Kate pelvic physio

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Kate pelvic physio

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Barefoot Physio | Bovey Tracey
POGP southwest area rep
Pelvic health | Pregnancy, postpartum & beyond | Bladder, Bowel & pelvic floor dysfunction | Book your appointment ⬇️

https://thebarefootphysio.com/services/womens-health/

29/06/2026

In your pregnancy your six-pack (abdominal) muscles stretch to give room for your baby to grow.

For some mums-to-be these muscles stretch along their midline connective tissue (linea alba). This stretch is called a Diastasis Recti.

You may notice a gap, peak or doming in your abdominal muscles, particularly when sitting up from a lying position or leaning forward in the bath.

For most mums they will have a small stretch of the connective tissue of one to two fingers’ width after pregnancy, in most cases the muscles come back together within a few weeks.

If your gap at the midline is more than two fingers’ width and / or you have a visible bulge you may have a Diastasis Recti. You may need to discuss this with a women’s health physiotherapist.

What also matters is how your abdominal wall is functioning, how you are moving, and how well your body is managing load and pressure.

👉 If this is something you are concerned about, feel free to message me or book your session 🤍

26/05/2026

If you’ve ever stopped yourself from booking because you felt embarrassed, this post is for you.

In pelvic health physiotherapy, there is no such thing as too much information.

We talk about things that many women have never felt able to say out loud. Bladder leaks, urgency, pressure, pain, bowel changes, symptoms after birth, pain during intimacy, and all the questions that come with them.

This should feel like a safe space to talk honestly about what is happening in your body.

You do not need to minimise it, laugh it off, or feel awkward bringing it up.

The more openly we can talk, the better we can understand what is happening and what will help.

👉 If you’ve been wondering whether to book, feel free to message me or book your session 💛

21/05/2026

Whether you enjoy walking, running, gym classes, strength training, or simply want to move through daily life more comfortably, your pelvic health matters.

A big part of what I do is helping women return to exercise, or continue exercising, with more confidence and less worry about symptoms.

Your body should feel supported, not like something you have to work around all the time.

👉 If symptoms are getting in the way of movement or exercise, feel free to message me or book your session. 💛

17/05/2026

Don’t forget! This Monday (18th May) I am giving a talk at 19.30 in the Bovey community centre (next to the library) regarding all things pelvic health.

This event is free and open to all who want to come and listen.

Feel free to spread the word, if you want to.

14/05/2026

A client review

13/05/2026

Do you need to have an internal examination at your appointment?

The simple answer is; no!

An internal examination and treatment, is only carried out by someone who has been specifically trained with a unique set of skills and qualifications.

However, it is always your choice.

You have the option to chose:

⭐️ yes, to an internal examination

⭐️ no, to an internal examination

⭐️ not today, but I may consider it in the future

It is always our body, your choice.

I will discuss why it may be important for your treatment plan to include this but again, it will always be presented as an option for you to choose. I will talk you through the exam and what I am assessing for.

What is involved with an internal examination:

⭐️ checking your vulvar tissues to identify any skin changes or abnormalities

⭐️ checking for signs of a prolapse

⭐️checking you are doing pelvic floor muscle exercises correctly as well as to create a treatment plan tailored to you

I understand that an internal examination can seem daunting. As a pelvic health physiotherapist I always want to meet my patients where they are at and provide as much info so they feel as comfortable as possible. It’s very much a team effort so both people need to be fully on-board.

👉If you’ve been holding back from booking because of this concern, feel free to message me or book in using the link in my DMs 🤍

09/05/2026

A little reminder from me today to check in with your pelvic floor exercises.

The difficulty people often have with pelvic floor exercises is that you can’t see them and therefore you don’t know if you’re doing them correctly.

Key points with pelvic floor exercises;

💪make sure you are working the whole muscle

💪 start at the back and then bring this forwards and up

Here are some helpful cues to activate your pelvic floor muscle:

💪 imagine you are trying to stop yourself passing wind

💪 imagine you are trying to stop yourself passing a wee

💪 lift this all up together towards your belly button

Things to make sure your not doing:

🛑 squeezing your buttocks

🛑 holding your breath

🛑 squeezing your legs together

🛑 massively pulling in your tummy, slight tummy squeeze is okay

If your not sure your doing exercises correctly, feeling pain or just want them double checked please go and see a pelvic health physio.

