The place of physiotherapy in the management of pelvic floor dysfunction

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are the mainstay of physiotherapy for urinary incontinence and can be taught by all health professionals. If the patient fails to respond to a three‐month course of pelvic floor exercises, or if she cannot perform a voluntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles, biofeedback, electrical stimulation and vaginal cone therapy may be appropriate. This review discusses the evidence supporting the use of physiotherapy in the treatment of urinary incontinence. It also reports on the prevalence of the different types of urinary incontinence and describes the need for vaginal examination to determine the contractility of the pelvic floor muscles, including the PERFECT scheme.