Since then, I have been in Australia updating my skills in Continence care. Having incontinence is such a barrier to lifestyle for so many. Approximately 75% of Australian women develop some degree of prolapse during their lifetime, and one in five women have surgery. Most at risk are those with weakness or damaged pelvic floors, generally injured during birth, where one of the muscles for example has to reach an additional 259% of its length to enable delivery (generally skeletal muscle is designed to rupture at 150% of its resting length!). Other than birth, people with chronic respiratory conditions, chronic constipation, a lifetime of heavy lifting as well as many of our high impact, elite young sportswomen are at risk. It’s certainly not just women who suffer in silence either, many men before and after prostate surgery have problems too, and I also attended earlier in the year another wonderful course to update me on what is now available to help men with these issues too. The nice thing is that you can make such a difference, and the sooner you acknowledge that you have a problem and seek help the better – leaving it until it is more significant is not so clever. I have enjoyed assisting people since early on in my career, but more latterly have focussed more on my cardiac patients, so it is nice to hear the latest research and the advances being seen with various treatments across in Australia. The pelvic floor is muscle that undergoes aging and damage, just like any other muscle in our body, so improving its strength and function is vital for us all.
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