This is not talked about enough!

Pelvic Physiotherapy & Women’s Health in Rural and Regional Areas.

The Problem: Access & Awareness

Living in rural or regional parts of Australia comes with many strengths: connection to land, community closeness, slower pace. But it also brings challenges in accessing health services—specialist care, privacy, regular follow-ups. Women’s health is one of the areas where these access gaps show up strongly. Almost everywhere, there’s a focus on maternity care, but post-birthing care, pelvic health, continence issues, pelvic pain and the like often don’t get the same visibility or support, especially when services are mainly in larger centres.

Pelvic physiotherapy especially is under-utilised or difficult to access in regional settings. For many women, it means long drives, significant costs (travel, time off work), limited appointment availability, or a lack of clinicians locally trained in women’s/pelvic health. Also there is often stigma or lack of awareness about what pelvic physios do, when to see them, and how beneficial early treatment can be.

What is Pelvic Physiotherapy

Pelvic physiotherapy (also called women’s health physio, pelvic health physio, continence physio etc.) is a specialised area of physiotherapy. These physiotherapists have training beyond the general physio qualification, they learn about anatomy and function of the pelvic floor, the organs in the pelvis (bladder, uterus, bowel), the muscles, nerves, connective tissues, and how they interact with posture, breathing, core stability, and other systems.

They work with people of throughout the lifespan - before and after childbirth, during perimenopause and menopause, following surgery, those with chronic pelvic pain, following prolapse, and more. They do more than just pregnancy and birth-related work.

Photography by: Sunnie Days Film & Content

What Pelvic Physios Can Help With

Here are some of the symptoms, conditions and life stages where pelvic physio can make a big difference:

Area	Examples / Symptoms
Bladder issues	Involuntary leakage of urine when coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercise; urinary urgency (needing to rush to the toilet); frequent urination; difficulty emptying bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Bowel issues	Constipation, incontinence, feeling of incomplete emptying, pain or discomfort with bowel movements, urgency, chronic straining during bowel movements.
Pelvic pain	Pain in the pelvic area that may be constant or intermittent; pain during intercourse; pain associated with conditions like endometriosis or during menstruation
Pregnancy-related problems	Pelvic girdle pain, lower back pain, pubic symphysis dysfunction, preparing the pelvic floor for birth
Post-partum recovery	Recovery of abdominal wall (e.g. diastasis recti), healing of episiotomies or Ceasarean scars, rebuilding pelvic floor strength, managing incontinence, returning to exercise
Pelvic organ prolapse	Feeling of heaviness or dragging in the vaginal area, bulging, discomfort
Menopause & Later Life	Changes in muscle and tissue strength due to hormonal changes, vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms, prolapse symptoms, pelvic discomfort, sexual dysfunction.
Post-surgical / cancer recovery	Following surgery (gynecological, urological), radiotherapy etc. Managing pain, scarring, improving function, preventing prolapse symptoms.

Why It Matters: Benefits of Accessing Pelvic Physio

• Improved quality of life — better control, less worry, less disruption to daily activities by symptoms.

• Preventing worsening — early treatment can prevent mild symptoms escalating into more serious, chronic issues.

• Better physical functioning — improving core stability, reducing pain, helping with mobility.

• Mental health benefits — improved confidence, relief from embarrassment, anxiety; better body-image, less stress.

• More independence — lessening the need to plan life around symptoms.

• Health equity — ensuring women in all areas have similar opportunity to live well.

Barriers in Rural & Regional Areas

• Fewer specialist practitioners in women’s/pelvic health physically located in smaller towns.

• Travel distances and costs; transport difficulties, especially for those who may also have childcare or work constraints.

• Limited awareness or knowledge among both patients and some general health practitioners about what pelvic physio can address.

• Long wait times or limited service hours in public clinics.

• Privacy concerns, particularly in small communities.

• Cost (private physio might be expensive, services might not be fully covered).

Local Services for Women in the Murray & Surrounds

If you’re based in the Murray River region or Northern Victoria, here are some pelvic health physiotherapists and women’s health services to explore:

• Grace Gillett - Deniliquin Pelvic Physio (Deniliquin, NSW) – Specialising in pelvic floor physiotherapy, pregnancy care, continence, post-partum recovery, and women’s health across different life stages. Also provides telehealth support. Website:

• Tina Pesevanto (Physiotherapist, Shepparton VIC) – Experienced women’s health physio supporting pelvic health, pre- and post-natal care, and rehabilitation

• Zoe Ludington Spark HER Health Co (Physiotherapist, Numurkah) – Focuses on pelvic floor health, continence management, and holistic physiotherapy care.

• Kazz Congram The travelling Pelvic Floor Clinic, Finley - Southern Riverina Pelvic Floor Treatment

• Fiona Wieland - GV Women’s Physiotherapy Shepparton, VICPelvic floor training, urinary/bowel incontinence, prolapse, pelvic pain etc

• Amanda Baxter, Yarrawonga Pilates & Physiotherapy and Physiotherapist Albury Physiotherapy Specialises in diagnosing and treating women’s pelvic health concerns, from pregnancy and postnatal changes to bladder and bowel issues, prolapse, and pelvic pain.

• Telehealth and outreach clinics. Offering services remotely helps shrink the gap in geography. Some pelvic physiotherapists also run outreach or mobile clinics. See “The Rural Women’s Physio” for example. The Rural Women's Physio. Deniliquin Pelvic Physio also provides telehealth services.

• Directories like Physio Locator, The Mama Physio directory, etc., to help women find pelvic health physios locally or regionally. Mama Physio+2Physio Locator+2

  
  

Public women’s health clinics that include allied health (including physiotherapy) in their services. In Victoria, there are women’s health clinics that offer pelvic pain, incontinence, prolapse support, etc. Better Health Channel+1

What Can Be Done Locally / By Community

• Raise awareness locally: tell women what is available, that they don’t have to “just live with” symptoms.

• Advocate for more funding / more clinics / allied health outreach services in regional areas.

• Explore community health centres, local hospitals – what services do they have, and can they bring in pelvic health physiotherapists or arrange visiting specialists.

• Support telehealth where possible – ensure internet access and privacy.

• Encourage GPs / midwives / maternal health nurses to screen or ask questions about pelvic health (urinary leakage, bowel issues, pelvic pain) even when women are coming in for unrelated visits.

Pelvic physiotherapy is not just "post-birth recovery", it plays a vital role across many stages of women’s lives, treating bladder, bowel, sexual health, pelvic pain, prolapse, and more. For regional and rural women, there are significant barriers but also opportunities. With better awareness, outreach, telehealth, and support, many more women could access help, earlier, and improve their wellbeing significantly.