Quality, Wait Time, Customer Service, Other, Environment
Victoria is brilliant ,very caring, considerate of your feelings and helped me enormously before and after my major surgery.She taught me how to do kegel exercises properly , I think she is an amazing pelvic health physiotherapist.

Review via Squareup

"If you even think you might need help related to your pelvic floor or bladder then do not hesitate to go and see Victoria. She is very knowledgeable in her field and explained everything to me in a way that certainly put my anxiety at ease. Her room is spacious, clean and hygienic. Victoria is professional, kind, caring and a truly lovely lady.. More importantly she has helped me for what I went for! Thank you Victoria..."

Victoria is highly respectful and down to earth in dealing with the sensitive subject of pelvic core.  She was recommended to me as a professional who knows her stuff - in fact she is almost obsessive about pelvic health in her enthusiasm and knowledge!  I have benefitted physically and in self-confidence in just a few sessions.  I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending her and trusting her to give her excellent best to any client who comes her way.

Mrs J B-H 2023

Victoria Muir is hugely knowledgeable and passionate. She is a wonderful physiotherapist. I would absolutely recommend Victoria. She has helped me build my pelvic floor strength, following giving birth, so I can exercise and train again with confidence that my body is healthy and working properly

Mrs. A.M. - Bedford

I wish that I have had been referred to Victoria years ago. Last summer (2019) I was referred to Victoria  for ongoing abdominal pain and heightened sensitivity around my perineum and sitting bone. After the birth of my first child (thirty years ago) my perineum was cut all the way through, including the anal sphincter. A year after her birth, I had a major repair operation of the perineum which was successful but I was never given any physiotherapy to rebuild the muscle tone in the area.  Over the years I have seen several excellent gynaecologists, however it was a gastroenterologist who referred me. I do wonder if she approached my pelvic pain differently because she was also female.
 
I found Victoria to be very reassuring and sensitive. Sometimes I was teary (in her job, she is clearly used to being a bit of an emotional therapist as well) and occasionally angry at being in this situation.  After an initial conversation on the phone, my first appointment with Victoria was all me talking and answering Victoria’s questions. No one had really asked me the kind of questions that she did and I found that she was doing so to get a holistic sense of what my difficulties were and what I needed to get out of the sessions with her. Be aware that you need to be prepared to talk about sex, peeing and pooing – all the things that we Brits are not prone to do! You need to do this to get the most out of the sessions and to make the most of Victoria’s considerable expertise.  At the second appointment Victoria examined me internally – she was very gentle and put me at my ease.  She got me to pull in my pelvic floor and to relax it so she could see how my muscles were or were not working. I was given a series of exercises to do which were very manageable to fit into my day – I found a lot of them could be incorporated into the yoga that I do.
 
After a few more appointments over the following months, I was discharged and felt on a high. I had learned how to relax my pelvic floor and how to know when it is relaxed and how holding it up causes me abdominal pain. I had learned techniques for emptying my bowels and keeping myself cleaner which in turn made me feel more confident. I had learned the importance of relaxing the pelvic floor and not stopping midst-pee as many of us have previously been told to do. The exercises I was given are ones that I can continue for life and I feel much more confident about being an old lady now! I now feel much more in control, I am hardly ever in pain, I  know how to relax my pelvic floor and I know how to breathe properly. This is very important with COVID 19 affecting our lung capacity. 
 
To sum up, every woman who has given birth should have access to a pelvic physio. I would highly recommend the individual care and advice that Victoria gives her patients and I would say that you should not hesitate to go, if you are lucky enough to be referred to Victoria. 

Pelvic Health & Continence can be achieved …. Read below the before & after treatment patient comments – with the right advice & her hard work Kathryn feels she’s back on track:

 

Before:

Hi,

I was just doing some pelvic floor research & found your details. Having read what, you offer etc I would like to book an appointment with you please.

I had a 4th degree tear with my son 11 years ago & I've struggled on & off with constipation/emptying issues but now I have started running & have found that I am either leaking quite a bit or just feeling I need a wee constantly so I think it's time to seek professional help before the winter cough kicks in & I'm screwed!!!!

I am happy to go to whichever of your 2 sites is easiest for you as I live in Bedford.

I'd like to book in for the new year if possible, please. I can do during the day. Ideally a Monday if possible, Wednesday's are also quite flexible, or I can do other days with a bit more diary tweaking if needed (not sure what days you work).

I look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks

Kathryn

 

After:

I realised on the treadmill last week that I am now running for 30 minutes with no leaking issues at all, sex no longer hurts & the cherry on the cake this weekend..... I've got a stinking cough & cold & I've not leaked or even been worried that I'm going to leak!

I was actually in London all day on Saturday with said cold & didn't even find myself seeking "just in case toilets".

So I feel that at this time I have learnt more than enough & I actually feel like I have control of my life back & so I don't need any more appointments.

I will obviously continue to recommend you to clients & friends as I feel that what you offer is literally life changing & has made me look at my body in a whole new way!!

Thank you so much for all of your hard work.

Take care

Kathryn x

Last year `I had a nasty shock when I was diagnosed with pelvic floor and hip issues.  `I went to a gynaecologist and several physiotherapists and was given the usual zip and tuck exercises without any real exploration of the actual problems I was suffering from.  These exercises I carried out religiously for five months and there was some slow progress.  I was recommended to Victoria Muir.  Firstly Victoria made a full (but gentle) physical examination, the first real examination I had had at this point.  Victoria carefully listened to my symptoms and linked my pelvic floor issues to my hip issues and she started very deep physio and also hooked my up to a  screen with a probe so that I could carry out vaginal exercises and see what was happening on a screen.  This helped me actually to discover that I hadn't been tightening completely correctly.  Victoria then released a tightening in my hip very gently which then led to my neck and shoulder issues abating.  So after only six sessions with Victoria I am able to walk for an hour in the morning and managed to play an hours tennis the other day.  Thank you Victoria - you are a star x

Whoever knew that your pelvic floor could prolapse!

