Quick Links
- How to access Physiotherapy
- Your first appointment
- Cancelling your appointment
- Pelvic Floor Exercises
- Useful information
About us
We are a small team of physiotherapists and assistants, with specialist knowledge and training in the field of Pelvic Health. We provide care in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including telephone assessments, face to face assessments, group sessions and information classes.
Our services
We provide information and treatment advice on the following conditions
- Bladder and bowel continence problems:
- Stress urinary incontinence
- Over active bladder and urge urinary incontinence
- Mixed urinary incontinence
- Faecal (bowel) incontinence
- Gynaecological problems:
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Pre and post-surgical advice
- Post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence in men
Bladder and Bowel Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It’s a common problem thought to affect millions of people.
There are several types of urinary incontinence. The two most common problems that physiotherapy can help with are:
- Stress incontinence – leaking urine out at times when your bladder is under pressure; for example, when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift or jump
- Urge (urgency) incontinence – feeling a sudden, intense urge to wee and leaking before you can get to the toilet
- It’s also possible to have a mixture of both stress and urge urinary incontinence (sometimes known as mixed urinary incontinence)
Faecal incontinence is the unintentional leaking of stools (poo).
Pelvic health physiotherapists assess and treat these conditions, providing exercises and advice regarding lifestyle changes and bladder or bowel habits. All of this can have a big impact on improving symptoms.
Get more general information from the NHS about urinary incontinence
The POGP have produced a variety of leaflets patients may find useful, including:
- Pelvic floor exercises for women and for men
- Promoting continence with physiotherapy
- Improving bowel function
- Pelvic floor exercise advice for Trans women/trans feminine/non binary/assigned female at birth
- Pelvic floor exercise advise for Trans men/trans masculine/non binary/assigned male at birth
The International Urogynaecological Association (IUGA) have a number of information leaflets about a number of gynaecological conditions and treatments, including some in different languages
The British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS)also have leaflets about various bladder conditions and treatments
If you need our help please click
Pelvic organ Prolapse
Pelvic organ prolapse (sometimes called vaginal prolapse) is when one or more of the vaginal walls, or the top of the vagina move downwards and cause a bulging or heavy feeling in the vagina.
The bulge may stay within the vagina or bulge beyond the vaginal entrance and you may be able to feel “something there”.
The feeling of prolapse may come and go, and may be worse after certain activities, such as walking or standing for prolonged periods, or towards the end of the day.
It is important to note that, even if you have had a hysterectomy, you may still suffer with prolapse, as the vaginal vault (top of the vagina) may still prolapse.
If you are seen by a gynaecologist it is likely that you will be referred to physiotherapy. This is in accordance with NICE guidelines. It is important you attend your physiotherapy appointment to discuss your concerns and complete your treatment. In some cases, physiotherapy can solve the problem and avoid surgery.
In cases where surgery is needed, it is still important to attend physiotherapy, as having a stronger pelvic floor before surgery, helps to reduce the risk of another prolapse after surgery.
Gynaecological Surgery
If you have a hysterectomy and/or a pelvic floor repair, please expect to see one of our specialist assistants on the ward. They will be able to provide you with information and advice on recovering from your surgery and will provide you with the POGP booklet “Fit Following Surgery”. Our assistants will usually see you the day after surgery, please feel free to discuss any issues or concerns with them and they will do their upmost to answer them for you.
If you have a pelvic floor repair they will call you approximately 6 weeks following surgery to check if you have any issues or concerns, or if you need any further input from physiotherapy.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have “recovering well” guides for advice following gynaecological surgery
The Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapists (POGP) website also contains other information leaflets you might find useful to your recovery
The International Urogynaecological Association (IUGA) have a number of information leaflets about a number of surgical procedures, including some in different languages
The British Association of Urological Surgeons also have leaflets about various bladder conditions and treatments, including surgery
Post-prostatectomy incontinence in men
Men may experience urinary incontinence following prostate surgery, typically due to prostate cancer treatment
We give advice and exercises to men who have developed urinary incontinence following their prostate surgery.
There is a pelvic floor exercise leaflet specifically for men:
Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men
The bladder and bowel community is a website with information, advice and support.
