Bladder & Bowel

Kegels aren’t always enough! There's so much more to bladder and bowel issues. We’ve had clients surprised at how their abs, nervous system, bathroom habits, hips, or lower back issues have played into their leaking or constipation.

Bladder

Stress incontinence
Leaking with impact, coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, or running

Urge incontinence
Leaking with a sudden, urgent need to pee

Overactive bladder 
Frequent and urgent need to pee that’s hard to control

Pain from Interstitial cystitis and chronic UTIs

What we treat

Bowel

Anal incontinence
Including urgency and/or lack of control of gas or stool

Constipation
Including difficulty with elimination or incomplete emptying 

Pain and symptoms from recurrent fissures and hemorrhoids 

For Bladder Issues:

We look at what’s causing the leaking or urgency. It may be pelvic floor weakness, but it could also be:

  • Poor coordination

  • Tension or overactivity

  • Breathing or movement patterns

  • Core function or pressure management

  • Prolapse

  • Nervous system sensitivity 

Treatment is always tailored, but may include:

  • Pelvic floor strengthening

  • Relaxation or downtraining

  • Retraining coordination and pressure systems

  • Nervous system regulation

  • Treating any body contributions through manual therapy or exercise 

  • Strategies to manage pain and flare-ups – breaking the cycle that leads to worsening chronic issues

  • Adapting your technique so you can still run or jump without leaking

For urge incontinence or overactive bladder:

We may also address nervous system involvement, pelvic tension, habits, and anxiety or behaviour patterns around peeing.

For Bowel Issues:

We assess:

  • Bowel evacuation mechanics – is the pelvic floor relaxing to allow bowel movements?

  • Continence mechanics – is the pelvic floor supporting closure when needed?

Treatment may also address:

  • Toilet positioning

  • Behavioural strategies

  • Nervous system regulation

  • Pelvic floor strengthening 

  • Pelvic, back, or hip treatment, if involved

FAQ’s

  • Yes! You can have a strong pelvic floor and still leak due to poor coordination, non-optimal biomechanics in your pelvis, core, trunk, and even elsewhere in your body, or because your pelvic floor can’t relax properly. We can help identify where the issue is coming from and address it!

  • Not necessarily! Just because you leak when exercising, it doesn’t mean it’s doing any harm. We may help you improve your technique or approach, and sometimes taking a break or modifying is advised for the best and quickest results, but it’s always your choice. 

  • No! Bladder leaking with aging is only common because we’ve done such a poor job historically of postpartum rehab or offering treatment for non-birthers who leak. As with most things,  leaking can get worse or show up as we age, but it is highly treatable, whatever age you are.

  • Pelvic floor dysfunction can both contribute to and be caused by bladder issues, and can end up as part of a vicious cycle, making symptoms like pain or urgency worse—with or without an active infection. Treating the pelvic floor and anything else notable we find can help break the cycle and improve symptoms, even with the presence of infection.

  • Constipation can be tricky to treat, as healthy bowel movements involve anorectal health, pelvic health, digestive health, and the health of your nervous system and habits as a whole. Often it’s a journey piecing it all together, but if you haven’t tried pelvic health physio, it’s important to check that your pelvic floor is moving as it should during bowel movements. From there, we can piece together all the parts of the puzzle.

  • Yes! These are commonly issues of pressure and pelvic floor tightness or dysfunction, which is the bread and butter of pelvic floor physio. Treating these can improve both the pain and recurrence of these issues, and give you better strategies to manage and resolve flare-ups if they occur. 

  • "After having 2 kidlets I was having some incontinence issues and new I needed some pelvic floor physio. My Dr. recommended Cheerful Pelvis and I have nothing but good things to say. Lily was fabulous and made me feel very comfortable. Highly highly recommend for any expecting or new Mommas ♡ $ worth spending!!"

    Cheerful Client

  • "I've tried a couple therapists here and my favourite is by far Devon. She is truly compassionate and kegals are not the end all answer to everything. She looks at you as a whole person and genuinely wants to help you feel better and be better. Highly recommend her. Thank you for always going above and beyond for me every visit, Devon!"

    Cheerful Client

  • "I was more nervous than I realized going into this appointment. The atmosphere is bright, clean and welcoming. My therapists approach was what really made me feel comfortable though. She explained everything she was going to do and why. We came up with a plan to improve things together, within my budget. Its amazing as a 42 year old woman how much there is to learn about your own body. I appreciated the way Jennifer spoke to me. She educated me without making me feel any shame for not knowing. Great experience!!"

    Cheerful Client

  • "Devon Chan is a miracle worker. I’ve been having pelvic floor issues for 30+ years and within a few sessions I was able to do exercises that I’ve never been able to do. Needless to say, after a few months, 6 months, I no longer had to see her. I just had my last appointment with her. Really can’t describe how she has helped me with something I have struggled so long for. Highly recommend! Thank you so much Devon"

    Cheerful Client

I want a cheerful pelvis!

Book an Appointment