Yonge & St Clair | Pelvic Health Physiotherapy

Jane J. Bai

Physiotherapist
Pelvic Health Physiotherapist

Hours of Availability
Please book at our Wellington location.

Virtual and In-Person Pelvic Health Physio Available!

For your virtual appointment, a zoom health link will be provided to you on the day of the scheduled appointment. If you are an existing client at St.Clair or Adelaide and you are interested in virtual pelvic health physiotherapy, please make a virtual initial Pelvic Health Physiotherapy appointment booking (60min) on the Wellington booking platform. You will be considered a new client there, so please fill out your intake again.

For in-person services, currently Jane is providing orthopaedic and Pelvic Health Physiotherapy at the Wellington and Yonge location. Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays at 9-5pm. Please book an appointment directly on the Wellington booking platform; ensure you are making the correct selection between virtual appointment vs. in-person appointment, & pelvic health vs. orthopaedic appointment. Call into the Wellington location at (416) 800-1268 if you run into issues.

If you are interested in working with Jane but have a question or concern about Pelvic Health Physiotherapy care, please contact her directly at janethephysio@gmail.com.

*DISCLAIMER: You must be residing in Ontario to receive virtual Pelvic Health Physiotherapy care. Please check with your insurance company to inquire about reimbursement for virtual physiotherapy services. Most companies will provide coverage for virtual physiotherapy.

Definition
The pelvic floor refers to a group of muscles that sit in the pelvic inlet, like a hammock, and serves five critical functions in the body. The pelvic floor is one of three core stabilizers, contributes to continence control, has a role in sexual function & pleasure, acts as a ‘sump-pump’ to regulate the flow of liquids around the pelvis, and supports the pelvic organs.

When there is injury or dysfunction to the pelvic floor, whether it is due to trauma, pregnancy, menopause, pelvic or abdominal surgeries, cancer treatments, or falls, one can experience a number of problems such as pelvic girdle pain, incontinence, low back pain, pain during sex, prolapse, and many other symptoms. Unfortunately, these conditions are underserviced and are also kept secret due to feelings of embarrassment and due to their ‘taboo-nature’. Luckily, more and more people are talking about pelvic floor physiotherapy, doctors and midwives are starting to make referrals for this service, and some universities are teaching physiotherapy students the skills to practice in this realm of physiotherapy. In France, pelvic floor physiotherapy is standard practice and paid for by the government for post-partum care.

Scope of Practice

Preparing for a Pregnancy
Firstly, congratulations on becoming a Mama-to-be! We have curated a program to support birthing people through education on how to prepare for birth and delivery, strategies for breathing control, pelvic floor coordination, strengthening, and lengthening exercises, labor and delivery positions that could be better options for you, and what can happen to the abdomen and pelvic floor post-partum. We will also be providing you with an individualized exercise program, that is progressed by trimester, to support wellness during pregnancy, delivery, and a speedy recovery post-partum. These exercises are also meant to prevent common (but NOT NORMAL) aches and/or symptoms during pregnancy and post-partum (ie. pelvic girdle pain, pubic symphysis pain, hip and low back pain, heaviness in the vulvar region, difficulty taking a deep breath, neck and shoulder tension from feeding and holding baby, and leakage). In the same way you would train consistently for a marathon, you want to do the same in preparation for birth and delivery! We are excited to meet you and we would be honoured to help you navigate through your pregnancy journey!

‘Battle Scars’ after Pregnancy
Whether you are suffering from pain after a caesarian, a tear, an episiotomy and/or from rectus diastasis, pelvic health physiotherapists are trained to assess how your ‘birthing battle scars’ are healing. We have the training to perform manual techniques to help with pain management and also to teach you how to perform self-management skills so that the pain from these scars do not hinder your day-to-day activities, sexual health, and future pregnancies!

Pelvic Organ Prolapse
Have you been diagnosed with a type of pelvic organ prolapse or have you been feeling a sense of “heaviness” in the pelvic region ever since your pregnancy? About 30-50% of women post-pregnancy suffer some form of a pelvic organ prolapse. Depending on the severity or level of the prolapse, pelvic floor physiotherapy may be beneficial to reduce the pain and feeling of ‘heaviness’ in the pelvic region. The pelvic health physiotherapist has the training to recognize if a pessary (a device inserted intra-vaginally to play a supportive role) needs to be fitted or whether a visit to the doctor is required depending on how you present and the grade of the prolapse.

