Olivia Bredenkamp

Women’s, Pelvic Health & General Physiotherapy

Olivia Bredenkamp is an experienced Women’s and Pelvic health Physiotherapist with a background in clinical Pilates and musculoskeletal physiotherapy. Olivia has been working in private practice since 2004 and enjoys taking care of the whole family. She is passionate about empowering women through the life span, and finds it incredibly rewarding to help patients to live their best lives without barriers. Her particular interest lies in managing conditions unique to the female body during vulnerable periods like pregnancy, the post-natal period and menopause. This includes managing musculoskeletal concerns and problems associated with bladder, bowel and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy in 2003 and completed her postgraduate studies in Continence and Women’s health at Curtin University in 2017. She has continued to improve her knowledge and skills by gaining experience in this area of Pelvic health, and through regular ongoing education. Olivia recognised the need to better support women who suffer from pelvic organ prolapse, and in 2022 she gained a professional qualification at UniSA in the management of pelvic organ prolapse with pessaries.

Olivia truly listens to concerns and works with patients to achieve their goals. She understands that each person is unique and she is guided by patient’s preferences, best evidence and years of clinical experience to develop individualised treatment plans to get people back to doing the things they love.

Olivia has lived on 4 continents and all over Australia. She is a proud mum of daughter Amelie and son Caleb. Outside of work she enjoys nature walks and getting lost in a good book. Her guilty pleasure is eating cheese!

Visit her website here

Qualifications

B.Sc Physiotherapy (UFS South Africa)

PG Cert Clinical Physiotherapy- Continence and Women’s Health (Curtin)

PG Cert Conservative management of Pelvic Organ Prolapse (UniSA)

Pregnancy and Post-natal

How can Physio Olivia help me during pregnancy and beyond?

This can be a challenging time of many body changes. Olivia not only looks after the pelvic floor, but also provides treatment for commonly experienced conditions unique to the pregnant and post-natal body.

The pelvic floor stretches 3 times its normal length during labour. This combined with potential tearing during vaginal deliveries and the strain placed on muscles during pregnancy, can lead to Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. Common symptoms include incontinence, pelvic pain and pelvic organ prolapse. Strong, fit pelvic floor muscles cope better with the growing weight of the baby and mend more easily after delivering the baby. It is recommended to see a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist to start pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy and again 6 weeks after delivering your baby to address problems early on.

Pelvic floor muscle training includes:

Strengthening of weak muscles

Normalising muscle tone and function

Common musculoskeletal conditions treated during pregnancy and the post-natal period:

Pelvic girdle pain
Back pain
Headaches and neck pain
Abdominal muscle separation
Weak, low tone abdominal wall
Carpal tunnel syndrome
De Quervain’s tenosynovitis
General musculoskeletal aches and pains

Suffering from inflammatory conditions of the lactating breast is a common reason why mums cease breastfeeding. Olivia provides early intervention through education and therapeutic ultrasound to successfully manage:

breast engorgement
blocked milk ducts
non-infected mastitis

Navigating all the information out there can be daunting! Olivia works closely with you and your medical team to support you in your preferences all the way from pre conception, through pregnancy, the post-natal recovery period and beyond. Her aim is to empower you to feel confident and strong at any stage! This is achieved by providing individualised exercise plans to help maintain fitness during pregnancy, and to aid return to exercise or sport during the post-natal period.

Paediatric continence

Most children become dry during the day by the age of 4 without additional help. If a school aged child regularly wets the bed, soils or wets their pants, it is recommended to seek treatment. Treatment varies depending on the cause. Olivia has a special interest in treating common bladder and bowel dysfunctions in children including:

Bedwetting
Day time urinary symptoms- incontinence, urgency, frequency, postponement
Voiding dysfunction- post void dribble, incomplete emptying, detrusor sphincter dyssynergia
Recurrent urinary tract infections
Faecal incontinence (poo accidents)- loss of solid stool,
overflow incontinence of watery stools or smears
Constipation and incomplete emptying

Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

Olivia is skilled in Clinical Pilates, dry needling, taping techniques, the use of electrotherapy, exercise rehabilitation and more. She prides herself in being a “hands on” physio who provides treatment of the following for the whole family:

General aches and pains

Back and neck pain
Joint pain
Headaches
Sprains and strains

Olivia works closely with podiatrist Natalie Morgan to address foot problems which may be contributing to pain in the lower limbs and back.

Pelvic Health

Why choose Physio Olivia for Pelvic health Physiotherapy?

The International Continence Society recommends supervised pelvic floor training provided by a specifically trained Physiotherapist as the first-line management for Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse in women. Olivia has undergone extensive post graduate training in Continence, Women’s health and management of Pelvic organ Prolapse, and gained years of experience in private practice to be able to provide this service. She believes that knowledge is power and enjoys educating women with the best available evidence.

Olivia provides treatment for conditions associated with pelvic floor muscle, bladder and bowel dysfunction for women of all life stages: