Skip to content
Home > Your Health > Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy > Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

We’re a team of highly skilled physiotherapists who specialise in pelvic floor dysfunction.

In this section you’ll find how can you can access the service and also the different locations where the service is available.

What are your Pelvic Floor Muscles?

The pelvic floor muscles are a hammock of muscles that lie beneath your pelvis. Their role is to support the bladder, the bowel, and the uterus. The pelvic floor muscles work to help keep the bladder and bowel openings closed to prevent unwanted leakage (incontinence) and they relax to allow easy bladder and bowel emptying. The pelvic floor muscles also help with sexual intercourse by allowing for increased vaginal sensation for women. 

How to Exercise your Pelvic Floor Muscles

To exercise the pelvic floor muscles, lie sit or stand with your knees slightly apart. Tighten up your back passage as though you are trying to stop yourself passing wind. At the same time tighten the muscles that you would use to stop yourself from passing urine. The feeling is one of ‘squeeze and lift’, closing and drawing up the back and front passage (imagine you are trying to stop urine and wind from passing at the same time, think about a zip from your back to front passage and feel these muscles lifting and tightening as they contract, like an escalator moving upwards, and drop as they relax).

There are two ways to exercise your pelvic floor muscles: 

Slow Squeezes 

  • Tighten your pelvic floor muscles for up to 10 seconds 
  • Relax fully for 4 seconds 
  • Now tighten again for the same time 
  • Relax fully for 4 seconds 
  • Repeat this until your muscles get tired 

Fast Squeezes 

  • Quickly tighten up your pelvic floor muscles 
  • Hold for 1 second and relax 
  • Repeat this until the muscles get tired

Bladder Issues

Bladder dysfunction refers to problems with storing or emptying urine. It can affect both men and women and may have a significant impact on daily life. Physiotherapy can help manage many types of bladder problems using non-surgical methods. 

Common types of bladder issues include: 

Stress Urinary Incontinence 

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) occurs when urine leaks out during activities that put pressure on the bladder. It can happen when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift, exercise, rise from a chair, walk upstairs or downstairs, or during sexual intercourse. Physical strain increases the pressure on the abdomen, which in turn puts pressure on the bladder. If the pelvic floor muscles or the muscles controlling the bladder are weak, urine can leak out.  While SUI is more common in women, some men can experience it as well. 

Urinary Urgency

Urinary urgency (UUI) is a sudden, strong need to urinate that’s difficult to delay. It can happen even if your bladder isn’t full and may make you feel anxious about finding a bathroom in time.

Urinary Urge Incontinence

Urinary urge incontinence (UUI) happens when you leak urine because of a strong urge to empty your bladder. You may not make it to the toilet in time. It is often caused by bladder muscles that squeeze too often or without warning. 

Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a condition that includes:  

  • A strong, sudden need to urinate (urinary urgency) 
  • Going to the bathroom more than 6 to 8 times during the day (frequency) 
  • Waking up more than once at night to urinate (nocturia) 
  • Sometimes leaking of urine before reaching the toilet (urinary urge incontinence) 
Common Causes of Bladder Issues
  • Pregnancy and childbirth
  • Ageing  
  • Menopause 
  • Obesity
  • Pelvic surgery, including prostate surgery
  • Overactive bladder muscles  
  • Certain medications, for example, diuretics (water pills) 
  • Constipation 
  • Urinary tract infections, bladder stones, interstitial cystitis 
  • Caffeine, alcohol, fizzy drinks, spicy or acidic foods 
  • High fluid intake, anxiety, frequent “just in case” urination 
  • Stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, spinal injury, diabetes 
  • High impact activities, for example, trampolining
Useful Links
  • Pelvic floor exercises: Strengthen the muscles that support the bladder 
  • Bladder training: Helps increase the time between trips to the toilet 
  • Lifestyle advice: Includes guidance on fluid intake, diet, and healthy toileting habits 
  • Electrical stimulation: A gentle current may be used to activate and strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles 
  • Biofeedback: Helps you learn how to properly use and contract pelvic floor muscles 

Bowel Issues

Good bowel health is very important to feel healthy and when things aren’t working properly it can quickly affect quality of life. It is estimated that bowel problems affect 10% of the general population. Physiotherapy can help you manage these issues and whilst it can be difficult to talk about, our Physiotherapists will make you feel at ease whilst trying to help you with your issues. 

Common types of bowel issues include:

Constipation

Constipation is where there are changes to how you move your bowels, including not opening your bowels as often as normal and finding it hard to get your stool (poo) out. Often the stool is hard and lumpy and difficult to pass. Most people will suffer from an episode of constipation at some point in their lives, but usually this is temporary and not serious. Unfortunately, for some people constipation can become a chronic issue.  

What can you do to help constipation? 
Faecal Incontinence 

Faecal incontinence is when there is an unwanted leakage of stool or wind from the back passage. It can be an extremely distressing condition that can be made worse by diarrhoea. It can happen without warning or can be associated with an urge to move your bowel but an inability to make it to the toilet on time. 

What can I do to help faecal incontinence?
  • Use sphincter strengthening exercises to strengthening the muscles around the back passage and improve control 
  • Ensure you are getting enough fibre in your diet 
  • Use the correct position and technqiue when emptying your bowels to ensure all your stool has come out 
  • Medication can sometimes help – please speak to your health care professional about this 
  • You can order a Just Can’t Wait Card to allow you quick access to toilets when you are out and about
Obstructive Defecation 

Obstructive defecation is a term used to describe having difficulty opening your bowels. It is often associated with frequent visits to the toilet and a feeling of being unable to fully empty the bowel. This often leads to excessive straining on the toilet which can increase the risk of vaginal or rectal prolapse. 