Urinary and Fecal Incontinence
Did you know that 10% of Canadian women are affected by urinary incontinence? Those suffering from urinary and fecal incontinence are oftentimes too embarrassed to seek help, or don’t know where to seek help, or feel that it is a normal part of the aging process so that they do not think to seek help. Incontinence is absolutely NOT a normal result of aging nor is it a normal result of a vaginal delivery. There are at least five different types of incontinence and just doing ‘Kegels’ is not always the answer! The pelvic health physiotherapist has the manual skills to properly assess and determine which type of incontinence you have, and then give you the PROPER pelvic floor muscle training program and education required for you to gain control of your pelvic floor muscles to try to resolve this dysfunction.

Sexual Pain & Dysfunction
Dyspareunia is the medical term to describe pain when having intercourse, however, there are so many root causes that could be contributing to the ‘WHY’ you may be exeriencing pain. Pelvic floor physiotherapists are trained with the ‘know-how’ to assess and diagnose where your pain could be stemming from and will give you the tools to slowly reduce that pain and feel confident again in your sexual health and wellness.

Pelvic Cancers &
Dysfunction of the Pelvic Floor
Did you know that 23% of new diagnoses of cancer in women is in the pelvis and 45% in men! Did you know that 80% of women have negative sexual health impacts following gynecological cancer treatment (Fahimi et al. 2015). Many pelvic floor-related dysfunctions arise due to the types of cancer treatment currently administered, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgeries. These bowel & bladder and sexual dysfunction symptoms may persist long after the cancer treatments have been administered and can have a tremendously negative effect on the quality of living amongst survivors. Pelvic floor muscle retraining has already been shown to be an effective intervention for incontinent gynecologic cancer survivors (Rutledge et al. 2014).

FAQ
1) Can I be assessed or receive treatment while on my period?
Yes. Being on your period does not hinder the assessments or treatments that the pelvic floor physiotherapist practices. However, if you do not feel comfortable you may change your appointment time but please try to give us at least 24 hours to reschedule the appointment.

2) Can I bring my baby or toddler with me to the session?
Yes, you may. We can accommodate to have your baby in the room while you receive your physio session.

3) What should I expect when I come in for my initial 60 minute pelvic floor assessment appointment?
We begin all our sessions with signing of an electronic consent form to give you an idea of what the session entails. Consent will be continue to be ongoing, however, this is the perfect time for you to address any immediate concerns and questions for your pelvic floor physiotherapist. We will do our best to respect any specific cultural-related restrictions to make you feel comfortable during each session. We then start with a subjective interview which contains many questions of a personal and sensitive nature related to sexual health, bowel and bladder function, orthopedic injuries, and medical history. We ask that you answer as openly and honestly as possible for us to gain a better understanding of your condition. We then follow this interview with an objective global assessment focussed on your posture, mobility, strength, flexibility, and stability of the low back, pelvis, sacroiliac joint and hips. Then followed by an external and internal-digital vaginal and/or anal examination to be able to reach the three layers of the pelvic floor musculature.

4) Is the internal assessment/treatment required for pelvic floor physiotherapy?
To gather a full understanding of the integrity of the pelvic floor muscles, the gold standard is to include both an internal vaginal and anal examination for women and an internal anal examination for men. However, with this said, there are a lot of treatment techniques that can be performed externally for certain pelvic floor-related conditions and can have good results. Keep in mind though that without an internal examination there is a ‘piece of the puzzle’ missing when we put on our ‘detective hats’ as physios and as we’re trying to come up with a clinical impression of what could be the root of the problem. Thus, it is really to your benefit that the physiotherapist assesses in a global, external, and internal manner to gather a full understanding of the condition, dysfunction, and/or source of pain.

5) Do I need a Doctor’s referral before I see the pelvic floor physiotherapist?
No. Pelvic health physiotherapists are primary health-care providers so you can call us to book an appointment right away! Physiotherapists are trained to recognize any red flags during the initial assessment and future visits, so if you do present with any red flags, the physiotherapist would refer you to a doctor right away.

