The Women’s Health Podcast

womenshealthpodcast
  • 4.9 (15)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS

Quality information for the public hosted by Antony Lo The Physio Detective and Marika Hart from Dynamic Strength Physiotherapy. www.womenshealthpodcast.com

  1. 12/13/2025

    061 - Dr Monika Leitner - Stress Urinary Incontinence In Athletes - Should We Be Thinking Differently?

    Welcome back to the Women’s Health podcast. Today we are very excited to be talking to Monika Leitner, a physiotherapist and researcher based in Switzerland. Monika (originally Austrian) has been working as a physiotherapist since 1989. After experiences in a medical center, a clinic for psychosomatics, a regional hospital and private clinic she entered the field of education in 2006. She worked as a lecturer for physiotherapy (Bachelor and Master program) for 19 years and has been a member of the research team for 10 years. She holds one MAS in Health and Fitness and one MSc in Sports Physiotherapy.  Finally her experience as an pelvic floor physiotherapist and her training in sports-science led her to the research area of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in physically active women. In 2017 she received her PhD in that topic at the University of Bern. She left University recently and is setting up her career as a freelancer, still with a lot of enthusiasm in teaching/educating and a little clinical work. She has written a book about body competence, which was published at the beginning of November 2025 (in German). In this interview: We discuss how Monika’s physiotherapy experience in a psychosomatic clinic early in her career helped shape her interest in integrating physical and psychological aspects of health. Monika talks about her journey from a clinical background in pelvic health physiotherapy to academic research, particularly focusing on pelvic floor function during running. We learn more about how Monika’s team looked at pelvic floor muscle activity during running, using EMG measurements and a Trackstar sensor attached to a vaginal probe. The findings of their research were unexpected and very interesting!! We then discuss other studies on pelvic floor rehabilitation, with Monika outlining why voluntary contractions alone are likely insufficient as they cannot respond quickly enough to sudden stressors like coughing or sneezing.  This of course led to a more lengthy discussion on what types of training might be “optimal” for improving PFM strength and function. As always… more research needed!! Monika informs us of her new book “Body Competence” which has just been released! The focus of the book (which is currently in German only) is on mind-body medicine, emphasizing the influence of mindset and mindfulness on health and well-being. She shared personal experiences and scientific evidence supporting the power of positive thinking and visualization in healing. We think you will agree that Monika was a delightful guest to have on the show, and her passion shines through the more the podcast goes on. If you want to reach out to Monika to learn more about her book and teachings, head to her website: www.vita-impuls.ch You can buy her new book here: https://eticamedia.eu/produkt/koerperkompetenz/ (You will not find her on social media!) Some of the research discussed: Leitner M, Moser H, Eichelberger P, Kuhn A, Radlinger L. Evaluation of pelvic floor muscle activity during running in continent and incontinent women: An exploratory study. Neurourol Urodyn. 2017 Aug;36(6):1570-1576. doi: 10.1002/nau.23151. Epub 2016 Oct 29. PMID: 27794169. Leitner M, Moser H, Eichelberger P, Kuhn A, Radlinger L. Pelvic floor muscle activity during fast voluntary contractions in continent and incontinent women. Neurourol Urodyn. 2019 Feb;38(2):625-631. doi: 10.1002/nau.23911. Epub 2019 Jan 8. PMID: 30620113. Moser H, Leitner M, Eichelberger P, Kuhn A, Baeyens JP, Radlinger L. Pelvic floor muscle displacement during jumps in continent and incontinent women: An exploratory study. Neurourol Urodyn. 2019 Nov;38(8):2374-2382. doi: 10.1002/nau.24161. Epub 2019 Sep 7. PMID: 31493349.

