Novella Health

Home
Australia
Whitsundays, QLD
Novella Health

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Novella Health, Medical and health, Whitsundays.

Supporting Women’s Health, Pelvic Rehab, and Nuturing Fertility through Physiotherapy

Dr Camille Rains- Physiotherapist
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Master of Physiotherapy Studies
Bachelor of Exercise Sport Science- Athletic Training

15/08/2026

When you have pelvic, bladder, bowel, sexual or period symptoms, it may be hard to know where to start.

The good news is these healthcare professionals can work together and communicate to make sure you’re getting the right care.

A pelvic health physio is trained to recognise red flags; things that don’t look, sound or feel right and may need medical assessment.

We don’t just assess muscles and send everyone home with pelvic floor exercises!

I have a clinical doctorate as well as 25 years experience, with extensive training in recognising red flags, assessing risk, knowing when medical review or referral is needed, and recognising when something is outside my scope of practice.

If your history or assessment suggests you need further investigation or another type of care, your physio will refer you back to your GP and communicate with your care team about what was found.

I also love working alongside a range of health professionals, including acupuncturists, naturopaths, massage therapists, personal trainers, psychologists, chiropractors and more.

Your healthcare needs can change over time, so knowing who is available in your healthcare community can be really valuable.

When it comes to pelvic health, if you’re unsure where to start, a GP or pelvic health physio can help you work out the next step.

This content is for education only and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.

Yours in the healthcare community,
Dr Camille Rains- Physiotherapist
Novella Health- Whitsundays: Cannonvale, Proserpine, Bowen

Supporting women’s health & hormones, pelvic rehab, and nurturing fertility through physiotherapy

08/08/2026

Bedwetting is super common and there comes a time when we should be able to wake up and go to the toilet. That time is a little different for everyone. Some kids get it at 2 or 3 other kids maybe 5 or 6.

Bedwetting is rarely, rarely caused by laziness or bad behaviour.

Sometimes bedwetting can be related to:
- An overactive bladder
- Constipation
- Delayed hormone regulation
- Difficulty recognising bladder signals
- Family history
- Lifestyle factors
Or most importantly, BREATHING issues!!!

First, work with your GP to rule out any medical issues! Super important step!

As a pelvic health physiotherapist, I then look beyond the symptom. We assess bladder and bowel habits, stress, sleep patterns, pelvic floor function, fluid intake, toileting patterns, posture, and lifestyle factors, and screen for possible breathing issues to understand why bedwetting is happening. It’s rarely ever one thing!

Treatment is about giving children and families practical strategies that build confidence and support dry nights. Depending on what we find in the assessment, you may need to work with another practitioner such as an Orofacial Myotherapist to work with breathing, mouth and tongue weakness.

Other times alarms may work and they are popular amongst practitioners because they are written into the clinical guidelines, but they can also cause stress so we need to really understand the life patterns of the family and what the root cause of the issue is.

If your child is over 5 years old and still regularly wets the bed, or has started bedwetting again after previously being dry, it’s worth seeking an assessment. You don’t have to “just wait it out.”

Yes this goes for teens too! Puberty doesn’t always change this!

Bedwetting is not uncommon for adults either! We don’t call it bedwetting anymore but essentially it is! Maybe they have never had a dry night or it’s starting to happen after menopause.

Word of warning- rarely is it a quick fix and YES exercises are a major aspect of treatment AND the more they are done, the better the results.

Yours in sleeping tight,
Dr Camille Rains- Physiotherapist
Novella Health- Whitsundays

02/08/2026

In this video, I’m sharing why I use the Tumbling Towers model in clinic and why understanding your foundations can completely change the way you approach your health.

This is not a fixed model and you may find you need to move your foundations around as you may have mastered nutrition but need to work on sleep, so therefore you need to make sure your cortisol isn’t spiking at 2 am due to stress of glucose spikes. See? It’s all stacked and all linked.

It’s okay if you don’t agree on where the levels sit, but this is what I have found in the last 25 years in the health industry that people need help with the most.

Enjoy! And yes I did not enjoy making this video and posting it makes me extremely nervous!

