Bringing Pelvic Health Physiotherapy into the Classroom: Benefits and Barriers

Pelvic health physiotherapy is a growing area of practice that provides effective treatment for patients with pelvic health conditions, like urinary incontinence, manage their condition. As more and more patients are seeking physiotherapy to treat various pelvic health conditions, new research from Stephanie Scodras (MScPT ‘16) finds that many entry-level physiotherapists reported receiving little training in pelvic health physiotherapy in their entry-to-practice education.

Pelvic health physiotherapy is a specific branch of physical therapy that helps patients who are dealing with things like incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse or pelvic pain. It's also very common for pelvic health physiotherapists to work with pregnant individuals to help them manage their pregnancy and to help with any potential issues.

As more and more evidence on the effectiveness of pelvic health physiotherapy emerges, and as more physiotherapists are interested in practicing in the field, Scodras saw a need for more research on entry-level pelvic health physiotherapy education in Canada.

In her research, Pelvic Health Content in Canadian Entry-To-Practice Physiotherapy Programs: An Online Survey, Scodras found that some entry-level physical therapy programs are making efforts to include pelvic health physiotherapy into their curriculum, but there are barriers.

Several programs reported that access to expertise was a barrier. Programs with access to a faculty member or clinical instructor with experience in this area were more likely to include pelvic health content in their curriculum. 

Scodras says one of the benefits of including pelvic health physiotherapy into the curriculum is that it exposes students to this area of practice – something that may spark their interest in pursuing a career in the area. 

Students who have been exposed to this area of the field are better equipped to care for populations who may benefit from pelvic health physiotherapy. Over 50 per cent of elderly women will experience symptoms of urinary incontinence, and that prevalence increases with age.

“We know that in general physiotherapy practice, physiotherapists will encounter elderly women, patients with pelvic pain and patients who are or have been pregnant. Having some prior education on pelvic health conditions means physiotherapists are better equipped to provide some basic intervention or refer to an experienced practitioner,” says Scodras. “This is a great opportunity for entry level physiotherapists to have a significant impact on these patients’ lives.” 

Scodras notes that pelvic health physiotherapy is not just for women, it’s for people of all genders. Many men experience pelvic health related conditions, including pelvic pain and urinary issues. 

“Pelvic health physiotherapy also plays an important role in helping transgender populations with pre- and post- gender-affirming surgery – an emerging area we’re seeing,” she adds. 

Scodras hopes her research will lead to more programs incorporating pelvic health physiotherapy into their curriculums. “We need to see pelvic health physiotherapy as a more holistic type of practice that can help a lot of people. Having exposure to this area of practice in entry-level training has a lot of benefits for both learners and patients.” 

Scodras completed her PhD post-graduate studies in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and successfully defended her thesis in October 2023 under the supervision of Nancy Salbach. She has recently joined our department as the Academic Lead for unit 11 – a course where students deepen their understanding of a topic of interest to them or related to a professional goal.