PhysioPod Co.

01/09/2026

🧘‍♀️ And breathe… 🧘

It’s something we do subconsciously, taking up to 25,000 breaths every single day, but do you know if you’re breathing correctly?

And did you know that the mechanics of breathing are related to your core?

When we talk about ‘core strength’, most people think of one muscle group- the abdominals. While the abdominals play a role, they are only one part of the picture!

Think of your ‘core’ like a canister 🥫 There’s a front, back, top and bottom.
1️⃣ The top= diaphragm
2️⃣ The bottom= the pelvic floor
3️⃣ The front= abdominals
4️⃣ The back= back muscles

If someone has a ‘weak core’, all muscles groups above must be addressed.

The same goes for an ‘overactive core’. It is common for us to find tension and restriction around the diaphragm and rib cage in those with chronic pain (especially chronic pelvic pain). If the diaphragm is tight, then the pelvic floor (and other core muscles) are most likely going to be tight also.

Assessing the diaphragm (by seeing how you breathe and how your rib cage moves) can tell us so much! And it will look different in sitting, standing and laying.

So next time your Pelvic Health Physio looks at your rib cage and diaphragm when you’ve presented with pelvic floor dysfunction, this is why! ✨

06/08/2026

💫 Each month our Physios meet for Professional Development. This may be to discuss individual case studies, difficult patient presentations or to learn about a certain topic 💫

We’ve had several amazing external health professionals come to speak with us also! This is who we’ve had and topics we’ve covered so far this year ⤵️

FEB - Re**al prolapse, case study with Physio Lauren
MAR - Scoliosis with Claire Doolan, Physio
APR - Menopause with GP Elise Davey from Menopause Health Geelong
MAY - Birth education and hypnobirthing with midwife Rosie from Geelong Born
JUN - Pain science with Nicola Michell from Sydney
JUL - Vaginal laxity with Physio Ash
AUG - Prolapse and pessaries with Physio Lauren

The learning doesn’t stop once we’ve finished university! While it’s a requirement for our registration to complete professional development hours each year, it’s vital for us to stay relevant and up to date as health professionals. It’s also how our team can collaborate and grow so that we can provide the best service to you 🫶

04/08/2026

✨ World Breastfeeding Week ✨

August 1st - 7th is World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated globally each year to highlight the importance of breastfeeding for infant health, maternal wellbeing and sustainable development.

We acknowledge breastfeeding is difficult for some people and that others may not be able to. For those who can breastfeed, we think it’s worth highlighting the amazing benefits it can have ⤵️

✨ Your baby’s saliva sends messages to your body via the ni**le to communicate its needs. It can tell you that your baby is getting sick, before you know it! As a result, your milk will increase antibodies in it to help heal your baby’s sickness 🤯

✨ Breast milk is produced based on demand from your baby. If your baby has been feeding more on one day, your supply will be higher the next day!

✨ During hot weather, your breast milk has higher water content to hydrate your baby. And during growth spurts? Higher fat content to help bub grow 😍

This World Breastfeeding Week, we hope you can strengthen what’s working on your breastfeeding journey.

Support is available if you are needing guidance or help. You don’t have to do this alone. Below is a list of who could assist ⤵️

✨ National Breastfeeding Hotline (available 24/7)
1800 mum 2 mum / 1800 686 268
✨ Australian Breastfeeding Association www.breastfeeding.asn.au
✨GP
✨ Maternal Child Health Nurse
✨ Midwife
✨ Lactation consultant (private or public through your birthing hospital)
✨ Dietitian
✨ Women’s Health Physio

We’ve tagged some amazing, local Geelong health professionals in slide one! 🫶 Contact us to learn more ☺️

02/08/2026

💫 We’re putting together something new for our Reformer Pilates clients…

A new location.

A new studio.

A new take on clinical, pregnancy and postnatal Pilates.

Coming soon 💫

15/06/2026

✨ World Continence Week ✨

June 15-21 is World Continence Week - a global initiative aimed at reducing the stigma and raising awareness of bladder and bowel disorders.

Did you know your bowel habits can impact your bladder function? If you experience urinary incontinence it may be worth addressing your bowels.

The same goes for your feet! Yes, feet! How your body transmits ground reaction forces (eg. Where is the force absorbed when we walk, run or jump) can influence bladder function. The foot may be too rigid or too flexible, resulting in leakage.

Wind incontinence is also a concern people present with in clinic and can be related to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.

Contact us to learn more! 💫

25/05/2026

🏃🏼‍♀️Bladder leakage during running is common, affecting up to 44% of female runners. It was previously thought that this was due to “weak pelvic floor muscles” but oftentimes on assessment we’d find these patients have normal pelvic floor muscle strength, coordination and endurance. New research has now supported our assessments and has shown other factors are contributing to the bladder leakage.

