Pelvic health physiotherapy
Contact
- Outpatients appointments
- 020 3311 0333
- Maternity helpline
- 020 3312 6135
- General Enquiries
- 020 3313 3072
Visitor Information
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Our pelvic health physiotherapy service offers specialist assessment and treatment for musculoskeletal pain associated with pregnancy. This includes:
- back pain
- pelvic pain
- pelvic floor dysfunction such as bladder, bowel, vaginal and sexual problems for all adults and genders.
Our service also provides support and advice for staff and patients on the Trust’s postnatal and gynaecology wards, for the women who have a higher risk of pelvic floor dysfunction after birth or gynaecological surgery.
Our aim is to understand a patient’s condition and set out an agreed management plan, to achieve the best possible outcome.
We have one of the largest teams of pelvic health physiotherapists in the UK across St. Mary’s, Charing Cross and Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital’s.
We try to provide physiotherapy at the most convenient location for patients at community clinics or the nearest Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust hospital site.
Conditions we treat
Pelvic floor conditions we treat include:
- Stress urinary incontinence (a leaking of urine which happens with an increase in abdominal pressure such as coughing, sneezing laughing or physical activity or exercise)
- Urgency urinary incontinence (when you feel a sudden , very intense need to wee, and leak urine a few seconds after that feeling)
- Mixed (stress and urgency) urinary incontinence
- Overactive bladder (this causes someone to wee more often and to feel a sudden and intense need to wee)
- Voiding dysfunction (difficulty weeing or fully emptying your bladder)
- Pelvic organ prolapse (when one or more of the organs in the pelvis move downwards from their normal position and bulge into the vagina)
- A 3rd or 4th degree perineal tear after birth
- Pain during sex
- Vaginal and/or vulval pain
- Constipation
- Faecal incontinence (a leaking of poo or faecal matter)
- Anal pain
Conditions we treat in pregnancy include:
- Lower back pain, with or without leg pain
- Pelvic pain (in the front or back of your pelvis)
- Hip or buttock pain
- Rib pain/Middle back pain
- Wrist pain and associated pins and needles and/or numbness - carpal tunnel syndrome
- Pelvic floor problems during pregnancy e.g. leaking urine, leaking from the back passage, constipation, heaviness or bulge from the vagina (vaginal prolapse) or pain with sex
Treatments we offer
We offer the following treatments:
- Manual therapy and soft tissue techniques. (This is where a therapist will use their hands to examine and treat your muscles, joints and tissues. It often includes kneading and manipulation of muscles, joint mobilisation and joint manipulation.)
- A programme of exercises that is personalised to meet your needs. This can improve movement, increase flexibility and strengthen muscles
- Supplying you with equipment that could help, such as pelvic belts, elbow crutches and wrist splints
- Advice on lifestyle changes
- Biofeedback for the pelvic floor muscles (this is where we electronically monitor the pelvic floor muscles, to help show you how to control and strengthen them) Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (the pelvic floor muscles are exercised and strengthened by placing an electrical probe within the vagina)
Clinics
Pelvic health physiotherapy at Hammersmith Hospital
Address
Physiotherapy department
Third floor
D block
Hammersmith Hospital
Du Cane Road
London W12 0HS
Hours
08.30 to 16.30, Monday to Friday
Contact information
Phone: 020 3311 0333
Email: imperial.pelvic.physiotherapy@nhs.net
Pelvic health physiotherapy at St Mary’s Hospital
Address
Physiotherapy department
Basement floor
Winston Churchill wing
St Mary’s Hospital
Winsland Street
London W2 1PZ
Hours
08.30 to 16.30, Monday to Friday
Contact information
Phone: 020 3311 0333
Email: imperial.pelvic.physiotherapy@nhs.net
Pelvic health physiotherapy at Charing Cross Hospital
Address
Therapies Department
Ground floor
South wing
Fulham Palace Road
London W6 8RF
Contact information
Phone: 020 3311 0333
Email: imperial.pelvic.physiotherapy@nhs.net
West London community pelvic health physiotherapy at St Mary’s Hospital
Address
Physiotherapy department
Basement floor
Winston Churchill wing
St Mary’s Hospital
Winsland Street
London W2 1PZ
Hours
Tuesday afternoons
Contact information
Phone: 020 8102 5555
Email: clcht.bookingsupport@nhs.net
West London community pelvic health physiotherapy at Violet Melchett Clinic
Address
Violet Melchett Clinic
30 Flood Walk
London SW3 5RR
Hours
08.30 to 16.30, Tuesdays and Thursday
Contact information
Phone: 020 7349 2800/020 8102 5555
Email: clcht.bookingsupport@nhs.net
Patient information
Before your appointment
We will contact you by phone within 72 working hours of receiving a referral from your GP. If we can't get through to you, we will leave an answerphone/voicemail message or send you a letter confirming your appointment date and time.
