Refresh Physio & Pilates

Refresh Physio & Pilates Pelvic Health & Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, pilates, breathing pattern disorders, exercise prescription

Refresh Physio, lead by Principal Catherine Millar, is a physiotherapy
practice with experienced & well qualified physiotherapists - offering superior, specialist services in exercise prescription, sports injuries - elite & recreational, treatment of spinal injuries - acute & ongoing, pilates (group sessions & one one one), acupuncture, hydrotherapy, massage, women's health for all ages preschool to the elderly.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ First of all, they donโ€™t look like this ๐Ÿ‘†๐Ÿพ - I was just hoping to get your attention โ€ฆ. ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Second of all, a vaginal...
24/09/2025

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ First of all, they donโ€™t look like this ๐Ÿ‘†๐Ÿพ - I was just hoping to get your attention โ€ฆ.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Second of all, a vaginal examination does give valuable information about ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ

๐Ÿ‘ Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength, whether they are contracting effectivelyโ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ PFM endurance - how long can they help out for

๐Ÿ‘ PFMย  relaxation (can they let go or is the resting tone higher than normal & potentially contributing to pain)โ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ Any level of pelvic organ prolapse (& its grade) - knowing a level of mild organ descent is NORMAL after having given birth.ย โ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ What happens to the urethra with an instruction to coughย โ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ How well it teams up with your breath & all the other hip & trunk region muscles that can often compensate/dominateย โ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ Tender spots/ scar tissueย 

๐Ÿ‘ Vulval/vaginal tissue health - does it lack oestrogen? - thinking GSL in breastfeeding Mums or GSM in peri/postmenopausal womenโ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ Painful/sensitive areas & whether pain is due to local sensitivity โ€จor your brain giving an overprotective โ€œdangerโ€ signal (central sensitisation)โ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ We chat through every step so there are no surprisesโ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ modesty towels help so only the area being assessed is exposedโ€จ
๐Ÿ‘ Plenty of women say afterwards it was far less awkward than they expected
โ€จ๐Ÿ‘ Exams are never about judgement โ€” theyโ€™re about gathering the best info to help youโ€จ
๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ Topics like brazilians (or not) & hairy legs (or not) are not what I will bring upโ€ฆ but I can tell you this much for free - I can relate ๐Ÿ˜‚

๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ & yes of course - you really can keep your socks onโ€ฆ..

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Most people have heard of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)โ€”a condition caused by low hormone levels in peri-...
24/09/2025

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Most people have heard of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)โ€”a condition caused by low hormone levels in peri- & post menopausal women that leads to vaginal dryness, discomfort, & urinary symptoms.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Many new mothers experience very similar changes after childbirth while breastfeedingโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ A recent review proposed a new term : Genitourinary Syndrome of Lactation (GSL).

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Why does this happen? During breastfeeding, the hormone prolactin (which drives milk production) suppresses oestrogen & androgen levels.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ These lower hormone levels can
cause:

๐Ÿ‘Vaginal dryness
๐Ÿ‘ Pain with s*x (dyspareunia)
๐Ÿ‘ Vulvovaginal atrophy (thinning of vaginal tissue)
๐Ÿ‘ Urinary incontinence & other urinary symptoms

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Despite being common & sometimes distressing, these symptoms may not be screened for at postpartum check-ups.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ There are currently no established guidelines to help health professionals diagnose or treat GSL.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Just as GSM helped raise awareness in menopause care, GSL could enlighten for better postpartum support.

๐Ÿ’ The above diagram illustrates :Lactation (breastfeeding ) -induced hormonal shifts elevate prolactin levels, causing a...
23/09/2025

๐Ÿ’ The above diagram illustrates :Lactation (breastfeeding ) -induced hormonal shifts elevate prolactin levels, causing a decrease in ovarian production of androgens & oestrogen.

๐Ÿ’ As a consequence, the breastfeeding woman experiences a low oestrogen & androgen state, which can continue as long as breastfeeding does.

๐Ÿ’ Prolactin suppresses gonadotropin-releasing hormone & gonadotropin, which in turn blocks folliculogenesis & aromatase enzymes. This further reinforces a low oestrogen state.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Takeaway - If you are experiencing discomfort such as dryness, pain, or urinary issues while breastfeeding, you are not aloneโ€”& you do not need to suffer in silence.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Talking with a pelvic health physiotherapist or health care provider can be the first step toward relief.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Recognising GSL is an important move toward improving maternal wellbeing during the postpartum journey.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ IF YA KNOW YA KNOW โ€ฆ.
21/09/2025

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ IF YA KNOW YA KNOW โ€ฆ.

