Welcome
I’m Laura, a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist in Kitchener-Waterloo, thank you for stopping by!
I started this website and began my career in pelvic physiotherapy because I am passionate about helping people learn more about this often unknown area of their body.
Too often in health care pelvic floor concerns are not openly discussed or written off as “normal” especially for women during pregnancy, menopause or menstruation. You can get help with pelvic pain, pregnancy, post-partum care, bowel health, prolapse, incontinence, and so much more. I’m here to change those narratives and help people get the treatment and information that they need.
What is pelvic physiotherapy?
Below are some common areas that I can help you address and improve.
Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain can come in many shapes and forms; however, it can always be highly interfering with quality of life and difficult to experience. If you are experiencing pelvic pain, you are not alone and as pelvic physiotherapists, we are here to help. A few common pelvic pain conditions include; pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain, vaginismus, vulvodynia, dyspareunia (painful sex), dysmenorrhea (painful periods), coccydynia (tailbone pain), painful orgasms, chronic non-bacterial prostatitis or pain from PCOS and endometriosis.
Pregnancy
Pelvic Health Physiotherapy can have a big role in pregnancy health and management even if you are not experiencing any pelvic-related symptoms. During pregnancy, pelvic physiotherapy can assist with managing hip, low back and rib pain or diastasis rectus as well as symptoms of incontinence or urgency. Proactively, pelvic physiotherapy is great to assist with preparing for labor and delivery with perineal tissue massage in an effort to reduce the instance of perineal tearing or episiotomies.
Post-Partum
The post-partum period often has a big focus on how baby is doing, but moms you are important too! Pelvic health physiotherapy can assist with painful intercourse, returning to intercourse after delivery, perineal scar mobilization following tearing or episiotomies, pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, diastasis rectus/abdominal separation, hemorrhoids and c-section scar pain. Even if you are not experiencing any symptoms, it is worthwhile to visit a pelvic floor physiotherapy for a general check-up and/or to assist with returning to exercise.
Bowel Health
Bowels are the cornerstone of pelvic health! Bowel problems are actually extremely common, yet so many people feel they have to suffer in silence or are embarrassed to discuss their issues. Common bowel concerns can include constipation, bloating, trapped gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, incomplete emptying, hemorrhoids and fissures and fecal incontinence. Bowel concerns often go hand in hand with pelvic floor dysfunction, so addressing these issues with pelvic physiotherapy can be a great place to start!
Prolapse
Pelvic Organ Prolapse can occur when pelvic organs lower and push against the vaginal walls or descend into the vaginal opening. Prolapse symptoms can feel and sound scary, but they are highly treatable and do not necessarily mean you cannot exercise or participate in the activities you enjoy.
Incontinence
Incontinence, or leaking can occur with both urine and/or stool and may happen when there is urgency to go to the washroom or when there is stress on the pelvic organs such as with laughing, coughing, sneezing or exercising. While incontinence is common, it is NOT normal and can be treated with pelvic physiotherapy.
What can I expect from my pelvic physio appointment?
Every patient is unique and there is no one size fits all solution. This will give you a general idea on what you might expect and you can also read more.
01
Let's chat!
The first thing I want to do is hear your whole, complete history; what brought you in, why now and what your concerns are. No detail is too small or too silly for us to discuss. I often spend the most amount of time in the initial consultation going over your complaints and your history.
02
Physical Examination
People often have questions about this one, especially when they find out an internal pelvic floor muscle examination can be involved. The most important thing to know is that we look at so much more than just the pelvis; we look at the back, hips, abdomen, trunk muscles, posture and breathing patterns. Yes, we do sometimes recommend an internal pelvic floor muscle examination but this is not mandatory.
03
Treatment Plan
After we’ve completed both those portions of the examination, we will chat about a treatment plan for you. Your treatment plan will always be patient centered and focused on your goals. I will give my professional recommendations, but I am only here to guide you and you will always have the final say in how we proceed.
04
The Journey
As with most things in life, the journey to reach your health care goals may not always be a forward straight line, this is ok! I will be there to support you every step of the way and no matter what, the journey will be worth it.
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Visit Me In Clinic
I treat clients from all over the Waterloo Region and surrounding areas including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Wilmot, Wellesley, Woolwich, Guelph, and even Stratford!