Yours in tumbling towers,
Dr Camille Rains - Physiotherapist
Novella Health- Whitsundays

Supporting women’s health & hormones, pelvic rehab, and nurturing fertility through physiotherapy

26/07/2026

Fertility support is often something people seek once they’ve been trying to conceive without success. And while that’s absolutely the right time to seek support, what about preparing the soil before planting the seed?

Cheesy metaphor, but it’s worth thinking about.

Fertility optimisation is about preparing your body before pregnancy. So where does physiotherapy fit in?

As a pelvic health physiotherapist with advanced training in fertility optimisation, I take a whole-person approach. Together, we explore your cycle, pelvic health, lifestyle, hormone health, nutrition, and any underlying factors that may be influencing your fertility.

That might mean addressing pelvic pain, painful periods, endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic floor dysfunction, or helping you better understand your menstrual cycle and optimise timing for conception.

Using hands-on treatment alongside evidence-based education, my goal is to help you understand your body, navigate the healthcare system with confidence.

And here’s something I want you to know…

Supporting your fertility isn’t only about having a baby. It can be about enhancing vitality at any age.

Your menstrual cycle and reproductive health can tell us a lot about your overall health and wellbeing. So even if pregnancy isn’t on your radar or isn’t something you want or you’ve already done that, addressing pelvic pain, painful periods, cycle concerns, or hormone-related symptoms can still help you feel healthier, stronger, and more connected to your body.

Yours in fertility,

Dr Camille Rains | Physiotherapist
Novella Health – Whitsundays

Nurturing fertility & vitality through physiotherapy.

17/07/2026

Period and bladder leakage underwear can be a fantastic, reusable option but how you wash them is super important! Don’t just throw them in with the rest of the clothes straight up! Please, please, please rinse in cold water first. Not just a little dip under the running water but a good hearty rinse until clear! This helps remove blood/urine before it has a chance to set into the fabric. Then put them some they can air dry. You don’t want them to grow mold!

Skip the fabric softener. It coats the absorbent fibres, reducing how much they can absorb over time. And maybe don’t use fabric softener anyway. We don’t know what any of those ingredients are.

Avoid bleach. It can damage the specialised layers that make absorptive un**es effective. That layer is basically plastic and it will eat through it and they will leak. Plus bleach doesn’t kill mold anyway.

Air dry whenever possible. High heat can reduce the lifespan and performance of the absorbent materials.
Always follow the manufacturer’s care instructions. Different brands use different fabrics and technologies, so the care label is your best guide.

If your reusable underwear starts to smell even after washing, detergent residue or urine/ me**es minerals may have built up in the fabric. An occasional extra rinse cycle can help remove this build-up and restore freshness. You can even use 1/2 cup white vinegar to help but don’t do this every wash, only if there’s a smell!

With the right care, most period/ bladder leakage un**es are designed to last around 30–50 washes, with some premium brands lasting up to 100 washes.

Taking a few extra minutes to care for your period un**es can help them stay comfortable, absorbent, effective and most importantly hygienic for a few years!

Yours in hygiene,
Dr Camille Rains- Physiotherapist
Novella Health- Whitsundays

11/07/2026

I started Novella Health as part of my healing journey after experiencing birth trauma.

My first birth changed me completely. I experienced birth injuries and postpartum depression, and later, traumatic miscarriages that broke my heart and flared those same injuries.

Birth trauma looks different for everyone. It isn’t always defined by what happened medically, but by how the experience is lived. Sometimes it’s physical injury. Sometimes it’s not being heard, feeling powerless, or carrying emotional wounds long after birth.

My last baby helped heal parts of my story, but the real healing came through time, education, rehabilitation, and turning my trauma into purpose.

Now, I care for women every week with both recent and longstanding birth injuries. Alongside broken hearts, tired eyes, and injured bodies, I also witness incredible strength, resilience, and healing. Birth trauma may become part of your story, but it doesn’t have to define the rest of it.

Healing looks different for everyone. There is no timeline and no right way to heal.

During Birth Trauma Awareness Week (13–19 July), I want every woman and family to know that your experience matters. You deserve to be heard, believed, and supported. You deserve compassionate, trauma-informed care, and you don’t have to navigate healing alone.