    1h 30m

  2. 08/05/2025

    060 - Dr Marie-Claire Seeley - Out of Balance - Women, POTS & the Autonomic Nervous System

    Welcome back to the Women’s Health Podcast.    In this episode we are thrilled to be interviewing Dr Marie-Claire Seeley. Dr Marie-Claire Seeley is the Founder and CEO of the Australian POTS Foundation. With a background as a clinical nurse and now working as a Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide, she brings both lived experience and academic expertise to her role. Marie-Claire is dedicated to improving recognition, care, and research for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in Australia, and is passionate about creating a more inclusive and informed healthcare system for those affected.   In this chat we cover: What is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome? Marie-Claire discusses the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the range of symptoms that a patient might present with who has dysfunction of the ANS. The diagnostic criteria for POTS and the common tests/ screening questionnaires that are available. The prevalence of POTS including the gender distribution (I’ll give you a hint here: it isn’t 50:50) The complex (and often traumatic) journey that patients often face in getting a POTS diagnosis, including the high comorbidity with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and other connective tissue disorder Some of the key management strategies for POTS, including optimising hydration and blood volume, using compression garments and carefully progressing exercise in supported positions. She also discussed the role of medications and the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach.   Upcoming events   The POTS Foundation of Australia has an upcoming conference in 2026 which will cover POTS as well as related conditions like fibromyalgia and long COVID. Stay tuned for more details. August 21st 2025 - Webinar  - Diagnosis and Management of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) in Primary Care (RACGP - CPD) https://console.humanitix.com/console/events/686df06e69cfe5511d8e97a3/information   Want to learn more? Head to potsfoundation.org.au Not only will you find incredible useful information on the condition, but you can find clinicians with a special interest in this field. You can also access many free videos in their Webinars section on related topics.   Want to follow the POTS Foundation on the socials? https://www.instagram.com/australianpotsfoundation/  https://www.facebook.com/AustralianPOTSFoundation/    Has this talk piqued your interest? Feeling nerdy? Here are some recent relevant articles.   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40138180/   https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.5694/mja2.52710

    1h 21m

  3. 07/18/2024

    059 - Marika Hart - The Top 7 Things I Have Learnt On My Journey As A Physiotherapist

    In this interview, Antony interviews his co-host Marika about some of the lessons she has learnt along her journey as a physiotherapist (including sharing some of her big mistakes!).   Marika Hart is an APA-titled Musculoskeletal and Continence and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. She started her journey in Perth, before heading to London, Melbourne and finally back home. Despite declaring no interest in working in pelvic health, she found herself falling into the field after having 2 children and realising she was ignorant about this area! She currently works as the senior urogynaecology physiotherapist at King Edward Memorial Hospital, where she continues to learn from her colleagues and patients.   In this episode you will hear Marika share some of her a-ha moments when working as a physiotherapist some of the different ways in which she has advanced her knowledge and skills over the years (courses, mentors etc) her vulnerability as a new-grad physiotherapist, feeling like she should know more how changes in her mindset led to less stress and anxiety at work how working with Girls Gone Strong helped her develop new skillsets to help her clients how diversifying early in her career has helped enormously in her work as a pelvic health physiotherapist how her musculoskeletal masters clinics helped her develop her clinical reasoning skills and start asking herself “why” more. some of the difficulties in working with complex conditions and why self care is so important   Would you like to hear Antony share his top tips and a-ha moments? Let us know in the socials!

    1h 16m

  4. 06/16/2024

    058 - Dr Jenny Kruger - Can Incontinence Be Improved Using a Device Like femfit®?