Recent research conducted by and team compared female runners with and without stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and found:

• Pelvic floor strength was similar in both groups
• Trunk and leg muscle strength were also similar
• The key differences were in how the body absorbed impact while running

Runners with bladder leakage showed:
🔹 Less shock absorption at the ankle
🔹 More impact load transferred to the hips and pelvis
🔹 Reduced ability to absorb shock through the legs

Shock attenuation (absorption) refers to how effectively the body absorbs ground reaction forces. In other words, how well does the body ‘dampen’ the force from the foot before it stresses joints and tissues.

The researchers found those females who leak while running had lower energy absorption at the ankle, higher energy absorption at the hip and reduced shock attenuation at the tibia and femur while running. These findings suggest that incontinent runners exhibit inefficient energy absorption throughout the kinetic chain experiencing greater pelvic demands.

💡 Takeaway:
Bladder leakage in runners may be linked more to running mechanics and impact absorption than pelvic floor weakness alone. Addressing whole-body movement patterns, shock absorption, and running technique could play an important role in prevention and treatment.

Interested to learn more? We have a team of Women’s Health Physios and a Sports Podiatrist who collaborate on patients like this (yes, that can be in the same appointment!) to get to the root cause of your concerns.

Contact us on 03 5269 9635 or [email protected] ✨

12/05/2026

👉🏻 We’ve had an increase in young nulliparous females (those who’ve never had a baby) presenting with suspected prolapse symptoms lately 👈🏻

It is rare to see prolapse in nulliparous young females (it can happen with chronic constipation and connective tissue disorders). Oftentimes, the symptoms are due to an overactive pelvic floor.

Overactive pelvic floor muscles (also called a hypertonic or non-relaxing pelvic floor) can create sensations that feel very similar to a pelvic organ prolapse, even when there is no actual organ descent.

When pelvic floor muscles stay tense for long periods, they can:
* fatigue and become painful
* compress nearby nerves and tissues
* create a feeling of heaviness or fullness in the va**na or re**um

People often describe:
* “a tampon falling out”
* va**nal pressure
* dragging/heavy sensations
* feeling like there’s a bulge, especially later in the day
Those descriptions overlap strongly with actual prolapse symptoms.

Overactive muscles don’t function normally. Tight muscles are often:
* shortened
* poorly coordinated
* unable to relax and contract effectively
Instead of supporting the organs dynamically, they can pull unevenly on connective tissues and create altered pressure patterns in the pelvis. This can make the va**nal walls feel “crowded” or swollen.

Tight pelvic floor muscles commonly develop trigger points (irritable knots in muscle tissue). These can refer sensations to:
* the va**na
* bladder
* re**um
* lower abdomen
The brain may interpret this referred sensation as organ descent or internal pressure.

An overactive pelvic floor can make it hard to fully relax when passing stool. This may cause:
* straining
* incomplete emptying
* re**al pressure
That pressure can resemble symptoms of a rectocele (a type of prolapse involving the re**um).

Bladder symptoms overlap too. Tight pelvic floor muscles can irritate the bladder and urethra, causing urinary urgency, frequency and incomplete emptying.

The best way to know what’s going on and what treatment is best? ✨Get an internal pelvic floor assessment with a trained health professional ✨ Contact us to learn more 😊

08/05/2026

21/04/2026

📣 HELLO LARA! 📣

Did you know we offer Women’s Health and Musculoskeletal Physio appointments in Lara?

Working out of the purpose-built South Lara Medical Centre (18 Forest Rd South) we’re available every Monday!

Two of our Physio superstars, Tamika and Aly, are available appointments each week.

All bookings for our Lara location are to be done via our online bookings (select the PhysioPod Co. Lara tab) or through our helpful reception team on 03 5269 9635 ☺️

15/04/2026

💦 PELVIC FLOOR FUNCTION 💦

Urinary incontinence effects 38% of Australian women and 10% of Australian men.

When we talk about urinary incontinence, most people think that it’s due to having “pelvic floor weakness” and that they need to “strengthen” their pelvic floor.

For some, this might be the case, but for others their urinary incontinence may be due to an overactive pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor should be able to fully contract and fully relax, working in its full range of movement.

If the muscles have a weak contraction, this could be due to an under active pelvic floor and may result in bladder leakage. If the muscles aren’t relaxing properly, this could be due to an overactive pelvic floor and may also result in bladder leakage.

Confused?🫤 Let us explain…

Think of a pelvic floor contraction like doing a bicep curl 💪🏻
-The movement should begin with your arm straight, with the muscles relaxed.
-The bicep then contracts to lift your arm up until it is fully bent (100% contraction)
-The bicep then relaxes and lengthens until your arm is straight again (100% relaxation).

If the pelvic floor is overactive, it may only relax 10% of the full range ; this means when it then needs to contract (like when you’re running or sneezing) it only has this 10% range to create a strong contraction (which it can’t). It’s like trying to do bicep curls with your arms 90% bent.

By relaxing the overactive pelvic floor (by doing pelvic floor down training), the bladder leakage will reduce! If we work on contracting an already over contracted pelvic floor, the bladder can get worse.

This is why it’s so important to be assessed by a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist to know what the correct exercises for your incontinence are ✨