Pelvic Health and Cancer in Christchurch

Several types of cancer and cancer treatments can impact pelvic health affecting your body’s bowel, bladder and sexual function. Medical treatments for pelvic cancers (such as gynaecological, prostate, bladder, or bowel cancer) can directly affect your pelvic health. Radiation therapy and surgery for pelvic cancers can change the structure and function of the pelvic organs and pelvic floor muscles. Chemotherapy and hormone therapy for various cancers can impact the body as a whole as well as specifically impacting pelvic health. In addition, some cancer treatments in women can induce menopause, resulting in pelvic health symptoms due to estrogen deprivation.

Despite these pelvic health symptoms being quite common, it is important to know that pelvic health physiotherapy can successfully treat many of these symptoms, reducing the impact they may have on your quality of life. At Active Health, two of our cancer rehabilitation physiotherapists are also experienced pelvic health physiotherapists, therefore ideally suited to address your pelvic health concerns.

Common pelvic health symptoms and conditions we treat in cancer rehabilitation:

• Bladder or bowel leakage
• Difficulty emptying the bladder or bowel
• Bladder or bowel urgency and/or frequency
• Overactive bladder syndrome
• Constipation
• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Genital pain or pain with intercourse, tampon use or gynecologic exams
• Vaginal stenosis (tightening/shortening of the vagina)
• Menopause related vulvovaginal symptoms
• Pelvic pain
• Erectile dysfunction
• Pelvic floor muscle weakness or tension
• Scar tissue or adhesions: abdominal or pelvic floor/perinium