Women’s health
Ante Natal Pain/ Pelvic Girdle pain - Postnatal Recovery - Menopause support - Painful Intercourse or numbness during intercourse - Menstrual pain - Endometriosis - Infertility support
Antenatal pain /pelvic girdle pain
A physiotherapy examination is necessary to assess pelvic alignment. Asymmetries will be corrected, however the most common issue is tension in the muscles of the pelvis and hips that needs to be released. Exercises and advise may be necessary. If there is anxiety around the pregnancy and childbirth bodytalk can be helpful to bring more ease and trust into the body.
Menopause support
As the ovaries wind down in function the adrenal glands are supposed to take over the production of oestrogen. Therefore keeping your adrenals and nervous system in good health during the perimenopausal period is essential. Especially if you find it hard to relax or know that your nervous system is carrying trauma, this can be the missing piece in the transition. Craniosacral therapy, bodytalk, nervous system education and often gentle, mindful movement are my modalities of choice
Painful sexual intercourse
Painful sex can be related to thinning of the vaginal tissues due to lowered oestrogen.
However it is often due to a condition known as vaginismus, where the muscles of the vagina have become chronically contracted. There can be many reasons; stress, trauma, medical trauma, history of any kind of pelvic pain, including menstrual pain. It could also be a series of small traumas such as when intercourse happens before the body is fully ready. So my approach is to go very slowly and with a lot of sensitivity. Longer sessions are useful here as the body and nervous system need to be in a state of relaxation before any internal work is done. Working at the pace of your body and your nervous system is the key factor here.
Vaginal numbness during sex.
This is often a sign of trauma. This very sensitive part of the body needs to be treated with delicacy and respect. Most of us were not taught how to listen to our bodies and say yes or no accordingly. When we have habitually overriden the body's desires and boundaries numbness can occur. The process of healing it involves slowly working with the tissues of the body and the pelvis in accordance with your inner guidance. It may take several sessions before any internal work is done.
Menstrual pain
Nervous system regulation, menstrual cycle awareness, manual therapy to release restrictions in the pelvis and abdomen can really help with alleviating menstrual pain. Nutritional support is often necessary here also and I can refer you to an appropriate practitioner if that is necessary.
Infertility support
An ideal environment for conception is a body that is relaxed and regulated, with good sleep and periods of deep relaxation during the day. If you are having difficulty with this, it may be that you need some support in learning how to regulate your nervous system. If there is trauma in your system, it can manifest as deep unease, anxiety, depression, insomnia or a wide host of other symptoms. Of course healthy nutrition also plays a big part in preparing for pregnancy so where necessary I can help you find a suitable practitioner.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a complex condition that requires a multidisciplinary approach.
The gold standard is generally considered to be a combination of physiotherapy, nutritional therapy and often surgery by a highly skilled surgeon.
My approach is to work with the nervous system (less stress in your body equals less inflammation) and also to help release tension in the abdomen, pelvis and pelvic floor to improve circulation and blood flow and to ease pain. Menstrual cycle awareness is also extremely important, learning how to live in tune with your cycles brings balance to our hormones.
How many sessions will I need?
This is highly variable and depends on the chronicity of the problem, ie how long you have had it, or how long it has been building up. Something relatively uncomplicated like pelvic girdle pain might need only a session or two but most other conditions mentioned here require deeper work and time.
We can figure out between us what is a manageable frequency of sessions and I will always put a lot of focus on what you can do yourself between sessions to create lasting change.
For these chronic conditions I generally feel it's good to do a few sessions relatively close together to get you going.
After that a lot of my clients move to doing a session every three or four weeks to continue progress.
For pelvic floor work especially in the case of vaginismus I recommend doing longer sessions to allow the nervous system to really relax.