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
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