How to access Physiotherapy
We accept referrals from any health care professional involved in your care. Most commonly this is GPs or consultants, but we also receive referrals from other health care professionals such as primary care practitioners, continence nurses, physiotherapists and midwives.
If you think you would benefit from physiotherapy assessment and treatment please discuss with your health professional and ask for a referral.
When referrals are received, they are triaged by our physiotherapy team, who look at the information in the referral and decide how urgently you need to be seen, and you may be placed on a short waiting list.
When we are able to provide you with an appointment, you will receive a letter inviting you to ring the department and book your appointment.
Please Note: If you do not respond to this letter, you will be discharged from physiotherapy and a letter will be sent to whoever referred you to us. If you were referred by a consultant, this could lead to you being discharged from your Consultant also, and any further appointments with them may be cancelled.
Please call the booking team on 01302 644207 if you have any questions
Your physiotherapy appointment
Depending on the issue you are seeking helping for, and any other needs you may have, you may be asked to attend an information class, a telephone consultation or a face to face assessment initially. If you require an interpreter or have any additional support needs to enable you to get the most out of your treatment, please let the reception team know when you ring up to make an appointment.
Pelvic Floor Information Class
For most women referred with incontinence or prolapse symptoms, we invite you to attend an initial education and advice class. This lasts up to an hour and provides you with a lot of information about your problem and what physiotherapy can do, and it allows you to get started with some of the advice and exercises as soon as possible.
This education class is a small group of women, all with similar problems. You are not expected to give any details about yourself or your personal situation in this session, or to do any exercises – it is just an information “talk”.
After attending the information class, you will be able to book an individual assessment – this will be explained during the session.
Most women who do attend the class, however, are pleasantly surprised at how much they learn, and do recommend it to other women. Some recent feedback we have received from women attending the class includes:
“It was brilliant – I learned so much – every woman should attend”
“I learned a lot – it was really informative and helpful”
“It covered so much that I didn’t know – I enjoyed it and it was very helpful”
“The Physiotherapist answered my questions at the end of the talk – she was helpful, knowledgeable and friendly – I’m very glad I went”
“It was very helpful – I was able to ask questions – it was not embarrassing or patronising, and the physiotherapist was lovely”
However, we do understand that pelvic floor-related problems are sensitive in nature, and some people will not want to attend a class, even though it is just an information and advice session and you will have a 1:1 afterwards. If this is the case, or there is any other reason why you are cannot attend the information class, let the receptionist know when you ring, and you will be given a 1:1 telephone assessment. You will be sent an information sheet containing links to a video of the information and a leaflet to read before your 1:1 appointment.
Your 1:1 appointment
If you book a 1:1 after attending the information session, or if you choose a 1:1 initially, this will usually be a telephone consultation. Before your 1:1 appointment it is important that you have attended the class or watched the video of the pre-recorded class on the link sent to you if at all possible.
Please ensure you are in a quiet place at the time of your appointment to take the call so that you can concentrate and have privacy if you need it – for example make sure you are not driving or in a meeting!
The physiotherapist will ask you questions relating to your problem, which might include:
- The history of your problem (when it started, what has happened since, what symptoms you have, what treatment you have had etc)
- Your general health and wellbeing (including other health conditions, previous surgery etc)
- Your medication (it would help if you had a list ready)
- Your work, hobbies, commitments and interests and how they are affected
You will probably be asked some personal questions about your condition, which we appreciate may be sensitive and embarrassing but any questions asked will help us to understand your problem, how it affects you, and how we may be able to help you. If you do not wish to answer any of the questions, please tell your physiotherapist.
After the questions, the physiotherapist will discuss with you your problem, for example the symptoms that we can help with, why you might have these symptoms and the treatment options that they think may be helpful to you.
You will have the opportunity to ask the physiotherapist questions, so feel free to write some questions down before the consultation.
As we are a teaching hospital, students supervised by qualified staff might be involved in your care. If you do not want to be assessed or treated by a student then please tell us – this will not affect your care.
Chaperones
If you would like a chaperone for any of your face to face appointments, please inform us as soon as possible, so that we can make the appropriate arrangements for this.
Our clinic locations
Clinics are held at the following sites (please let our reception team team when booking an appointment where you would prefer to be seen):
Doncaster Royal Infirmary Physiotherapy Department. How to find us information can be found here.