    This is the episode that has been 6 years in the making! We are thrilled to be able to chat to Dr Jennifer Kruger, who is the CEO and co-founder of JUNOFEM, a medtech company spun out of the University of Auckland.  Jennifer's background is clinical, but has been an academic for most of her career, so her name is probably familiar to most who are listening!  She still heads the pelvic floor research group at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, but is now commercialising her research for greater reach, to more women who need it! Here are some of the things we discussed: Dr Kruger’s clinical background as a midwife, and how her interest in birth outcomes and postnatal recovery led her to doing extensive research into pelvic floor function during and after childbirth. She pursued graduate degrees to study pelvic floor muscle function using ultrasound, MRI and computational modeling, with a long term goal of improving birth outcomes and helping with postnatal recovery. She completed her PhD looking at pelvic floor morphology and function in elite athletes. Over the past 8 years, she has been working with the team at University of Auckland, including some very clever bioengineers to develop the femfit®, which is a flexible vaginal pressure sensor array that measures pelvic floor muscle activation and intra-abdominal pressure during functional activities Initial prototypes used a single pressure sensor, but the final version has 8 pressure sensors along the vaginal length. Therefore it can produce a pressure profile showing pelvic floor vs. intra-abdominal pressure and ensure clients are doing a correct pelvic floor contraction, rather than bearing down The tool has been validated against trans-perineal ultrasound and manometry to ensure that the information regarding movement of the pelvic floor muscles is correct. Dr Kruger is passionate about removing some of the stigma associated with urinary incontinence and help provide practical options for women wanting to improve their pelvic floor strength and function. Her team are performing ongoing research with the femfit® device, which includes looking at PFM function during functional activities. To learn more about the femfit® or to become a registered affiliate for the device, please go to the website for details. To support The Women’s Health Podcast, please use the code “femfit+WHP” to get 10% off the femfit® and in doing so, you will help keep The Women’s Health Podcast on air!. Follow this URL https://shop.junofem.com/discount/femfit+WHP or use the QR Code below! https://www.junofem.com/ Or contact Jenny at j.kruger@junofem.com You can follow Jenny and JUNOFEM on social media: https://www.instagram.com/junofemhealth  https://www.linkedin.com/company/junofemhealth

    1h 11m

  5. 03/24/2024

    TWHP - 057 - Nina Theodorsen - Is Whole-Body, Functional Exercise During PregnancyGoing To Make Diastasis Worse

    In this episode, we talk to Nina Theodorsen, a Norwegian women's health and pelvic floor physiotherapist, who works in a private clinic and is doing a PhD at University of Bergen. Nina has done extensive research on the effect of exercises on DRA during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Her long clinical experience affects her approach to research and dissemination of the results. She also holds a degree in health management and further education in sexual health and education, teaches women's health on the bachelor physiotherapy program, holds courses and talks, and tries to influence politicians to prioritize and improve women's health   Nina begins the episode by discussing her background working with women around the perinatal period and how her clinical observations led to her desire to perform more research on the effect of exercise on DRA. She felt that there was a lot of messaging that was fear-based and could potentially reduce participation in exercise.   With Kari Bø and others in the team at University of Bergen, Nina has published research studies on the effect of pelvic floor and transversus abdominis contraction on the inter-recti distance in both pregnancy and post-partum populations. She also conducted a randomised controlled trial (during covid lockdowns!!) on the effect of a 12-week full body strengthening program (including abdominal exercises) during pregnancy on the inter-recti distance at late stage pregnancy and at 6 weeks post-partum.   You can access her research articles here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphys.2024.02.002  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2023.08.001  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2018.08.009   Nina is happy for people to get in touch with her with any questions or comments. We thoroughly enjoyed this interview with Nina and hope you do too! Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on the topic!   nina-margrethe.theodorsen@uib.no @diastaseprosjektet

    1h 11m

  6. 12/15/2023

    056 - Dr Tracy Sher - Pudendal Neuralgia - What Health Professionals Really Need to Know to Provide Care and Hope

