All of our physiotherapists at Active Women’s Health Physiotherapy (previously Sue Croft Physiotherapy) are experienced Pelvic Health physiotherapists, having undertaken many courses and post-graduate study related to managing complex pelvic health conditions such as: urinary and faecal urgency, frequency and incontinence; prolapse assessment and management; pessary fitting; return to running assessments and the assessment and treatment of persistent pelvic pain. Sue has trained all physios at the clinic to assess and provide education and treatment in the same manner as Sue does. Our physiotherapists use critical thinking skills to guide your treatment to your individual needs and goals.
What services and information will you receive in your consultation?
- A comprehensive assessment with feedback about the strength of the pelvic floor muscles, if there is any levator avulsion or prolapse. Further objective measurements will be taken where necessary to evaluate the risk of prolapse – Genital Hiatus (GH)+Perineal Body (PB ) with valsalva and strength of the pelvic floor muscles (using a Peritron Biofeedback device).
- Pelvic floor (and abdominal) muscle training programme.
- Bladder retraining and urge control techniques to help with an overactive bladder (OAB).
- Correct voiding (urinating) position and defaecation position and dynamics (passing a bowel motion).
- Good bladder and bowel habits.
- Breath awareness and muscle relaxation advice (when necessary).
- Pelvic floor friendly exercise advice (especially regarding gym programs, Pilates, yoga and high impact sports and activities).
There is no advantage in waiting to see Sue, as all of our other physiotherapists are able to get you started on a treatment program before it may develop into a more major problem. If there are any concerns regarding a particular problem all our physiotherapists readily consult with Sue to ensure appropriate treatment is provided for you.
To make an appointment, call reception between 7.30 am and 3.30 pm Monday to Friday or text 0407 659 357 anytime. Appointments are available Monday to Friday. Some later afternoon appointments are now available on Thursdays.
The initial pelvic floor consultation takes approximately one hour depending on the nature of your condition. The follow-up consultation, one month after, usually takes 30 minutes. If all is going well then we arrange a third half-hour appointment after a further three months. Sue encourages you to make regular yearly appointments to review how your condition is going and to ensure life-time management of your condition. The appointment time required for persistent (chronic) pain patients is often up to an hour and a half (and as such may cost slightly more) and there may be more regular appointments depending on how the pain condition is resolving. Children are usually seen at one month intervals until the problem is sorted. To provide more time for education and treatment at the initial consultation, Sue (only) will most often call you prior to the first appointment to do some questions over the phone. Our other physios will conduct the assessment at the first meeting at the rooms and have longer time allocated to do this.
The initial consultation involves extensive education regarding the bladder, bowel and pelvic floor. An internal examination of your pelvic floor muscles (only for adult patients who provide informed consent) is offered to give the patient feedback on the condition of their pelvic floor muscles. A home program is given to the patient and an extensive information booklet provided to take away. A re-assessment and review of symptoms will occur at the follow-up appointments.
We can treat patients with Men’s health problems also (pre/post-prostatectomy assessment and treatment, persistent pelvic pain such as chronic prostatitis, erectile dysfunction, bowel disorders, urinary incontinence and coccydynia.
Running clinic assessments can be also booked by ringing the rooms or booking online. Megan, Samantha, Haleh and Laura all conduct the Running Assessments.
Remember all of our physiotherapists will assess your problems and cover the educational content in the same manner that Sue does and are able to see patients sooner due to Sue’s busier workload and unavailability due to attendance at conferences and time spent writing.
Payment options
Hicaps
Hicaps facilities for most Private Health Funds are available. The amount you receive back varies depending on your individual health fund. Ring your health fund and check what your rebate will be as each fund varies. The Health Insurance card is swiped through and then the balance is paid via cash, credit card or EFTPOS. There is often a gap for the initial consultation as this initial appointment is longer and complex.
Credit Card Facilities
Visa / MasterCard / American Express/ EFTPOS facilities are available with no surcharge for paying the balance of the consultation on credit card.
Enhanced Primary Care Program
All our physios are registered with Medicare for the Enhanced Primary Care Plan. If your GP has decided that you are eligible for a plan, the GP will fill out the necessary paperwork and you will need to bring this referral with you, as well as your Medicare card and an EFTPOS card as the claim can be processed at the rooms. This appointment is not bulk-billed – there is a gap with the plan, unless you have reached your Medicare Safety Net, in which case Medicare will work out the rebate (often a percentage) and this means the rebate is significantly higher.