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Bowel
Bowel dysfunction includes symptoms such as constipation, difficulty emptying, straining, urgency, leakage, bloating, and bowel-related pelvic pain.

These symptoms are commonly linked to pelvic floor muscle tension, poor coordination, or changes in gut–brain signalling, even when medical tests appear normal.

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Pelvic floor physiotherapy is an effective treatment for bowel dysfunction. A pelvic floor physio assesses pelvic floor muscle function, breathing, toileting posture, and bowel habits, and provides targeted treatment to improve muscle coordination, reduce straining and pain, support regular bowel movements, and restore confidence with bowel function.

Common Bowel Symptoms

Level 1A evidence indicates strong support for a clinical intervention. Pelvic floor physiotherapy has Level 1A evidence for the use of pelvic floor muscle training to improve anorectal dysfunctions, including faecal incontinence, constipation, and bowel urgency (Igualada-Martinez, Breslin, Higgins, & Hainsworth, 2022) .

Strong evidence for pelvic floor physiotherapy

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