    Yes it has been over 2 years since our last episode, but we’re back and full of excitement about the guests to come! And what a great episode to kick off the re-boot. On this podcast we interview Dr Tracy Sher about all things related to Pudendal Neuralgia. Dr Sher is the Founder/CEO of the global platform, Pelvic Guru, LLC/Pelvic Global and the Global Pelvic Health Alliance Membership (GPHAM). She is also the Owner/Clinical Director of the private practice, Sher Pelvic Health and Healing in Orlando, Florida.  In this podcast we cover: Pudendal neuralgia versus pudendal nerve entrapment.  Some basic anatomy including the pathway of the pudendal nerve and where it might become irritated or entrapped The “Pudendal Tour” - ie the challenging journeys that some patients will go on, including multiple scans, nerve conduction tests, injections and surgery. Some of the signs and symptoms that clients might present with What a physiotherapy assessment might look like and how to prioritise what to look at on day one The importance of a multidisciplinary team in the management of pudendal neuralgia and some of the specialties you might want to include in your team Some interesting case studies including patients who have been diagnosed with pudendal entrapment but there was something ELSE was going on… Acute onset pain that often gets missed (think post-surgical!) How we as health professionals need to be careful with our language (avoid nocebic language!) and can provide hope for these patients What might conservative Mx might look like for someone with pudendal neuralgia Correction: Tracy wanted to add after the conversation: “Numbness can end up being part of pudendal nerve entrapment. The Nantes criteria actually lists: “no objective sensory defects” but those who treat this clinically will see sensory changes. This was the original Nantes criteria - but we see many more nuances to this: pain limited to the territory of innervation of the pudendal nerve, pain predominant during sitting, pain does not awaken the patient from sleep, no objective sensory defects, a positive effect of anaesthetic infiltration of the pudendal nerve.The key is to do all differentials as it isn't a typical symptom.   I also stated S1-3 in the beginning and meant to say S2,3,4.” As always, we felt like we could have picked Tracy’s brains for hours, so might have to get her to come back again in the future (or encourage her to come to Australia!). You can reach Tracy at: Website:  www.pelvicglobal.com   Email: Tracy@pelvicguru.com Instagram: @pelvicguru1 Twitter: pelvicguru1 Free Facebook Group: Pelvic Guru Academy

    1h 16m

  7. 11/09/2023

    055 - Antony and Marika - We’re Back! Antony and Marika Catch Up!

    And...we're back! After a two-year hiatus, we've decided to kick off  the Women's Health Podcast again. We're excited to interview some incredible guests on the show in the months to come and would love to hear your suggestions!  In this chat, we discuss what we've been up to over the past two years (and all the places Antony has been to!). We have a bit of a chat about principles rather than protocols when treating pelvic health conditions and the importance of personal experience as a motivator for change. We also talk about collaboration between health and fitness professionals and how this can benefit women. It's a bit of a random chat, but hopefully you enjoy it! We'll see you soon with our first guest for 2023.

    43 min

  8. 07/01/2021

    054 - Kieran Richardson - What Is The Future Of Physical Therapy and Evidence-Based Practice?

    Today we have the pleasure of speaking to Kieran Richardson. Kieran is a Specialist Physiotherapist and the Director of Global Specialist Physiotherapy, a consultancy company providing Professional Development, Formal Mentoring and Non-surgical opinions for patients.  Kieran and his team of academics, expert clinicians and researchers consult to multiple clinics and health care professionals in Perth, Western Australia, and well as nationally and internationally via online platforms such as Zoom.  He also has various online courses for both clinicians and patients, specifically covering non-surgical management of ACL tears.  He also has successfully overseen 100's of full thickness ACL tears of patients both in Australia and internationally via the Telehealth method. Today we talked about: - Kieran's career journey - from considering a life as an accountant, doctor or lawyer to choosing to be a physiotherapist - how the specialisation process helped - in particular the mentoring/peer review - how applying evidence-based practice can be a tricky balance  - how ACL management is VERY surgical focussed in Australia and how this has been very slow to change in spite of the current research - how healthcare is very medically dominant - we (physiotherapists) would need to be a combined force to have a strong say - the evidence for and against manual therapy - are we throwing the baby out with the bathwater? - communicating with colleagues online. Could we do better? - the business of healthcare and how profits can impact on management. - ACL pathways. What is considered best management? How is ACL surgery/rehab funded in Australia? - whether or not physiotherapists could play a bigger role in musculoskeletal pain in primary health care settings to help reduce medical burden - why important intra- and interdisciplinary collaboration is so important - his top tips for new graduate physiotherapists You can find Kieran at: kieran@globalspecialistphysio.com  https://www.instagram.com/global_specialist_physio/     https://www.facebook.com/globalspecialistphysio  Check out his references at: www.globalspecialistphysio.com/acl

    1h 7m
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4.9
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About

Quality information for the public hosted by Antony Lo The Physio Detective and Marika Hart from Dynamic Strength Physiotherapy. www.womenshealthpodcast.com

Information

  • Creator
    womenshealthpodcast
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Women’s Health Podcast

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