Bassetlaw Hospital Clinical Therapy Department. How to find us information can be found here.
Retford Hospital/Primary Care Centre Physiotherapy Department. How to find us information can be found here.
Montagu Hospital Physiotherapy Department (inside the Fred and Ann Green Rehabilitation Centre). How to find us information can be found here.
Please note that the education class sessions are only available at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals, but you can then have your 1:1 appointments at a different site.
Appointments at Retford and Mexborough are not always available – this depends on staff capacity.
Cancelling a physiotherapy appointment
If you are running late or unable to make your appointment, please contact us on 01302 644207.
If you fail to attend your appointments and have not notified us, you will be discharged from our service. This may also mean you are discharged from your consultant and may cause delays to treatment. If you still require an appointment, you will need to obtain another referral.
For a telephone consultation, we will make two attempts to call you at your allocated appointment time, over the space of 10 minutes. If you do not answer, this is classed as a “did not attend” and you will be discharged from physiotherapy. We will do our best to ring you at the allocated time, but please ensure that you are available for an hour after that time, in case we are delayed.
Women’s gynaecology/Urology issues:
Please ensure that you watch the video below before your appointment.
If you are unable to access this information, then we will send you paper copies of the leaflets after your telephone appointment.
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles around your bladder, bottom, and vagina or penis.
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can help urinary incontinence, treat pelvic organ prolapse, and make sex better too.
Everyone can benefit from doing pelvic floor exercises, regardless of age.
Pelvic floor exercises are also very important before and after having a baby and can help to prevent problems birth now and in the future, such as incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.
It is important for recovery following pelvic floor repairs, hysterectomy or prostate surgery.
If you have any symptoms which may be worrying you, such as not being able to control your urine, leaking when coughing or sneezing or rushing to the toilet. We would advise you to speak with your GP or discuss with your midwife.
The Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapists (POGP) website have many leaflets available to download and print, including
They also have a wide variety of leaflets/information on other topics available (all of the information and leaflets can be translated into many languages and presented in different visual and verbal formats to make it more accessible).
Below is a video produced by the NHS – How and When should I do my pelvic floor exercises?
Other Resources:
NEW!
GetUbetter is a free app developed by clinical specialists and available FREE to women across South Yorkshire
It provides information and advice on conditions including Stress Incontinence, Over active bladder and prolapse. It also provides information on health prevention and a whole host of added features including:
- Pelvic floor exercise videos
- Information, guidance and advice
- Top tips for managing symptoms of pelvic health problems
- Regular surveys to monitor symptoms and progress
- Links to local support services.
Don’t delay and download today!!
Please select the link below for the app specific to your local area
Please note other apps are available:
The “NHS squeezy” App was also designed by chartered physiotherapists specialising in women’s and men’s health and is a very useful aid to help you remember your pelvic floor exercises, as well as providing useful information. It is available on Apple and Android devices and costs £2.99.
Useful Information
NICE Guidelines:
Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management available at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng123/chapter/Recommendations
Menopause
Information from the NHS about the menopause:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/
Information hub from the Royal College of Gynaecologists, providing resources to enhance knowledge, support and self-care for all women approaching this stage of life:
https://www.rcog.org.uk/for-the-public/menopause-and-later-life/
The British Menopause Society is the specialist authority for menopause health in the UK:
NICE guidance for menopause management:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI)
Naturally some women will experience an early menopause between the ages of 12-40
It may also occur as a result of medical treatments such as chemotherapy and gynaecological surgeries such as hysterectomy
Information form women going through an early (premature) menopause:
Gynaecological cancers
There are five types of gynaecological cancer: womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal. Awareness levels of these cancers is very low. Unfortunately, every year in the UK, over 22,000 women are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer (that is 60 every day). Sadly, every day in the UK, 21 women die from their gynaecological cancer.
It is important for women to be aware of signs and symptoms of gynaecological cancers, especially as many of the symptoms are quite “vague” and are commonly associated with other conditions such as IBS, endometriosis etc. Any changes noted in the symptom checker that are not normal for you, should be reported to your GP. As with any cancer, early diagnosis of gynaecological cancers leads to a better chance of successful treatment.
Further Information:
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