Women’s Pelvic Health

Women’s Pelvic Health Physiotherapy services

At Coral Coast Physio, our women’s health team can support women with their physical health at all stages of their life — from adolescence, pregnancy and postpartum recovery, through to perimenopause, menopause and beyond.

Our team combines in-depth physiotherapy knowledge with additional training in women’s pelvic health to provide evidence-informed care for a wide range of pelvic, breast, pregnancy and postnatal concerns. We aim to help women better understand their bodies, feel confident in their recovery, and return to the activities that matter most to them.

What is women’s pelvic health physiotherapy?

Women’s pelvic health physiotherapy is a specialised area of physiotherapy that supports conditions involving the pelvic floor, bladder, bowel, pelvis, abdomen, breast and reproductive health. These concerns may be managed conservatively with physiotherapy, or as part of a shared-care approach with your GP, obstetrician, gynaecologist, urologist, oncologist, lactation consultant, midwife or other health professionals.

Areas that our team can support include:

• Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction
• Bladder dysfunction including urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence
• Bowel dysfunction including constipation, urgency and faecal incontinence
• Prolapse management including lifestyle education, pessary fittings and support
• Antenatal care including musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, exercise guidance, birth preparation
• Postnatal care including rehabilitation of the pelvic floor and core, return to exercise, diastasis recti assessment and recovery
• Breast health including inflammatory breast symptoms and mastitis support
• Perimenopause, menopause and postmenopausal pelvic health care
• Pelvic pain including endometriosis, adenomyosis and Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) related pain
• Pain with intercourse, penetration or sexual pain
• Rehabilitation following cancer treatment involving the breast, pelvic or abdominal region
• Specialised exercise programming for women with pelvic health concerns

Please note this is not an exclusive list. If you are unsure whether women’s health physiotherapy is appropriate for you, please contact our team or email womens.health@coralcoastphysio.com.au.

More information of services
Breast Health and Mastitis Support

Our women’s health physiotherapists can support women experiencing lactation-related breast symptoms, including blocked ducts, breast inflammation, mastitis-related discomfort and changes in breast tissue mobility.

Breast symptoms can change quickly, so we encourage you to contact the clinic as soon as possible if you are experiencing symptoms. Where available, a same-day short appointment may be offered to provide timely assessment, advice and early treatment support.

Treatment may include education, gentle lymphatic strategies, feeding and expressing advice within physiotherapy scope, therapeutic ultrasound where clinically appropriate, and liaison with your GP, midwife or lactation consultant if further medical care is required.

Therapeutic ultrasound may be used as part of a broader treatment approach to help reduce discomfort and support tissue recovery in lactation-related breast inflammation. Your physiotherapist will complete an assessment first to determine whether this treatment is suitable for your presentation.

Please seek urgent medical advice if you are feeling systemically unwell, have a fever, worsening redness, severe breast pain, flu-like symptoms, or symptoms that are not improving.

Caesarean Scar Therapy

Caesarean scar therapy can support women after both planned and emergency caesarean births. Scar tissue can sometimes contribute to tightness, sensitivity, pulling sensations, abdominal restriction, altered sensation, pelvic discomfort, back or hip symptoms, or difficulty reconnecting with the abdominal wall.

At Coral Coast Physio, caesarean scar therapy may include scar assessment, scar massage and mobilisation, desensitisation strategies, abdominal wall and breathing assessment, gentle fascial release, movement retraining, and home-care education.

Treatment is tailored to your stage of healing, symptoms and goals. Whether your caesarean birth was recent or many years ago, our team can assess your scar, abdominal wall and movement patterns to determine what support may be appropriate.

Caesarean scar therapy is generally commenced once the wound has fully healed and there are no signs of infection or wound complications. If you are unsure whether your scar is ready for treatment, our physiotherapist Taylor can guide you.

Pessary fitting and support

Pessary fitting services for women experiencing pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.

A pessary is a removable medical-grade silicone device that is inserted into the vagina to provide internal support. Pessaries can help reduce prolapse symptoms, improve pelvic heaviness or dragging, and support the bladder neck in some cases of stress urinary incontinence.

Our women’s health physiotherapist Taylor provides pessary assessment and fitting starting with ring pessaries and cube pessaries. The most appropriate pessary type and size will depend on your symptoms, pelvic floor function, tissue health, lifestyle, goals and comfort.
Pessary fitting may be suitable for women who are wanting a conservative management option, are not ready for surgery, are waiting for specialist review, want support during exercise, or are looking for symptom relief during daily activities.