Whoever knew it goes from your front bone to the backbone and holds everything in place!!

Prolapse to me was a poor old sheep in the field having given birth to her lamb and her uterus hanging out.

At Pilates they make you do pelvic floor exercises, going up in the lift and down again.  Who knew how important this actually is.

Who knew one could have physio on your pelvic floor!!

One Friday late morning having ridden the horse, heaved hay and buckets about, walked the dogs, then did 20 minutes on my cross trainer, I went to the loo.  I felt a bit down in the lower region and on examination found a lump protruding.  It felt most odd.

I booked an appointment for later that day at the local surgery where I was examined by a lady doctor.  She confirmed that I had a prolapse (no mention of what type as I didn’t know there were different types).  It was suggested that I had a ring fitted which I declined until I had done some further enquiries.  This would have been the Doctors third ring fitting of the day (sounds like a vet with sheep again).

The ring is the size of a small donut, white and flexible and basically holds everything up and in place.

On refusing that day the donut, it was suggested I went to see a gynaecologist and was given a name.  Unfortunately the one referred too was booked up and on holiday for several weeks.  Again with a bit of research I found one more local to me.  I must admit at this stage I do have private healthcare and therefore the process is quicker.

This very kind gentle man examined me and referred me to Victoria Muir a pelvic floor physiotherapist at the same hospital. 

I went in trepidation thinking what on earth can be done to push things up again!!  Sitting in reception with slightly sweaty palms, even though I ‘ve had 2 children, it still isn’t something to look forward too, someone poking about ‘up there’.

Victoria bounced in with a smile on her face and shook my hand firmly, showing me through to her surgery.  We sat and chatted for a while and I answered the usual questionnaire, all the time she made me at ease.  With the use of a diagram Victoria showed me the physics of the lower regions and it became a bit more clear on what can happen ‘down there’.

Then it came to the examination: gulp: but Victoria kept on chatting and making light of the whole situation.  I usually look at the ceiling so like the dentist a few pictures could be of use to focus on.  One of those buff fireman naked to the waist perhaps!!

Gloves are used as is a lot of lube so there is no pain and you really do just have to relax; ankles together and drop your knees out to the side.

On examination I was informed that I didn’t have piles but a rectocele and cystocele, which means part of my back passage had prolapsed (bulged) into my vagina (which is in the middle) and the same at the the front the bladder had bulged into the vagina.  I liken it to a hernia.

How on earth can this be fixed I asked myself:  Well with the right tools of know how that Victoria gave me I did manage to lighten the symptoms considerably.  Exercises of lifting the muscle (Pelvic floor) and learning where it is and where it starts and finishes, I could lift and relax the muscle helping to support these parts of my body.

A pelvic floor machine was used, I can only explain this as a smaller version of a computer mouse being inserted and linked up to a computer where one has to squeeze the pelvic floor and hold and release over several types of exercises.  It was all about strengthening the muscle.

With a rectocele, where the rectum falls into the vagina, sometimes an amount of poo gets stuck and isn’t released.  Victoria suggested a small tool that one inserts into the vagina to align the rectum in a straight line, releasing ones bowels.  Or one can insert a thumb to align the bowel to empty it fully.

In between appointments after sex with my husband one day I did experience a lot of bleeding, which is common at this age.  Hormones are changing, things getting dry etc.  The lovely consultant performed a small procedure using local anaesthetic in a surgery, legs in stirrups, which was basically a quarterisation at the neck of the womb.  The bleeding has abated so this worked.

Back to my bubbly physio, it had become a natural thing to have a quick chat and throw my knickers off (actually slide them off and scrunch them up and put them in a shoe).  The bulge was definitely not so prominent after about 10 treatments of 30 to 45 minutes.  Victoria is most informative, passionate about her job and eager to educate ladies on how to help themselves.

Most impressively Victoria gives up a week every year to visit, with her surgeon partner, an area in Africa, where young ladies after childbirth are experiencing problems and are ostracised from their villages as a consequence.  There Victoria educates the hospital nurses and her partner performs surgery.  These young women can then go back to the families and new born babies, educated on what has happened to them and how to do their exercises for life.

I digress.  My next stop was an appointment in January with the kind Consultant.  On examination he felt that the physio had assisted greatly but the rectocele needed a little assistance.  He referred me to another Consultant that performs this type of surgery several times a day.

This has been performed and although uncomfortable for the first few days, (going to the loo was the worst bit, I would advise taking laxatives a few days before to loosen everything up) all feels much tighter and aligned.  Going to the loo felt like giving birth to a potato in the first instance, even with the help of two peccaries by the nurse.  It seemed I was well and truly stuck and only they came out (almost too much information) but better to be informed.

Victoria paid me a couple of visits whilst in hospital.  Showing me how to get in and out of bed without tearing anything.  Taking me for a walk and explaining quite clearly what and what not I could do over the next 6 weeks.

The whole experience is somewhat indignant but we all have the same bits and many people suffer incontinence, weak bladder in general, prolapse, and possibly pooing problems, all unnecessarily.  With kind words, encouragement and making things a normal every day occurrence. Victoria can guide any man or women through these sometimes embarrassing times in our lives.

Don’t suffer quietly, be seen, live life. Its not embarrassing, particularly if you have someone like Victoria who makes one feel at ease and normal.  Don’t wear incontinence knickers they are not needed, if you get the right treatment.

- Sarah's Testimonial

Pelvic floor physiotherapy Bedfordshire / Northamptonshire / Milton Keynes / Cambridgeshire / London