If your referral is not suitable for our service, we will send a letter to you and your GP explaining why this is and who to forward your referral on to. This will be sent within 72 working hours of us receiving your referral.
You may be offered a virtual (video) or in-person appointment for your first appointment. Please let us know if you can’t have a video appointment.
For a virtual appointment you will need:
- A device for making a video call, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a webcam and speaker (often built into laptops).
- A reliable internet connection (wired, WiFi or mobile data). If you can watch a video online, you should be able to make a video call.
- A private, well-lit area for your consultation, where you will not be disturbed.
- If possible, use the latest version of Chrome, Safari, or Edge for the best quality video calling.
Please log onto your appointment 10mins before the time your appointment starts and select the therapies waiting area, your therapist will see that you have arrived, and will join your call as soon as they’re ready.
Attending a clinic appointment
We suggest that you wear comfortable clothing that is easy to remove, as you will likely have a physical assessment during your appointment. Depending on your condition, the physical assessment may include a vaginal, anal, or rectal examination, which will be fully discussed with you at your appointment. If you wish to have a chaperone present for this examination please phone us in advance and we will arrange this. A chaperone is a health professional who will act as an impartial observer. A chaperone is offered for any intimate examinations in the NHS, to protect both the patient and the examiner from allegations of inappropriate behaviour. If you are attending a core stability class, please wear comfortable clothing or sports clothing that you can move easily in.
If your appointment is for acupuncture, please make sure you have eaten something before your appointment.
It would be helpful if you could bring the following to your appointment:
- Any correspondence relating to your current condition such as clinic letters,
- reports or maternity notes
- a list of the medicine you’re taking at the moment
- reading glasses if required
When you arrive, please come to the main reception to check in and then take a seat in the waiting area. Our clinics generally run on time and you should be seen within 10 minutes of your appointment time. Please note if you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment you may not be able to be seen. Please call us if you are running late.
Please note that we are a teaching hospital, so students may be present for some appointments. If you do not wish to have them in the room please let the physiotherapist know and the students will be asked to step outside.
Your first appointment will usually last about an hour. Follow-up appointments will generally last around 30 minutes. Classes vary in length and you will be told how long the class is when you are booked in by your physiotherapist.
Information leaflets
- Antenatal perineal massage
- Overactive pelvic floor
- Pelvic floor exercises
- Using a vaginal trainer
- Bladder emptying
- Bladder retraining
- Constipation and difficulty opening your bowels (defecatory dysfunction)
- Holding on training
Pelvic floor referrals
We currently only accept referrals from Imperial consultants in urogynaecology, urology, gynaecology, gynae-oncology, colorectal, gastroenterology, Jefferies (sexual pain) clinic, perinatal pelvic health service.
Each borough manages their patients with pelvic floor symptoms differently. If you are not under the care of a consultant at Imperial, please discuss a local pelvic health physiotherapy referral from your GP.
West London borough
For women registered with a GP in the West London CCG with gynaecological or urogynaecological problems (pelvic floor problems), you can be referred via your GP (via NHS e-referrals) or through self-referral by phoning 020 8102 5520 or emailing clcht.continencepromotion@nhs.net.
If your GP is outside of West London CCG, please discuss a local pelvic health physiotherapy referral from your GP.
Classes
- Healthy pregnancy class – one class for women who are between 12-20 weeks pregnant, with expert advice on having a healthy pregnancy
- Elective caesarean section Class – one class for women who are booked in to have an elective caesarean section (c-section)
- Core stability classes – four group exercise classes to strengthen the muscles in your back, pelvis and hips