FAQs

Definitely not! Anyone can come see a physio, pelvic health or otherwise. No referral is necessary. We can also submit ACC claims on your behalf without a referral.

Often during assessments we will be looking at the movement of joints local to the area of concern, but also often above and below. It is best to wear clothing that is non-restrictive so we can get a good assessment of movement, but also so you are comfortable and not worried about feeling self-conscious.

For pelvic health assessments, if a full pelvic health exam is required this typically involves the removal of all clothing on the bottom half. You will always be given a towel or blanket for privacy, and always have the right to have a chaparone, or decline any or all parts of an examination.

If we are using the pilates equipment, comfortable clothing for movement as well as temperature is best e.g. tights and a shirt. You will either need to be in grip socks (preferred), or bare feet as the floors can be slippery in standard socks.

Any medical information you have that you believe may be relevant is helpful, but not compulsory. We will spend a good amount of time going through your history, and if we pick up on something we need this can always be provided later. For maternal birth injuries, a discharge summary is always helpful. If you do have a referral, bringing (or emailing in) the actual referral is also useful.

As a pelvic health physiotherapist I treat conditions related to the pelvic girdle, the pelvic floor, and the pelvic organs. For a full understanding of conditions of the pelvic floor and pelvic organs, a pelvic examamination is often required. This involves the removal of all clothing on the lower half of the body, and lying under a towel, then an external and internal examination is performed. The internal examination is either vaginal, or anal, depending on the presenting complaint. You will be informed with what is going to happen and what to expect, and only with your consent with the examination proceed. It is your right to withhold your consent and decline an examination. If you wish to stop at any stage, the examination will be stopped immediately at your request.

Although this is often recommended, you ALWAYS have the right to decline a pelvic examination (even if you have consented previously) and we will work together to develop a treatment plan without it.

You are always welcome to have a support person or chaparone attend your appointments with you. This could be a friend, parent, sibling, or even your partner. With your consent, they are welcome to be present in the room with us for the full session, or you can ask them to leave for particular parts of the appointment. There is a comfortable waiting room for them, should you prefer they wait outside of the room.

Absolutely! Babies are always welcome. And sometimes it’s just unavoidable!

I do share a room with a beautician, so do just ask that any “mobile” children can please wait in the waiting room with an adult. We have admin staff at times that are happy entertaining younger children, but please confirm if you need this as we'll need to check they're available at the time of your appointment.

It happens.

Women wait for weeks, even months sometimes, to see a pelvic health physio. And then the period comes. Sometimes it’s just unavoidable.

So. If you’re comfortable, we’re comfortable. If you’d rather reschedule, I’ll do my best to time it so we don’t run into the same problem next time.

Pelvic health conditions can be present in our younger population. Unless all options have been exhausted, and we have very good reason to investigate further, we really aim to avoid internal examinations in the younger population.

I am not registered to treat any cliend 16 or younger without a support person in attendance. Any client 16 or younger MUST attend with a support person. Preferably this is a parent or caregiver, however it is their choice who the support person is. Under no circumstances will a pelvic examination take place without a support person present. If there is no appropriate support person, I can request one of our staff chaparone the appointment. They will place themselves as discretely as possible in the room for the duration of the session, including, if required, the pelvic examination.

I respect the significance of this and other options will always be given. We can certainly continue to work with or without a full examination.

Indeed some women attend pelvic physio because they WANT to have sex, but haven’t been able to due to PAIN, and are eager to proceed with a full examination. Frequently the treatment plan will involve some work “down there”, whether this is individually at home or in the clinic.

Your boundaries and goals will always be respected.

This varies greatly depending on condition, history, treatment plan, and at times financial limitations need to be considered. A post natal WOF can sometimes be a one-off appointment, where a woman really is just after a summary and advice on self management. Or a treatment plan can progress into 1:1 regular weekly pilates.

Should there be financial restrictions, we will focus on what can be achieved at home. A lot of the evidence we have around treatments suggests regular attendance; however with commitment to your program a lot can be achieved through "homework", and we can space appointments out a little further.

Most women get a lot of understanding on self management within 3 sessions, and may continue independently for 6-8 weeks prior to wanting to check in on their progress.

You will find pelvic examinations do vary between GP, gynae, and physio. We all have slightly different lenses we are looking through, with varied clinical purposes. For me to reach a diagnosis I will need to conduct my own examination. Even an MRI will give good information, but is a static picture of a dynamic structure; a prolapse may not show up on an MRI, where you are lying down and not moving, but become apparent by the end of the day when things are moving down with gravity all day, or is only apparent in standing. The MRI, however, is expert at viewing conditions that we may need to know about, such as a fibroid which may be contributing to your symptoms and require different management.

Sometimes a bladder diary is needed, but this will be determined during your appointment, at which point you will be provided with instructions on how to complete a diary for me.

This is the same for bowel diaries.

Should you have already done a diary, please do bring it along! Any information is useful. But you may find I make you do it again for me as the diary I use for bladder analysis is quite specific.

Some insurance companies will contribute towards the cost of pelvic health physiotherapy through “physiotherapy” or “post-op physio within 6 months” cover in their policy. It is best to contact your insurance company to see if your policy covers physiotherapy. Paid invoices can be emailed to you at any time; just let me know you need a copy.

If you are with Southern Cross, “Easy Claim” is available at Beyond Pelvic Floor; this is where I can process your Southern Cross claim on site. You are then responsible to pay the remainder of the fees, if any. This means your claim is processed, and you don’t have to worry about submitting any invoices.

Should you have an approved claim through an injury or maternal birth injury (MBI), you will be responsible for the co-payment portion only. The ACC claim is processed for you and you do not need to submit anything further. The varied co-payment costs can be seen on the fees page.

If you need to submit a claim to be considered by ACC, I can process standard musculoskeletal injury claims, as well as many MBI claims related to childbirth such as perineal tears, prolapse, and levator avulsion.

All these options contribute towards fees, but there is often a CO-PAYMENT that you will need to cover at the time of your appointment. Please take a look at the fees page should you want to know more about costs.

Read more about claiming for pelvic health physio in this blog.