Your appointment may include a detailed history, pelvic health assessment, vaginal examination where appropriate, pessary fitting, education on insertion and removal if suitable, hygiene and care advice, and a follow-up plan to ensure the pessary is comfortable and effective.

Pessaries are not one-size-fits-all. Your physiotherapist will assess whether a pessary may be appropriate and will guide you through the fitting, care and review process.

Biofeedback and Stimulation Therapy

Biofeedback and/or pelvic floor electrical stimulation therapy may be used as part of pelvic floor rehabilitation for women experiencing pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, bladder or bowel concerns, pelvic organ prolapse symptoms, or recovery after pregnancy and birth.

Biofeedback uses specialised equipment to help you better understand how your pelvic floor muscles are working. It can provide visual or audio feedback so you can learn how to correctly activate, relax and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles. This can be especially helpful if you are unsure whether you are doing pelvic floor exercises correctly, have difficulty feeling a contraction, or tend to overuse surrounding muscles.

Electrical stimulation therapy uses gentle electrical stimulation, either externally or internally, to help activate or calm the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding nerve pathways. Depending on your symptoms and assessment findings, it may be used to support pelvic floor strengthening, bladder urgency, urinary incontinence, bowel urgency, or pelvic floor relaxation.

Your physiotherapist will complete an assessment first to determine whether biofeedback or stimulation therapy is appropriate for you. Treatment is always tailored to your symptoms, comfort, goals and stage of recovery.

Clinical physiotherapy-led exercise service
Empowered, Move, Nurture

Empowered, Move, Nurture is our clinical reformer service designed for women during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

These small-group classes are run by women’s health physiotherapists and are designed to help women continue moving safely and confidently throughout their childbearing journey. With a maximum of six participants per class, each session allows for individualised guidance, exercise modification and support from a physiotherapist who understands pelvic health, pregnancy and postnatal recovery.

This service may be suitable for women wanting support with strength, mobility, pelvic floor awareness, core recovery, pregnancy-related discomfort, postnatal rehabilitation or return to exercise.

Spaces are limited due to high demand and clinician availability. Please book an initial consultation with our women’s health team to determine whether this service is appropriate for you.

Obstetric TENS Machine Hire

Coral Coast Physio offers obstetric TENS machine hire to support women during labour and birth.

A TENS machine is a small, portable device that uses electrical stimulation through adhesive pads placed on the back. It is a non-medication option for pain relief during labour. During labour, TENS may help support pain relief by providing a competing sensory input, encouraging the body’s natural pain-modulating response, and giving women a sense of control through contractions.

Obstetric TENS is commonly used in early labour and can be adjusted by the user as contractions build. Many women find it helpful as part of their broader birth preparation and pain management plan.

Our hire service includes guidance on how to safely use the machine, where to place the pads, and when TENS may or may not be appropriate. We recommend organising your TENS hire before your due date so you have it ready at home when labour begins.

An Obstetric TENS machine is stronger than a traditional TENS unit. Our TENS machines for hire do have a BOOST function for contractions.

When should I book TENS hire?

We recommend booking your obstetric TENS machine from around 37-38 weeks of pregnancy, or earlier if you would like it organised ahead of time.

Please speak with your physiotherapist, midwife, obstetrician or GP if you are unsure whether TENS is appropriate for your pregnancy or birth plan.

Hire Fees

The initial hire fee is $50.00. This fee is non-refundable and includes:

• Hire of the obstetric TENS machine for the first week
• One set of electrodes, which the borrower may keep

After the first week, hire is charged at $10.00 per additional week, payable when the TENS machine is returned.

The borrower is responsible for returning the TENS machine in good working condition. If the machine is damaged, lost, stolen or not returned, additional repair or replacement fees may apply in accordance with the hire agreement.

Products in stock

This list is a sample of some of the Women’s Pelvic Health products we stock regularly in our Bundaberg Clinic.

Not sure where to start?

If you are unsure whether women’s pelvic health physiotherapy is right for you, we encourage you to contact our team. Many women are unsure whether their symptoms are “normal” or whether physiotherapy can help – our team can guide you toward the most appropriate appointment type or service.

For questions, please call Coral Coast Physio or email womens.health@coralcoastphysio.com.au

Meet our Women’s Health Physiotherapy team

Taylor Shilvock

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and has a special interest in women’s and pelvic health. She practises at an Advanced Practitioner level, is a qualified Restore specialist caesarean scar therapy practitioner and is the primary clinician leading our Women’s and Pelvic Health service at Coral Coast Physio.
Taylor is passionate about continuing to grow women’s health services within the Bundaberg community and is committed to sharing her knowledge, skills and evidence-informed care to support women through all stages of life.

Jasmin Smith