About Karen Swanepoel

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So far Karen Swanepoel has created 29 blog entries.

Giving Bell’s the boot – a patient experience – blog 2

On the first morning after my diagnosis with Bell's  I woke up with a blurry eye. It felt like sandpaper. Despite covering it with an eyepatch, my eyelid had creeped open during the night - leaving my eye dry and irritated. Breakfast went better than the day before. Am I chewing more normally? I squirted [...]

Bell’s Palsy – Face-anating facts

It was a Scottish doctor Charles Bell who first documented the relation between the SEVENTH CRANIAL NERVE and the muscles of the face. There is a seventh cranial nerve on each side of your face. The seventh cranial nerve comes from the brain and travels through a small opening in the temporal bone named the [...]

For whom the BELL’s toll….. a patient blog day 1

I woke up on a Saturday morning in February I felt a searing pain in my left ear and jaw. It felt like a hot knife stuck in my cheek. My jaw felt strange when I chewed, and I started wondering if it was not a "tempo-mandibular joint" condition- I immediately decided I need to [...]

Till pregnancy do us part – Abdominal seperation

You are pregnant. Your bump is growing every day. But what is going on in the ab-department? Normally your "six pack" muscles named RECTUS ABDOMINUS are lying in two rows running from your ribs up to your pubic bone and are only seperated by a thin line of connective tissue named the LINEA ALBA. During [...]

Finding the magic muscles

Its a really awkward feeling. You really want to start supercharging your pelvic floor to improve your sex life, prevent leaking of urine and prevent sagging of the bladder as you age... BUT There is a small problem - you are not sure about where and how... You are not alone, only about 1 out [...]

Why you can’t keep dry – urine leakage basics

Let's look at some basic reasons why you can't keep dry Stress urinary incontinence occurs when you leak with increased pressure in the abdomen, for example with a cough, a sneeze, or while bending over. This is normally due to weak pelvic floor muscles or in some cases increased mobility of the bladder neck. Many persons [...]

You can’t miss out on our first publication

It's the tool all women's health physios and bladder patients can use. The Regain booklet on "female bladder problems and physiotherapy" is a full colour booklet written in easy- to understand terms and illustrates concepts with diagrams and sketches all designed by a female graphic designer. It includes all anatomy, conditions and solutions in an [...]

Defining The Physical Therapist

"A Physiotherapist assesses, treats and manages a wide variety of injuries including ailments from the fields of orthopaedics, neurology, respiratory and thoracic, cardio-vascular, obstetrics, sports medicine, paediatrics, geriatrics, intensive care units and general rehabilitation. Other medical fields and community care also falls within the scope of physiotherapy. " (definition: HPCSA website, accessed 17 July 2017) [...]

Bladder diary template

Bladder and bowel diary template

Good bladder habits for patients that leak urine

• If you experience leakage more in the night, try to cut out fluids for at least two hours before bedtime. Empty the bladder just before you go to bed. • If you experience more leakage in the day, avoid coffee, caffeine, fizzy drinks and spicy foods as they can irritate the bladder. Only drink [...]