What is your pelvic floor?
Your pelvic floor is a ‘sling’ of muscles that attach from your pubic bone in front to the tail bone of the spine. The urethra, vagina and anus all pass through the pelvic floor.
What does your pelvic floor do?
Your pelvic
floor helps to support your abdominal contents, as well as control your bladder
and bowel functions. It also helps to increase sexual awareness for both
yourself and your partner during sexual intercourse. They work in sync with the
core abdominal muscles to support your back.
Why do I need to improve my pelvic floor strength?
Strengthening
your pelvic floor can help you to
- avoid losing urine, gas or faeces when you exert yourself with activities such as coughing, sneezing, jumping or lifting (stress incontinence)
- Reduce the risk or improve the symptoms of prolapse
- Improve recovery after childbirth and surgery for bladder prolapse, hysterectomy
- Increase sexual sensation and awareness to improve orgasmic potential
- Increase confidence and quality of life
What happens to the pelvic floor during and after
pregnancy?
During
pregnancy, the weight of the baby can put excess pressure on the pelvic floor,
making it need to work harder in order to support your abdomen. Pregnancy
related hormones can also weaken the pelvic floor muscles. During a vaginal
delivery, the baby passes through the pelvic floor, stretching and often
tearing the muscles. During a cesarean section, the core abdominal muscles are
cut, which makes it difficult for them to work in conjunction with the pelvic
floor to support your back.
How do I improve my pelvic floor strength?
It is
important to work with a qualified professional such as a physioFIX Holland
Park physiotherapist to isolate and improve your pelvic floor strength.
Especially after childbirth or surgery, it can be easy to contract incorrect
muscles which can put excess pressure on the pelvic floor. A physiotherapist
will be able to check that you are contracting the muscles correctly and
identify a suitable exercise program for you to help you get back to your
everyday functions as well as sport.
It is never
too late to start doing pelvic floor strengthening exercises. Research shows
that the pelvic floor responds very well to exercise, and most women are able
to overcome their incontinence problems with the correct advice.
Practice
your pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy and continue them after
childbirth. Even women having a cesarean childbirth will benefit from pelvic
floor strengthening.
How do I contract my pelvic floor muscles?
- Pretend that you are going to the toilet and you have to stop half way. You should feel your pelvic floor lift as you pretend to stop the flow of urine. You may also feel your lower abdomen draw in.
- Breathe normally and hold the muscle contraction for 4-8 seconds. Repeat 4-8 times.
You should not experience any pain or worsening of your symptoms from performing these exercises. If you are having any difficulties with these exercises, or your feel your symptoms are not improving, contact your physioFIX physiotherapist for an assessment.