Your pelvic floor exercises do not need to take long, but consistency matters.

One of the easiest ways to make them part of your day is to link them to something you already do, such as brushing your teeth, waiting for the kettle, or getting ready for bed.

Small habits really do add up.

👉 If you’re not sure whether you’re doing them correctly, or you’ve been doing them for a while and your symptoms are still there, feel free to message me or book in using the link in my DMs 🤍

06/05/2026

Calling all women! I'm thrilled to share my knowledge on female pelvic health at Bovey Tracey community hall (by the library) on Monday 18th May at 7:30pm. Let's break the taboo together!

There is an event page on the page just let me know if your interested or coming - https://facebook.com/events/s/pelvic-health-event/1530178175419803/

05/05/2026

If you are struggling with your bladder and it is affecting your day to life and limiting what you are this is for you.

Do you find you’re constantly needing the toilet, worried about leaks or find yourself looking for the toilets as soon as you go somewhere new just incase?

Do you find you have a strong urge to void your bladder with or without leaking before you get to the toilet?

This is known as an overactive bladder.

The NICE guidelines advise the first line of treatment for an overactive bladder is pelvic health Physiotherapy.

During your appointment we will discuss your bladder habits and routines, along with what you’re drinking.

Treatment for an overactive bladder may include lifestyle advise, this may include;

💧advice on what you are drinking - caffeine, fizzy drinks, citrus drinks / squash and alcohol are known to sometimes irritate the bladder

💧the amount you are drinking - if you are dehydrated your urine becomes concentrated and can irritate your bladder, aim for 6-8 drinks per day

💧habit - do you find yourself doing lots of just in case voids, if you do try and reduce/ stop these and only go when you get the urge

💧stress and anxiety - this can sometimes cause the pelvic floor to tighten (our tail bone / coccyx curls inwardly in a protective position) which in term can irritate the bladder, working on your diaphragmatic breathing can help to calm the nervous system down

💧incomplete bladder emptying - this may be due to hovering over the toilet, not sitting and waiting post void, a prolapse or an overactive pelvic floor muscle

💧constipation - managing your bowels can help with improving your bladder control

💧smoking - smoking cessation to came to improve the bladder

Along side you may be advised pelvic floor muscle exercises also known as kegels.

👉 If this is something you’ve been meaning to look into, you can message me or book in using the link in my DMs 🤍

01/05/2026

📣This Get Lippy month we want to encourage everyone to chat to their GP not ChatGPT if they are worried about gynae health symptoms.

We ran 25 test scenarios with ChatGPT, where we posed as patients with key symptoms of the five gynae cancers.

Our testing of found serious concerns, with it missing ovarian and vulval cancer as potential causes of leading symptoms, giving inaccurate or outdated information and giving inappropriate medical advice.

When we posed as a patient with persistent bloating for more than three weeks, it did not mention ovarian cancer as a potential cause, even though this is one of the leading symptoms . While it did recommend seeing a doctor, it kept offering diet advice and tips around dealing with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is a benign condition that patients with ovarian cancer are commonly misdiagnosed with. Ovarian cancer still wasn’t mentioned even when we explained that the hypothetical patient had already changed their diet and their bloating was getting worse.

Vulval cancer was also missed as a potential cause of vulval itching. Even when we gave details of vulval itching which exactly matched how it would present if it was a sign of cancer, like it hadn’t improved with over-the-counter medicines and was worse at night.

We are particularly worried because more and more people are turning to ChatGPT and other platforms like it for health information and advice. We surveyed over 2000 women in the UK (YouGov, March 2026) and found that AI platforms have overtaken social media as places women go to with their gynae health questions and concerns.

1 in 10 women with gynae health concerns had gone to AI platforms like ChatGPT for advice and information. Only 1 in 3 of them felt encouraged to see a doctor and only 16% said they didn’t fully trust the information.

Through the month of May we will be Getting Lippy and loud about the dangers of mis and disinformation and sharing our toolkit on how to pick out trusted information.

Read more about the news and find our toolkit (from Patient Information Forum resources) on:
https://eveappeal.org.uk/campaigns/get-lippy/

You can get involved in Get Lippy by buying a participating product in May, donating to The Eve Appeal (full list will be on our website from May 1). Also follow us and share our life-saving information and tips.

Address

Bovey Tracey

Website

https://thebarefootphysio.com/team/kate-harvey/

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