News
Don’t lift heavy loads…Physiotherapist cautions women
Women have been advised against lifting heavy loads and engaging in activities that put strain on their pelvic muscle.
“Women tend to have a lot of health-related problems which are not given the needed attention due to a number of socioeconomic commitments they make for themselves and their families,” Ms Anna Hughton, a Physiotherapist and Clinic Director at the Accra Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic said in an interview with The Spectator.
She said that, even where there were abnormal signs some women ‘put them aside’ and went about their usual daily activities.
The pelvic area, she said, “is one of the sections where women have problems and prolapse is one of the conditions.”
Prolapse, she explained, was when “the pelvic organ which supports the uterus, bladder and other organs, gets out of place and starts to drop beyond the normal place where it is supposed to be.”
This condition, she said, could be mild or severe and could emerge as a result of child birth or when women put excessive strain on the pelvic muscle.
Causes
Stressing on a number of causes of the prolapse she said, “Frequently straining while trying to pick heavy loads, a lot of pushing during the delivery process and pregnancy with a heavy baby can put pressure on the pelvic floor and make it weak to cause a prolapse.”
Whilst menopausal women could be exposed to prolapse due to a reduction in the hormones that straighten the pelvic floor muscle, some lifestyle activities such as heavy smoking associated with constant cough could also predispose one to having a prolapse.
“A heavy smoker who coughs constantly strains the pelvic floor making it weaken; she stressed”.
Being obese can cause general weakness including a weakened pelvic floor because the weight of the body and the abdomen can put pressure on the pelvic floor and contribute to prolapse.
Unexpectedly, women who also generally do not engage in exercises to keep the pelvic floor strong are likely to have a prolapse because “the pelvic floor is what supports the uterus, the bladder and the rectum so if it weakens, any of these organs can also drop,” Ms Hughton said.
Constipation coupled with not having good bowel movement she stated, could lead to prolapse and explained that “this happens when one strains constantly to free the bowel, overtime, the pelvic floor is weakened and can also cause a prolapse.”
Symptoms
She gave some symptoms of prolapse as: A feeling of pressure or heaviness in the pelvic area, if you stand, you can see a bulge; urinary problems such as leaking of urine or a chronic urge to urinate; a feeling that something is coming out of the vagina; Constipation among others.
What to do
Depending on the level of the condition, pelvic floor exercises could help at the early stages of prolapse.
- Avoid the lifting of heavy things or an activity that increases the pressure on the pelvic floor.
- Maintain a balance between the abdominal pressure and the pelvic floor pressure and refrain from activities that strain the pelvic floor muscle.
- Pelvic floor muscle exercise can help and it can help also during delivery, maintain a healthy weight and avoid smoking.
- Women who experience such conditions should visit a qualified physiotherapist.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
Hot!
EC to conduct elections in selected polling stations at Ablekuma North
As part of its commitment to resolve the impass egarding he Ablekuma North Constituency Parliamentary Election, the Electoral Commission(EC) yesterday, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, met with the representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The meeting, which was a follow-up to an earlier meeting held on Thursday, June 12, 2025, provided both parties the opportunity to brief the commission on any new
developments regarding the said constituency.
The parties informed the Commission that their positions put forward at the last mecting remained unchanged.
The NDC held the view that the election should be rerun thirty -seven
(37) Polling Stations because scanned Pink Sheets from 37 Polling Stations which were used to
collate the results, were provided the NPP.
The NPP was of the view that the results from three (3) outstanding Poling Stations be collated and a winner declared since the NDC Agents had verified and confirmed
the scanned Poling Station results they presented.
According to the EC, it is important for the public to understand that the issue in contention has to do with
the fact that 37 Pink Sheets provided by the NPP and used to colate the results were scanned copies.
“The Public may recall that Political Party supporters besieged our Collation Centre and
destroyed a number of the Pink Sheets for the Ablekuma North Parliamentary Elcction during the collation of results following the December 7 Gencral Election,” the EC added.
After extensive deliberations, the Commission informed the Political Parties that it would
proceed to rerun the election in 19
of the 37 Polling Stations.
The Commission arrived at the decision to rerun the election in the underlisted Polling Stations because, the scanned Polling Station resuits used for the collation, though approved by Agents of both political Parties, were not verified by the Presiding Officers responsible for the Polling
Stations.
According to the EC, it is instructive to note that the Commission was able to secure the Presiding Officers
verification and confirmation for 18 scanned Polling Station results-
Agents of both parties also approved same.
The election will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025
The Commission has further urged the Ghana Police Service to provide the needed security to ensure a safe environment for the conduct of the election.
News
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Addresses Parliament.
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emelia Arthur has disclosed that in 2021, Ghana was issued a yellow card by the European Union after being identified as a non-compliant third country in the fight against illegal fishing activities.
According to the Minister, the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, has engaged the European Union(EU) through the Ghana European Union dialogue, to address the concerns raised by the European Union(EU).
The engagement included the implementation of an action plan, periodic update report and validation exercises.
“We are happy to report that Ghana has made significant progress in resolving key concerns, primarily related to lapses in the regulatory framework, fisheries enforcement, and traceability,” she stated.
Also, she emphasized that a review of pending actions indicates that the enactment of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, along with its accompanying regulations, remains critical to enhancing fisheries governance in Ghana.
She further informed the House that the Ministry has already submitted the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Bill, 2025, to the House.
The bill was later referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Cocoa Affairs for consideration.
The Minister made this statement in response to a question posed by Member of Parliament for Atwima Mponua, Seth Osei-Akoto, regarding the immediate measures the ministry is implementing to sanitize Ghana’s fishing sector in the light of the European Union’s warning that Ghana could face a potential red card.
