Incontinence: Tackling the taboo

More than 5 million women in the UK experience urinary incontinence and it can  have a significant impact on quality of life.

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) surveyed 1,900 women via a parenting website and found that the true number of women affected may be even greater, as many women are too embarrassed to talk about the problem or seek help.  Women surveyed were postnatal and 49% were experiencing incontinence following the birth of their baby.

Following on from this survey a new training package about pregnancy related incontinence for midwives is being rolled out, to ensure that women receive information about pelvic floor exercises and know how to access the physiotherapy help and support they need.

Physiotherapy can help by teaching correct exercises before conception or antenatally,  so that women learn how to do the exercises properly before their muscles have been weakened by pregnancy and childbirth. It can also help with teaching exercises postnatally.

Further information on incontinence and pregnancy can be found on the CSP website by clicking here

It is never too late to start! Even if you have been suffering in silence for many years physiotherapy can help to improve symptoms of incontinence.

To book a confidential assessment contact Carolyn Lindsay, who has over 9 years’ experience of successfully treating women of all ages who are struggling with incontinence.