Women’s Health Physiotherapy in St Kilda: Supporting Strength, Confidence and Return to Exercise

Women’s health physiotherapy is not just about pelvic floor exercises.

For many women, it is about feeling strong again, moving with confidence, returning to exercise safely, and getting help for symptoms that are often ignored or normalised.

At Acland Street Physiotherapy in St Kilda, our women’s health and pelvic health physiotherapy services support women through different stages of life, including pregnancy, postnatal recovery, pelvic pain, continence concerns and return to sport or exercise.

What can women’s health physiotherapy help with?

Women’s health physiotherapy may assist with:

• Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain and lower back pain
• Postnatal recovery and return to exercise
• Pelvic floor weakness, overactivity or pelvic pain
• Urinary leakage, urgency or continence concerns

These issues are common, but they should not be dismissed as something you simply have to live with.

Symptoms such as leaking when running, jumping, coughing or lifting may be signs that your pelvic floor and surrounding support system need assessment and targeted rehabilitation. Pelvic floor muscle training is commonly recommended as a first-line conservative approach for urinary incontinence in women.

Why return to exercise needs to be individualised

A lot of women are told to “just wait six weeks” after giving birth before returning to exercise.
In reality, recovery is more individual than that.

Your body may need support with strength, pelvic floor coordination, abdominal control, hip and pelvic stability, breathing mechanics and gradual load progression.

This is especially important if you want to return to:

• Running
• Gym training
• Pilates
• Team sport
• Lifting children
• Work demands
• Daily activity without discomfort or leakage
  
  

A good women’s health physiotherapy plan should not just tell you what to avoid. It should help you rebuild capacity safely and progressively.

A sports rehabilitation approach to women’s health

Frederique Labelle brings a strong background in sports rehabilitation, exercise science and performance-based care. She is a Physiotherapist and Certified Athletic Therapist, with a Doctor of Physiotherapy from Bond University and previous experience working with rugby, athletics and ice hockey athletes. Her approach combines hands-on therapy, education, strength training and active rehabilitation.

This background is especially useful for women who do not just want symptom relief.

They want to get back to moving well.

Whether your goal is to walk without pelvic pain, return to running after childbirth, manage lower back pain during pregnancy, or feel confident in the gym again, treatment should be practical, progressive and tailored to your body.

What to expect during a consultation

Your physiotherapist will take the time to understand your symptoms, goals, activity level and medical history.

Depending on your presentation, assessment may include:

• Discussion of bladder, bowel, pelvic pain or exercise-related symptoms
• Movement, strength and functional assessment
• Pelvic, hip, lower back and abdominal screening
• Education around load management, recovery and exercise progression
• A tailored treatment and rehabilitation plan
  
  

Treatment may include education, exercise rehabilitation, manual therapy where appropriate, strength programming and strategies to help you return to the activities that matter to you.

You do not have to “just put up with it”

Many women delay seeking help because they assume pelvic pain, leaking, pregnancy-related pain or postnatal weakness is normal.

Common does not mean normal.

If symptoms are stopping you from exercising, lifting, running, working, parenting or feeling confident in your body, physiotherapy may help.

Women’s health physiotherapy in St Kilda

Acland Street Physiotherapy provides women’s health and pelvic health physiotherapy in St Kilda, with a practical focus on movement, strength and confidence.

Whether you are pregnant, postnatal, returning to sport, or dealing with pelvic health symptoms, our goal is to help you move better, feel stronger and return to the activities you enjoy.
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Book an appointment with Frederique at Acland Street Physiotherapy in St Kilda.