Low energy availability (LEA) doesnโ€™t just affect health โ€” it impacts performance too.๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Decreases endurance & power per...
20/09/2025

Low energy availability (LEA) doesnโ€™t just affect health โ€” it impacts performance too.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Decreases endurance & power performance, decreases VO2 max

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreases muscle strength, including 1RM

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased cognitive performance skill - judgement, reaction time, co ordination & concentration

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased motivation - increase in mood disturbance, increases irritability & depression, emotional liability, self reported decrease in mood & self regulation, concentration, social interaction, food anxiety

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased recovery - reduced glycogen synthesis, reduced muscle protein synthesis

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased training response

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreases athlete availability due to illness or injury

Low energy availability (LEA) doesnโ€™t just affect health โ€” it impacts performance too.๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Decreases endurance & power per...
20/09/2025

Low energy availability (LEA) doesnโ€™t just affect health โ€” it impacts performance too.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Decreases endurance & power performance, decreases VO2 max

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreases muscle strength, including 1RM

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased cognitive performance skill - judgement, reaction time, co ordination & concentration

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased motivation - increase in mood disturbance, increases irritability & depression, emotional liability, self reported decrease in mood & self regulation, concentration, social interaction, food anxiety

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased recovery - reduced glycogen synthesis, reduced muscle protein synthesis

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreased training response

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ decreases athlete availability due to illness or injury

๐Ÿ‰ This is the second post of two I am doing on female rugby players & the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence (SUI...
19/09/2025

๐Ÿ‰ This is the second post of two I am doing on female rugby players & the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) - based on a study of 396 female rugby players โ€ฆ.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Over half suffering from rugby-related SUI reported wearing a pad (58%) & only 7% reported using urethral support devices while training or playing rugby.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Most players (68%) who reported rugby-related SUI continued to play, making no modifications to how they participated in rugby activities.
ย 
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Most of those who did make modifications, reported it affected their performance negatively.ย 

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐ŸพWith the high injury rates in rugby, players may view leaking as insignificant or normal as it does not typically result in time lost to training or matches. It is not normalโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Prevention & management of SUI should be prioritised within female rugby due to the increase in everyday urinary leakage & higher occurrence while playing rugby.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Postpartum return-ยญto-ยญrugby is a risk factor for rugby-ยญrelated SUI.

ย ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ If these experiences resonate, - checking in with a pelvic health physio who understands the demands of sport can make a big difference for both your confidence & performance.

๐Ÿค™๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘†๐ŸพHere to help
ย ย 

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ First post of two : Female athletes engaging in high ยญimpact sports have a higher prevalence of experiencing stress u...
18/09/2025

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ First post of two : Female athletes engaging in high ยญimpact sports have a higher prevalence of experiencing stress urinary incontinence (SUI), this includes rugby.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ In an observational, cross sectional study of 396 female rugby playersย - 43%ย reported rugby-related SUI.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Factors that increased the odds of having rugby-ยญrelated SUI were :-

๐Ÿ‰ having a higher BMI - 75% of players who leaked has a BMI > 24.9

๐Ÿ‰ experiencing constipation

๐Ÿ‰ having given birth.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ types of fluid intake (e.g. carbonated of caffeinated drinks) pain with in*******se & age were not risk factorsโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Specific risk factors for developing rugby related SUI:-

๐Ÿ‰ playing as a forward (more tackling & sustained rucks & mauls).

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ national level players were less likely to develop SUI compared with amateurย level.

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ The things that most item trigger SUI include :-

๐Ÿ‰ being tackled (75%)
๐Ÿ‰ tackling (66%)
๐Ÿ‰ running (63%)
๐Ÿ‰ jumping/landing (59%). ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ see the next post for more info.

๐Ÿ–คโ™ฅ๏ธ๐ŸคNgฤ Tลซtohi Awhina mล te Whare Paku โ€จKei a Continence NZ he tลซtohi whaihua mล:โ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ  te mimi (bladder)โ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ te whฤ“ru (bow...
16/09/2025

๐Ÿ–คโ™ฅ๏ธ๐ŸคNgฤ Tลซtohi Awhina mล te Whare Paku โ€จKei a Continence NZ he tลซtohi whaihua mล:โ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ te mimi (bladder)โ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ te whฤ“ru (bowel)โ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ me te whakangungu kลpลซ (potty training)
He rauemi pai hei tautoko i ngฤ mฤtua me ngฤ tamariki.โ€จTฤซkina atu ngฤ tลซtohi koreutu i konei:
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ continence.org.nz/translations/translation-te-reo-maori

Helpful Charts for Toiletingโ€จContinence NZ has easy-to-use charts for:โ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Bladderโ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Bowelโ€จ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ Potty training
Perfect for supporting parents and tamariki.โ€จDownload your free charts here
๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿพ continence.org.nz/translations/translation-te-reo-maori

๐Ÿ–คโ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค Mauri tลซ, mauri ora - an active soul is a healthy soul
15/09/2025

๐Ÿ–คโ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค Mauri tลซ, mauri ora - an active soul is a healthy soul

15/09/2025

๐Ÿ–คโ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค E rua tekau mฤ rima tau e whakanui ana i tล tฤtou taonga - te reo Mฤori. 25 years celebrating our treasure - te reo Mฤori.

15/09/2025

๐Ÿ–คโ™ฅ๏ธ E rua tekau mฤ rima tau e whakanui ana i tล tฤtou taonga - te reo Mฤori. 25 years celebrating our treasure - te reo Mฤori.

Address

70 Kilbirnie Crescent
Wellington
6022

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 6:30pm
Thursday 8am - 6:30pm
Friday 8am - 6:30pm
Saturday 9am - 2pm

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