Email Newsletter: Feb 2009

Dear Subscriber,

We hope you find some of the news we're sharing in this quarter's newsletter helpful. Please email us for more information about any item.

What's new in research?
A new US study received wide coverage, following its finding that losing weight reduces the number of urinary incontinence episodes in overweight and obese women. The study found that the effects of weight loss can be dramatic, with an average 8 percent reduction in body weight halving the number of episodes of urinary incontinence, and an especially marked reduction in episodes of stress urinary incontinence.
Suback LE and others. Weight Loss to Treat Urinary Incontinence in Overweight and Obese Women. New England Journal of Medicine 2009 Jan 29; 360 (5): 481-490

A German review stated that teaching people over 60 "the knack" (ie the technique of voluntarily contracting the pelvic floor before and during a sudden intra-abdominal pressure) seems to be one of the most effective pelvic floor muscle training techniques for this age group.
Rotzoll S [Pelvic floor muscle training for urinary incontinence. Which training method is the most effective for people over 60 years?] [Article in German] .Pflege Z. 2008 Nov; 61(11):610-5.

A physiotherapist-directed Australian study of posture in both continent and incontinent women found that more upright sitting postures recruit greater pelvic floor muscle resting activity irrespective of continence status.
Sapsford RR, Richardson CA, Maher CF, Hodges PW. Pelvic floor muscle activity in different sitting postures in continent and incontinent women. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008 Sep ;89(9):1741-7.

What's new in our product range?
We are pleased to announce four exciting new additions to our range. As usual, we endeavour to keep our prices below the RRP in order to provide the best value, as well as the best range, to our customers.

• The PelviQ is a new exercise aid, offering virtually limitless resistance settings at a budget price. Available in Australia for the first time, it's a more basic and simplified version of the popular Pelvexiser. It doesn't offer any visual feedback, but it does include vaginal sensors in three different sizes, and an air pump allowing the sensors to be inflated to meet the needs of any user. For women who are looking for a challenging resistance exerciser, particularly to enhance sexual response, it's hard to go past this budget device at only $59.95.
  
• The Athena Pelvic Muscle Trainer is a wireless electrical stimulation device, complete with its own electrode, specifically designed for women to use at home. Its cordless design makes it highly appealing to some women. It's new to Australia and is included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. We're able to offer the Athena Pelvic Muscle Trainer at $375 (RRP $395).
  
• The Pelvic Toner is a spring-based exercise aid, offering 2 levels of resistance with the basic spring set (which is included in our purchase price of $85.95 (RRP $89.95), and a further two levels of resistance when the strong spring set is used (RRP $15, our price $13). This is the first spring-based exerciser to appear on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
  
• The gap between weight products such as a Aquaflex (max 55g) and the Energie barbell (390g) has long presented a problem for women who prefer exercising with weights. We're therefore pleased to offer a new set of Add On Weights (3 weights: 50g, 85g and 90g) that fit into the larger Aquaflex cone, and are designed to be used as part of an active weight training program. The weight training instructions that accompany the weights set have been written by an Australian women's health physiotherapist, drawing on the well-established recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine for effective muscle strengthening. This is an exciting and innovative approach to pelvic floor muscle strengthening that reflects the suggestions made for using vaginal cones in Evidence Based Physical Therapy for the Pelvic Floor (Elsevier, 2007).

What's in the news?
The US FDA issued a warning in Oct 2008 regarding serious complications associated with transvaginal placement of surgical mesh in the repair of pelvic organ prolapse and for stress urinary incontinence. Whilst acknowledging that complications are rare, the FDA recommends that prospective patients are warned about possible permanent and uncorrectable complications. Many women will see this warning as further evidence that the conservative approach of pelvic floor strengthening is a better starting option for these conditions, as recommended by expert bodies such as the International Consultation on Incontinence 2008.

New product leaflets available in early March
Our new product leaflet will be available for bulk distribution in March. Please email us on info@pelvicfloorexercise.com.au if you would like to receive bulk copies of this product leaflet for distribution to customers and patients.

Practitioner services
Just a reminder tht practitioners are always welcome to borrow a sample set of our products to familiarise themselves and colleagues with what's available, or to use in a display. And our practitioner discount price list continues to offer product discounts to practitioners. Email us or phone us on 1300 76 39 40 if you'd like to know more.

For more information about these, or any other products or services, please contact us by email

The Pelvic Floor Exercise Team
PFE Pty Ltd
now PFLEX Pty Ltd t/a Pelvic Floor Exercise
PO Box 7094 Sippy Downs Qld 4556 Australia
Tel: 1300 76 39 40
Fax: 1300 79 44 39
www.pelvicfloorexercise.com.au