Whether you are in hospital or need to see a Physiotherapist in the community, Active Rehab has Physiotherapists with a broad range of expertise in many different areas of women’s health.

Rehabilitation Following Gynaecological Surgery

Your doctor may request a consultation from an Active Rehab Physiotherapist following your gynaecological surgery. This usually occurs on the first day after your procedure.

Initial treatment may include:

• Deep Breathing and Circulation Exercises: to prevent common complications after surgery.
• Bed Mobility Advice: providing you with strategies to gently move in bed without straining your wound.
• Mobilisation: assisting you to walk safely.
• Specific Exercise Program: As you recover, more specific exercises and advice may be provided including pelvic floor and abdominal muscle exercises.
• Discharge Planning: planning, advice and precautions for your recovery at home.

If you need follow-up after you are discharged from hospital, Active’s Rehab’sPhysiotherapists can continue to support your rehabilitation. Please call our administration team for an appointment.

Rehabilitation following Breast Surgery

• explain the precautions you need to take to protect your wound and prevent complications such as lymphoedema and a stiff shoulder
• guide you through a staged program of exercises that have been endorsed by the Breast Cancer Association.

Where needed, ongoing treatment can be provided by Active Rehab after you are discharged from hospital. Seeing one of our Physiotherapists may be of benefit if:

• you need further assistance with your exercises
• you are experiencing any neck or shoulder stiffness
• you are experiencing tightening of your scar (after your wound has healed).

Your physiotherapist can also:

• Provide treatment for some mild cases of lymphoedema, or
• provide a referral to a specific lymphoedema Physiotherapist.

Pre- and Post-natal Physiotherapy

Are you experiencing back or pelvic pain during pregnancy? Are your shoulders and neck stiff after breast-feeding? Do you need guidance on how to help your pelvic and abdominal muscles to heal? Active Rehab’s Physiotherapists can help.

Experienced Physiotherapists will conduct a thorough assessment and will provide you with a tailored treatment plan. This may include:

• Hands-on Mobilization, Massage and Soft tissue Release: to relieve pain and tightness
• Acupuncture and Dry Needling: to release muscle tension
• Taping and Bracing: to provide additional joint support
• Postural Correction: to reduce strain on your injury
• Real-time Ultrasound: to help you learn to ‘switch on’ your core abdominal and pelvic floor muscles
• Individualised Exercise and Pilates Programs: to build your core stability
• Education and Exercise Progression: to help you reduce the risk of re-injury, while you are pregnant and after your baby is born

Pelvic Floor & Continence

Did you know that 1 in 3 women suffer from urinary incontinence at sometime throughout their life? Incontinence is a widespread condition that ranges in severity from ‘just a small leak’ to complete loss of bladder or bowel control. The good news is – incontinence can be treated, managed, and in many cases cured!

If you experience bladder or bowel problems, but are unsure whether to seek help, consider the following questions:

• Do you sometimes leak when you cough, sneeze or lift something heavy?
• Do you sometimes leak when you play sport or exercise?
• Do you have to rush to the toilet?
• Are you finding that you need to visit the bathroom more frequently?
• Do you have a hesitant, interrupted or weak stream of urine?
• Do you go to the toilet more than twice during the night?
• Do you feel like you cannot completely empty your bladder?
• Do you have an after-dribble – loss of a small amount of extra urine after going to the toilet?
• Do you soil your underwear?
• Are you experiencing incontinence after recent gynaecological surgery?
• Have you just had a baby and notice that your bladder is leaking?
• Have you been diagnosed with an overactive bladder or a nerve condition affecting your bladder?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a bladder or bowel control problem. Speak with your GP or one of our Women’s Health Physiotherapists to discuss your symptoms.

Active Rehab has specifically trained Physiotherapists who can diagnose and treat continence problems in women. Your assessment may involve:

• Completion of questionnaires regarding your symptoms
• Keeping a short diary on the timing of your symptoms and toileting
• Assessment of your pelvic floor muscle strength.

Your Physiotherapist will create a treatment program with you, which may include:

• Identifying your pelvic floor muscles using Diagnostic Ultrasound and/or Urostym technology
• Specific exercises for pelvic floor muscle strengthening and endurance
• Teaching good bladder and bowel habits to help you manage your symptoms
• Strategies for incontinence management
• Holistic exercises to assist your general health and well-being

Ultrasound & Urostym Technology

Active Rehabilitation Physiotherapy has advanced technology for the diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence. Active Rehab is the only facility in Australia with this range of cutting edge technology.

Using a Diagnostic Ultrasound, your Physiotherapist can help you identify your pelvic floor and other core muscles that assist in the management of bladder and bowel issues. Ultrasound allows you to actually see your own muscles working and helps you to learn the correct muscle action.

The Urostym system is a non-invasive, computerised biofeedback system for treatment of pelvic floor disorders and incontinence in men, women and children. Using small electronic receivers placed on the skin of the pelvic region, the system is able to measure pelvic floor muscle activity. Specially-trained Physiotherapists use this information to tailor specific treatment for continence disorders.

The Urostym system is also used as a training device. Information from the pelvic muscle receivers is displayed on-screen in real-time and can be used during a program of exercises. Adults can use the system as a training program, similar to that for a treadmill or cycling program – your muscle effort is tracked against your goals for strength, speed and coordination.