Physiotherapy
Our physiotherapy outpatient service is run across 3 different locations.
Please read your appointment letter carefully to make sure you attend the correct location.
Cork University Maternity Hospital Physiotherapy Outpatient Department, Wilton, Cork
CUMH Kinsale Road Clinic, Ground Floor, Unit 6, South Ring Business Park, Kinsale Road, Cork, T12FW95
Zone C,St Mary's Primary Care Centre, Bakers Road, Gurranbraher, Cork, T23 VO9X
Contact Number: 021-4927448 (Lines open between 10am -12pm, and 2pm - 3pm, Monday to Friday)
Appointment Times
Physiotherapy appointments are individual, so you will be seen at the time of your appointment. Please arrive at the Physiotherapy Department 15 minutes before your treatment time, to allow adequate time to check in at reception. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your physiotherapist may not be able to see you and your appointment will have to be rescheduled.
If you are unable to attend please notify our secretary immediately on 021-4927448 (lines open between 10am and 12pm and 2pm and 3pm), so that another patient may benefit.
Referral process:
A referral from the appropriate source is required to access the physiotherapy outpatient service.
Referral sources:
- Antenatal: Doctor or midwife
- Postnatal: Consultant, Midwife or Public Health Nurse can refer for lower back pain, pelvic girdle pain, DRAM and carpal tunnel syndrome up to 6 weeks postnatal and up to 2 years for pelvic floor muscle dysfunction.
- Neonatology: Consultant Neonatologist
- Gynaecology: Consultant
- Men’s Health: CUH Urology and Colorectal Consultants
Staff List
Liz Barry Deputy Physiotherapy Manager
Tracy Gallagher Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist
Orla McCarthy Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist
Colette Lynch Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist
Denise Murphy Acting Clinical Specialist
Seana Ryle Senior Physiotherapist
Aislinn Finn Senior Physiotherapist
Fiona Joyce Senior Physiotherapist
Sarah Walsh Physiotherapist
We also have several physiotherapists who rotate to our department for 6-12 months at a time.
Services we provide:
1. Antenatal
Pelvic physiotherapists specialise in the assessment and treatment of pregnancy-related musculoskeletal conditions. 1 in 4 women will experience a condition called pelvic girdle pain (PGP) during pregnancy. PGP can cause pain over the pubic symphsis bone, the groin, hip joints, sacro-iliac joint and tailbone. It can affect all of these areas or just one specific region. Symptoms can vary; for some, they are mild, and for others, they can become quite debilitating. If you have physical discomfort that is affecting your activities of daily living or sleep, please discuss it with your doctor or midwife, who can make a referral for you to be seen by a pelvic health physiotherapist.
Depending on when you experience this issue in your pregnancy, you may be referred to our virtual Managing your PGP class. This class is an interactive, educational class delivered by a pelvic physiotherapist. It covers the practical advice and exercises you can follow to help reduce and manage your PGP. During this class, we discuss maternity belts, how to check if they will benefit you during pregnancy, and how to stay fit when experiencing PGP. All women who attend the class will be sent a support package, which includes our PGP physiotherapy booklet and a tubigrip (abdominal support for bumps).
Some of you may require 1:1 physiotherapy assessment and treatment. If necessary, there is the option of attending physiotherapy treatment in the weeks after the class.
We also provide advice on carpal tunnel syndrome in pregnancy. This is often felt as pain or a tingling/numb sensation in your hand. It mainly affects your thumb, index, and middle finger, and you may notice that your fingers are puffy/swollen. Symptoms are often worse at night. Discuss your symptoms with your doctor or midwife, who can refer you to physiotherapy and provide advice and support for your wrists, which can help reduce your symptoms.
2. Postnatal
We will accept referrals from GPs, Public health nurses, consultants and midwives up to 6 weeks postpartum for women experiencing back or pelvis pain, carpal tunnel syndrome or with DRAM. Due to our limited resources, we can not accept referrals for these after this period.
We offer a postnatal service for women who are more than 6 weeks postnatal and experiencing any of the following issues
- Have difficulty controlling your bladder
- Have difficulty controlling the urge to pass urine
- Find your bladder leaks before you can make it to the toilet
- Have difficulty controlling wind
- Have difficulty controlling the urge to pass a bowel motion
- Find your back passage leaks before you can make it to the toilet or you have soiling of your underwear
- Have pain the in the pelvic region
- Find sexual intercourse painful
Your GP or Public Health Nurse can refer you up to 2 years postpartum, following this period your GP will need to refer you to a Urogynaecology consultant in CUMH
Educational videos from our physiotherapy team on the postnatal period
Information Leaflets:
Neonatology
CORU registered physiotherapist's specialising in the treatment of children provide treatment to inpatients and outpatients in CUMH. All infants born under 1.5kg or before 32 weeks gestation are routinely assessed by the neonatal physiotherapist in the neonatal unit and followed-up post-discharge. The physiotherapist is involved in implementing the principles of developmental care, neurodevelopment positioning and handling to achieve optimal motor development (“milestones”). Parents will be advised on a home exercise programme incorporating the appropriate treatment and stimulation for their baby after they are discharged home. In addition to premature babies, the Physiotherapist, as part of the multidisciplinary team, may treat babies who have musculoskeletal, neurological or developmental issues.
Gynaecology/Pelvic Health
The outpatient physiotherapy service of Cork University Maternity Hospital offers specialist assessment and rehabilitation for those (men and women) with issues of the pelvic floor, bladder and bowel.
Conditions commonly assessed and treated include:
Bladder dysfunction:
- Overactive bladder symptoms including frequency and urgency
- Voiding dysfunction such as difficulty emptying bladder
- Urinary incontinence which is the involuntary loss of urine. This may be stress incontinence, urge incontinence or mixed urinary incontinence.
Bowel dysfunction:
- Faecal and flatal incontinence i.e. the loss of control of bowels and/or wind
- Faecal urgency which is the feeling of needing to empty the bowel with little warning
- Bowel evacuation disorders such as constipation and difficulty emptying the bowels
Prolapse:
Pelvic organ prolapse in women and rectal prolapse in women and men.
Sexual dysfunction in women and men:
Pain with sexual intercourse and erectile dysfunction
Chronic pelvic pain:
Vaginal and/or vulval pain in women, scrotal or testicular pain in men; bladder pain syndrome, endometriosis, chronic pain in the pelvic region and abdomen.
Physiotherapy Assessment and Treatment
At your first appointment, the physiotherapist will have a detailed discussion with you regarding your symptoms. If they feel it is necessary and appropriate they may request to do an internal examination, but only with your consent. Following the discussion and assessment they will discuss and agree on a treatment plan with you. Allow up to 45 minutes for this appointment.