Yours in birthing,

Dr Camille Rains | Physiotherapist
Novella Health – Whitsundays

Supporting women’s health & hormones, pelvic rehabilitation, and nurturing fertility through physiotherapy.

03/07/2026

I’m curious…

If you could only focus on ONE thing for better health, what would it be?

- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Stress management
- Supports like friends and family
- Treatment like physio, massage, naturopathy, acupuncture, etc

There are no wrong answers. I genuinely love to know what you’d choose. Don’t leave me hanging! 😂 I’ll share why I’m asking soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

Yours in health,
Dr Camille Rains- physiotherapist
Novella Health- Whitsundays

Supporting women’s health & hormones, pelvic rehab, and nurturing fertility through physiotherapy.

26/06/2026

How can pelvic physiotherapy help if I’m having a planned caesarean birth?

Most women leave hospital with a list of things they shouldn’t do. But very few are told what they can do to support their recovery.

The reality is that a caesarean birth is major abdominal surgery. Having a recovery plan before birth can make a significant difference to your confidence, comfort and return to everyday activities.

There are exercises, breathing strategies, movement techniques, and abdominal exercises that can begin from day one and progress throughout the first six weeks and beyond.

This is something I am particularly passionate about because I experienced the difference myself.

After my first emergency caesarean, recovery felt slow and difficult. Six years later, I approached my second caesarean very differently. I had completed my prehab and already had a rehabilitation plan in place. The difference in my recovery was remarkable.

Every prehab and rehab program is individualised and taught during pregnancy so that you know exactly what to do after birth. If your birth plans change, your recovery plan may change too.

Planning a TOLAC and hoping for a VBAC? We can discuss both possibilities and prepare for either outcome.

My favourite time to start this process is between 20 and 30 weeks of pregnancy, although it’s never too early or too late to begin.

We spend so much time on our birth plans. Let’s put the same thought into our recovery plans.

Yours in prehab and rehab planning,
Dr Camille Rains Physiotherapist
Novella Health- Whitsundays

Supporting women’s health and hormones, pelvic rehab, & nurturing fertility through physiotherapy

19/06/2026

People often ask me what I do as a pelvic health physio.

The answer is that no two days are ever the same.

Today I worked with women navigating fertility concerns, endometriosis, pregnancy, prolapse, bladder and bowel symptoms, surgical recovery, running goals, and pain with intimacy.

Every appointment is different, every woman has her own story, and that’s one of the things I love most about this profession.

Which appointment surprised you most?

13/06/2026

Pelvic organ prolapse can occur when there is stretching or separation of the va**nal walls and/or weakening, stretching, or tearing of the connective tissues and muscles that support the pelvic organs.

Common contributing factors include:
pregnancy & childbirth, instrumental births, larger babies, multiple pregnancies and births, ageing, perimenopause and menopause-related tissue changes, genetics, connective tissue differences, chronic constipation or coughing, heavy lifting, higher body weight, and pelvic trauma.

It’s important to remember that prolapse is complex. Many women with several risk factors may never develop prolapse, while others with few or no obvious risk factors may.

Symptoms may include:

* heaviness or dragging in the va**na
* va**nal bulge or pressure
* bladder or bowel emptying difficulty
* symptoms worse with standing, lifting or exercise

While surgery can be appropriate in some cases, it is not the only option.

As a pelvic health physiotherapist, I assess, manage, and refer on when needed. Management is always individualised.

Treatment options may include pelvic floor muscle training, pressure and bowel management, exercise prescription, lifestyle changes, va**nal oestrogen (via GP), and silicone va**nal pessaries.

A pessary is a removable silicone device that can help support the pelvic organs and reduce symptoms. It is fitted by a trained health professional and is not suitable for everyone, but when it is, it can be life changing.

At Novella Health, I am trained and experienced in pessary fitting and prolapse management and we can discuss whether this is appropriate for you.

If you are experiencing symptoms or want an assessment, you can book via my website.

Yours in pelvic organ prolapse awareness month,
Dr Camille Rains – Physiotherapist
Novella Health | Whitsundays

Address

Whitsundays, QLD
4800

Telephone

+61422743230

Website

http://www.yournovellahealth.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Novella Health posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Novella Health:

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Whitsundays?