Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation in Sharjah

What is pelvic floor rehabilitation?

Pelvic floor rehabilitation is physiotherapist-led training of the pelvic floor, the layer of muscle that stretches like a hammock from the pubic bone to the tailbone. These muscles close the outlets from the bladder and bowel, support the organs above them, and relax to allow passing urine and opening the bowels. Women and men both have a pelvic floor, and it can become weak, poorly timed or overly tight.

The key idea is supervision. Pelvic floor exercises are simple to describe and surprisingly easy to do wrongly: many people squeeze their buttocks, hold their breath or bear down instead of lifting. A physiotherapist checks that the right muscles are working, then builds a programme with a clear structure, progressing it session by session.

Pelvic floor rehabilitation at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah is delivered by the hospital's physical therapists within the physiotherapy department. It is the exercise-based part of care. Pelvic floor therapy with the gynaecology team covers the medical assessment of prolapse and options such as a pessary or surgery, and HIFEM pelvic floor therapy is a separate chair-based treatment.

Who needs it

Pelvic floor rehabilitation helps:

• Women with leakage on coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting or exercise
• Women after childbirth, once the early postnatal period has passed
• Women around menopause with new leakage or a feeling of weakness
• Men with leakage after prostate removal or other prostate surgery
• Men and women with dribbling after passing urine
• People with a sudden, strong urge to pass urine, alongside urinary incontinence care
• People with difficulty controlling wind or bowel leakage
• People with pelvic pain or painful intercourse linked to muscles that are too tight, where relaxation training is the focus

For men having prostate surgery, starting pelvic floor training before the operation means the muscles are familiar once the catheter is removed.

What happens

The physical therapist asks about your bladder and bowel habits, fluid intake, leakage and what triggers it, births or surgery, and how symptoms affect work, exercise and prayer. A bladder diary kept beforehand is reviewed.

Next, the therapist checks how your pelvic floor works. This can be done externally, by watching and feeling the area over clothing or at the perineum, and for women an internal vaginal examination gives the most detail. For men, the therapist can check the muscle by observing the base of the penis lift as you contract. Every part of the examination is explained first and done only with your consent, and you are welcome to bring someone with you.

Training then follows the findings:

• Finding the muscles: imagining stopping wind and the flow of urine at the same time, with a lift inwards and upwards, while breathing normally
• Slow holds to build strength and endurance
• Quick squeezes to react fast to a cough or sneeze
• "The knack": tightening the pelvic floor just before you cough, sneeze or lift
• Relaxation and lengthening for muscles that are too tight, using breathing and gentle stretches
• Urge control: standing still, squeezing quickly and breathing calmly until the urge passes, then walking to the toilet
• Bladder training, gradually lengthening the time between visits for an overactive pattern
• Toilet posture: feet raised on a small stool and leaning forward, which helps the bowel empty without straining

The therapist sets the number of squeezes and the length of each hold for you, and increases them as the muscles strengthen.

Preparing for it

• Keep a bladder diary for a few days: drinks, toilet visits and leaks.
• Bring a list of medicines and any urology, gynaecology or surgical letters.
• Wear comfortable clothing.
• Empty your bladder shortly before the session, unless asked otherwise.
• Write down your questions, including anything you feel shy about; these topics are routine for the therapist.

Afterwards

Pelvic floor muscles strengthen like any other muscle: with regular practice over weeks and months. Link exercises to daily habits, such as after each prayer, at red traffic lights or while the kettle boils. Keeping some practice going long term helps hold on to the gains.

Drink enough through the day, especially in the Sharjah heat, since concentrated urine irritates the bladder. Reducing fizzy drinks and caffeine often helps urgency. During Ramadan, spread fluids between iftar and suhoor. The physical therapist at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah reviews technique and progresses the programme at follow-up.

Contact the hospital if you see blood in your urine, have burning when passing urine or a fever, or develop new pelvic pain. Go to the emergency department straight away if you are unable to pass urine at all.

Cost and insurance

Many UAE insurance plans cover pelvic floor rehabilitation as physiotherapy when a doctor documents incontinence or a related condition, often with a referral and pre-approval. Session caps are common. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm cover on 06 599 7777.