6) What is pelvic health physiotherapy’s scope of practice?
Have you ever been diagnosed with or are currently suffering from any of the following conditions:

  • Vulvodynia
  • Vestibulodynia
  • Vaginismus
  • Dyspareunia
  • Stress/Urge/Mixed/Functional/Overflow Urinary Incontinence
  • Fecal Incontinence
  • General Pelvic Floor Weakness
  • Interstitial Cystitis
  • Pudendal Neuralgia
  • Persistent Pelvic Pain
  • Levator Ani Syndrome
  • Piriformis Syndrome
  • Coccydynia
  • Post-prostatectomy incontinence
  • Pain, incontinence, or sexual dysfunction post-oncology treatments (Radiation, Pelvic/Abdominal Surgeries, chemotherapy)
  • Pelvic Organ Prolapse
  • Chronic constipation
  • Pre/Post-Natal Rehabilitation
  • Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain
  • Diastasis Recti

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, problems with your pelvic floor muscles, fascia, or nerves may be contributing to your symptoms/pain. Pelvic floor physiotherapy may be of benefit to you.

Credentials

Awards & Grants

  • International Continence Society – 49th Annual Meeting 2019 (Gothenburg, Sweden)
  • International Pelvic Pain Society – 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting on Pelvic Pain (Toronto, Canada)
  • Elena’s Club: Professional-development Workshops (Toronto, Canada)
  • Curated Life: Entrepreneurial Masterclasses for Millennial Women (Toronto, Canada)
  • Embodia Webinars: Telehealth Marketing, Training, Strategy, & Virtual Pelvic Health Training (Toronto, Canada)
  • Birth Healing Summit – 2020 (Virtual Meeting)
  • Women’s Health Summit – 2020 (Virtual Meeting)
  • Western Entrepreneurship: Master the Entrepreneur Skillset – May-June 2020 (Virtual Course)
  • Pelvic Impact Summit – 2021 (Virtual Meeting)
  • Embodia’s Business Mastermind Series with Frank Benedetto (Virtual Meeting – TBC)
  • Organic Ways to Market Your Telerehab Practice – Dr Juan Michelle Martin (Virtual Meeting)
  • Birth Healing Summit – 2021 (Virtual Meeting)
  • Sunny Lenarduzzi’s YouTube for Bosses 3.0 (Virtual Course – TBC)
  • Birth Healing Summit – 2022 (Virtual Meeting)
  • 3rd Annual Canadian Society of Pelvic Medicine Meeting (Toronto, Canada)
  • PelviCon Pelvic Health Conference – 2022 (Virtual Meeting – TBC))

Memberships & Partners

Continuing Education

  • Pelvi-Perineal Education 1 – The Physical Therapy Approach to Female Urinary Incontinence (McGill University)
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: The Physical Therapy Approach to Female and Male Urinary Incontinence (Level I)
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: Female and Male Pelvic Pain (Level II)
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: Clinical Skills for Treating Pain (Level III)
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: Oncology and the Pelvic Floor
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: Pediatric Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: Pregnancy, Pelvic Girdle Pain and the Pelvic Floor
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: Gastrointestinal Dysfunction and the Pelvic Floor
  • The Diploma of Advanced Orthopaedic Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapy: Level 1 Exam
  • APTEI: Temporomandibular Joint Course
  • Interstitial Cystitis: Roadmap to Recovery (July, 2020)
  • Navigating the Pelvic Pain client in a Telerehab World – Dr Juan Michelle Martin (Mar, 2021)
  • Pelvic Health Solutions: The Running Athlete (Apr, 2021)
  • Piston Science Julie Wiebe: Diaphragm/Pelvic Floor Piston for Adult Populations (TBC)

Education

  • YogaTree – 250hr Yoga Teacher Training (July, 2022)
  • McGill University – Masters of Science (Applied) Physiotherapy
  • Western University – Masters of Science – Biochemistry/li>
  • Western University – Bachelor of Medical Sciences

Talks

  • What is Pelvic Health Physiotherapy? – Lunch and Learn at Missisauga Midwives (2017)
  • Demystifying the Pelvic Floor – The Mom Show (2018)
  • Pandemic Pregnancies – How to Support Birthing People with Virtual Pelvic Health Physiotherapy (2021)
  • PelvicPro Educational Workshops – Pregnancy Series (2022)

Athletic Background

  • 250 Yoga Teacher Training – YogaTree Toronto (2022)
  • Step Up Massage & Rehab Community Run Leader (2018-2019)
  • McGill Run Club Leader – Beginner Level (2014-2015)
  • Two-time Marathoner, Two-time Half-Marathoner, Eight 10K Races Completed
  • Varsity Dragon Boat Athlete – Western University (2012)
  • Varsity Badminton Athlete – Western University (2006-2012)

TBC – To Be Completed

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Call us at 416-560-7117

There is a 24 hour cancellation policy for all services.
Patients will be charged 50% of the treatment fee for late cancellations or missed appointments.