Melanie Bennett
Melanie has over 25 years experience as a physiotherapist in New Zealand and overseas. After graduating from Otago Polytechnic in 1989 and working in hospitals and private practice, she focused her professional development in the musculo-skeletal area and completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Manipulative Physiotherapy at AUT University.
During her many years of practice Melanie developed a special interest in Men’s and Women’s pelvic floor dysfunction and developed this as her area of expertise. In 2008, after identifying a need for pelvic floor physiotherapy in Auckland, Melanie established Physio Down Under Ltd, a clinic providing detailed assessment, management and treatment options for men and women with common pelvic floor conditions.
Melanie has a Post Graduate Certificate in Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy from Melbourne University. She completed a Masters Degree from AUT University where she also developed an interest in ultrasound imaging which she uses in the clinic as biofeedback.
Hannah Orr
Hannah graduated from AUT as a physiotherapist in 2004 and started her working career at Middlemore Hospital. To further develop in her profession she moved to the UK and worked at a number of large teaching hospitals where she developed a passion for pelvic floor physiotherapy, gaining valuable experience in this field.
On returning to New Zealand, Hannah took up the position of Specialist Pelvic Floor/ Continence Physiotherapist at Middlemore Hospital and completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy at Melbourne University. As part of continuing professional development she attends regular post-graduate training courses and conferences.
She has a keen interest in research and for the past four years has worked on various projects including a study looking at the effect of pelvic floor physiotherapy in women who sustain injury to their pelvic floor following childbirth.
Anna Geraets
Anna is a senior physiotherapist with qualifications in Pelvic Health, Women’s Health and a very strong background in musculo-skeletal practice. She is a clinical Pilates Instructor and is qualified in Trigger Point Dry Needling,
Graduating from AUT University with a Bachelor of Health Science (Physiotherapy), in 2007, she then worked in both New Zealand and Australia. While in Australia she completed the majority of her Women’s and Pelvic Health training under a group called the Women’s Health Training Associates (WHTA). She is experienced in treating all pelvic health conditions; bladder, bowel, persistent pelvic pain, and prolapse. Before returning to New Zealand, she was the owner/director of a busy clinic in Newcastle NSW.
As a Pelvic Health Physio, Anna believes in providing women with all their treatment options and supporting their health choices. By doing regular annual professional development, she uses current evidence-based practice to provide women with these options and informed choice, while maintaining respect for holistic and alternative health. She has just completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Women’s Health through Auckland University.
Anna is thoroughly experienced in pessary fitting and recently started a Pessary Clinic alongside a gynaecologist at Shore Women.
Anna regularly treats women in pregnancy or post-partum. Her extensive musculo-skeletal experience is very useful in treating pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain and other pelvic pain issues. She utilises a very hands-on approach, with the belief that by reducing symptoms, we can reintroduce better movement patterns and postures. For this she uses a lot of dry needling and massage, and frequently turns to Pilates for rehabilitation and return to function.