Normally when emptying the bowel the muscles around the back passage should relax. In obstructive defecation the muscles often do not fully relax, and sometimes even tighten, which can lead to difficulty in moving your bowels. 


What can I do to help Obstructive Defecation?
  • Improve the consistency of your stool by ensuring you have enough fibre and fluid in your diet (between 1.5-2 litres of water based fluid a day) 
  • Physical exercise is known to help you empty your bowels. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise each day
  • Practice ‘belly breathing’ to help relax your pelvic floor muscles. Your Physiotherapists can discuss these techniques with you
Faecal Urgency

Faecal urgency is when you have a sudden and strong urge to empty your bowels. You may make it to the toilet in time or it may be associated with faecal incontinence.


What can I do to help with Faecal Urgency?
  • Ensure you have a healthy, balanced diet and an adequate fibre intake 
  • It may be helpful to follow the ‘holding on programme’. Your health professional can give you more advice on this. 
  • Strengthen your anal sphincter muscles to increase your confidence in your ability to get to the toilet in time 

Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) happens when one of the organs in your pelvis—like the bladder, bowel or uterus—move down into the vagina. This can cause a feeling of pressure or heaviness in the vagina or you may even feel a bulge inside or outside the vagina. Prolapse can also affect your bladder, bowel, or sexual function. 

If you think you are experiencing a prolapse, here are some resources to help: 

Pelvic Pain

There can be different causes for your pelvic pain.  It can be due to infection, physical or physiological reasons.  It is important to get the possible cause of your pelvic pain investigated by your General Practitioner, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Sexual Health Clinic or Consultant. Depending on the cause, Pelvic Health Physiotherapy could help you to manage your pelvic pain symptoms. 

Bladder Pain Syndrome

Chronic symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency and pain.

Vaginismus

Persistent or recurrent difficulties allowing vaginal entry of a penis, finger or other object.  Involuntary pelvic floor muscle contraction and anticipated fear and pain. 

Dyspareunia

Chronic pelvic pain, intermittent or constant lasting more that six months which is not exclusively with menstruation or pregnancy.

Tight or Overactive Pelvic Floor Muscles

This can be related to the above causes or others including Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Vulvodynia 


At your appointment a Specialist Physiotherapist with take an in-depth history and can also perform an examination if appropriate.  Some of the questioning can be of a personal nature, your Physiotherapist will discuss this at the start of your consultation.   
 
What can I do to help my pelvic pain? 
Learning how to relax your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles can help relieve your pelvic pain. 

Before and After Gynaecology Surgery

You will be seen by the specialist physiotherapist on the gynaecology ward following your surgery. The physiotherapist will give you information and advice on keeping comfortable during your hospital stay; getting up and moving after surgery; advice to improve your recovery and beyond, allowing you to return to your normal activity levels. You may be invited to attend an appointment before surgery at one of the NHS GGC Hospitals. This will be a one-off class, and is called the GERAS Class – Gynaecological Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. 

If you need physiotherapy follow up after your surgery, please discuss this with your consultant or GP, who can refer you to the GGC Pelvic Health Team.  

Useful Resources

Before and After Prostate Surgery

Following your prostate cancer diagnosis, and the decision to have Robotic Assisted Removal of Prostate (RARP) surgery, your Urology consultant or clinical nurse specialist will inform the GGC Pelvic Health Team. They will contact you to invite you to attend an appointment before surgery at one of the NHS GGC Hospitals. This appointment may be offered on an individual basis, or as part of a group session. The aim of this is to give you:  

  • advice about your surgery 
  • information to keep you comfortable and moving post-surgery 
  • education on pelvic floor muscle exercises and training to help manage likely urinary incontinence after surgery 
  • advice to maximise your recovery and return you to normal activity levels 
  • A follow up appointment will be organised for you from six weeks after your surgery to monitor your progress. Any further appointments that you need will depend on your recovery and symptoms after surgery. 

How to Access the Service

Our Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy service requires a referral letter from either your GP or from another hospital consultant.

Contact Details

Inverclyde Royal Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Level C
Inverclyde Royal Hospital 
Larkfield Road
Greenock PA16 0XN

Call: 01475 504 373

New Stobhill Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Ground Floor
The New Stobhill Hospital
Balornock Road
Glasgow G21 3UW

Call: 0141 355 1642

New Victoria Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Ground Floor
New Victoria Hospital
Grange Road
Glasgow G42 9LF

Call: 0141 347 8685

Princess Royal Maternity Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Level 2
Princess Royal Maternity Hospital 
16 Alexandra Parade
Glasgow G31 2ER

Call: 0141 201 3432

At present we can only accept referrals from up to 12 weeks post-natal patients who have had their deliveries at this hospital.

Queen Elizabeth University Maternity Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Room 3, 1st Floor Admin Corridor
Maternity Unit
1345 Govan Road
Glasgow G51 4TF

Call: 0141 201 2324

Royal Alexandra Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Ground Floor
Maternity Unit
Royal Alexandra Hospital
Corsebar Road
Paisley PA2 9PN

Call: 0141 314 6765

Vale of Leven Hospital – Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy Department
Vale of Leven Hospital
Main Street 
Alexandria G83 0UA

Call: 01389 817 531

Further Information

Gynaecology Surgery (Soon to be available)
Helping You to Help Yourself
Comments, Suggestions and Complaints