we proudly provide services to visitors and residents of Mount Victoria, Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Bullaburra, Lawson, Hazelbrook, Linden, Faulconbridge and surrounding suburbs.

Urge incontinence is a sudden and strong need to urinate. You may also hear it referred to as an unstable or overactive bladder, or detrusor instability.

13/06/2015

Rehabilitation Physiotherapy: one step at a time
We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous determination and hard work of one of our patients, Joy O'Shea (pictured with physiotherapist, Sally Ely). Joy suffered a stroke more than 15 years ago, which significantly impaired her walking and the use of her left hand. Last year, Joy also was involved in an unfortunate accident, resulting in a hip fracture. Over the last 4 months, Joy has participated in rehabilitation physiotherapy with absolute enthusiasm and determination. Every day and every session, Joy takes one step closer towards her goal: to walk independently, without the use of a walking aid or supervision.

We are so proud of the progress you have made, Joy! Keep going!

Joy was also keen to share the fact that she would welcome the opportunity to speak with other people in similar situations, to offer support and to show others what is possible. If you would like to speak with Joy, contact Upper Mountains Physiotherapy on 0432 112 617.

Never give up!

At Upper Mountains Physiotherapy, we proudly provides services to visitors and residents of Mount Victoria, Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Bullaburra, Lawson, Hazelbrook, Linden, Faulconbridge and surrounding suburbs.

05/06/2015

Stress Urinary Incontinence
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is the involuntary leakage of urine on exertion, effort, coughing or sneezing, and is thought to occur in around 35% of women. This condition is both distressing and debilitating, and often goes unreported. However, treatment is available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have published guidelines for the treatment of SUI (http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg171/chapter/1-recommendations), suggesting that an intensive, supervised pelvic floor training program be offered as the first-line treatment. At Upper Mountains Physiotherapy, we commonly encounter patients who report that they have already tried pelvic floor exercises, without success. These guidelines suggest that any pelvic floor training program must be supervised, which means that a qualified pelvic floor physiotherapist must first assess the pelvic floor, and then provide guidance in the both correct performance of exercises, and exercise dosage.

Importantly, some women are unable to achieve an active contraction of the pelvic floor. Fortunately, we have alternative treatment options. Electrical stimulation and/or biofeedback can be considered in these situations. Furthermore, a number of non-surgical devices can been used to treat treat SUI.

The take-home message is that treatment is available for Stress Urinary Incontinence, and that the first step is to undergo a thorough assessment from a trained pelvic floor physiotherapist.

At Upper Mountains Physiotherapy, we are highly trained in the area of pelvic floor physiotherapy. For an appointment, contact us, on 0432 112 617. We proudly provides services to visitors and residents of Mount Victoria, Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Bullaburra, Lawson, Hazelbrook, Linden, Faulconbridge and surrounding suburbs.

Some information in this post has been obtained from:
Verghese, T., & Latthe, P. (2013). Recent status of the treatment of stress urinary incontinence. International Journal of Urology, 21(1), 25–31.

This article is available for free download at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/iju.12238/full

Previous Next 1 Recommendations 1.1 Assessment and investigation 1.2 Lifestyle interventions 1.3 Physical therapies 1.4 Behavioural therapies 1.5 Neurostimulation 1.6 Alternative conservative management options 1.7 Pharmacological treatment 1.8 The multidisciplinary team (MDT) 1.9 Invasive procedure…

01/06/2015

The Continence Foundation of Australia tells Australians that "Bladder leakage, no matter how light, is not normal." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9iudY4NRrw

The Continence Foundation of Australia's new TV ad campaign encourages women not to put up bladder leakage - no matter how light - and to seek help for a com...

01/06/2015

In recognition of World Continence Week, Upper Mountains Physiotherapy will be posting a number of blogs over the month of June, providing information regarding common bladder and bowel conditions. The Continence Foundation of Australia have released statistics suggesting that 4.8 million Australians are suffering from bladder or bowel control problems. This means that someone you know suffers from urinary or faecal incontinence. The theme of World Continence Week is "Tell someone who cares". The Continence Foundation of Australia and International Continence Society hope that this initiative will encourage those suffering from these conditions to seek help. For more information, visit continence.org.au/pages/world-continence-week.html. Alternatively, contact Upper Mountains Physiotherapy today, on 0432 112 617 for a confidential discussion regarding your condition. As pelvic floor physiotherapists, we are trained to assess and manage bladder and bowel dysfunction. Upper Mountains Physiotherapy proudly supports World Continence Week, 22-26 June.

World Continence Week is an initiative of the International Continence Society and is coordinated in Australia by the Continence Foundation of Australia (CFA).

01/06/2015

World Continence Week will be held between 22-26 June, and is a project being driven by the Continence Foundation of Australia. This project aims to target the 4.8 million Australians suffering from bladder or bowel control problems. Upper Mountains Physiotherapy proudly supports this initiative.

21/05/2015

Upper Mountains Physiotherapy at Restore Healthcare Clinic, 69 Megalong St, Katoomba 2780