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MY TOP 3 TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER YOUR PELVIC FLOOR AFTER
GIVING BIRTH
by Helen Matthews, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist
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YESSSSSSSSS....AT LAST....pelvic health is becoming less of a taboo subject with celebrities sharing their pelvic health journeys and pelvic floor squeezes becoming a talked about topic on television and social media.
In this blog, I am going to explore with you why pelvic health is so important and how do you know if you have problems relating to pelvic health.
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So, what is the Pelvic Floor?
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Your pelvic floor are a group of muscles and connective tissue that makes up the floor of your pelvis. It is the best hammock ever! The muscles attach to your pubic bone at the front, coccyx at the back and sitting bones at the sides.
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The Pelvic Floor has five key roles: The Five S’s
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1. Sphincteric – the pelvic floor muscles wrap around and control the opening of your bladder and rectum. When we cough, sneeze or jump this increases the intrabdominal pressure and the pelvic floor muscles contract to prevent leakage. They also relax and lengthen to allow us to empty our bladder and bowels easily.
2. Support – they support the internal organs like the bladder and intestines. If the pelvic floor muscles weaken with age or hormonal changes or are put under strain, for example, during pregnancy this can cause the pelvic organs to bulge into the vagina. This is known as a prolapse.
3. Stability - the pelvic floor muscles are an important part of the "core". If you are trying to strengthen your core your pelvic floor should be part of your training program!
4. Sexual - they contribute to sexual pleasure and an increase in tension in the pelvic floor muscles can lead to painful sexual intercourse.
5. Sump Pump - they help to pump blood and lymph arounds the pelvic region and back towards the heart.
Your pelvic floor is an incredible, multitalented set of muscles but sometimes things can go wrong and if they do you may experience some of the following:
Leaking when you cough, sneeze or jump.
Feeling of dragging or heaviness in your vagina
Painful intercourse
Constipation and difficulty emptying your bowels.
Sudden urgency with needing to pass urine and not making it to the toilet in time
If we take care of our pelvic floor, just like we take care of our teeth with regular brushing, we can also help prevent these symptoms from cropping up in the future.
Here Are My Top 3 Tips For Looking After Your Pelvic Floor:
1. Look After Your Bowels - although this area is not very glam it is often the first place with start when treating pelvic health conditions. This is because the bladder and bowels sit so close to one another. It is important to avoid constipation and straining because this can cause pelvic floor dysfunction. Bowels love fluid, fibre and movement so ensuring you are hydrated, active and have a healthy diet can help avoid problems in this area.
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2. Deep Breathing - the diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles are good friends and as the diaphragm moves as we breathe in and out, so does our pelvic floor. Try taking some deep breaths whilst one hand is on your lower ribs and one hand on your tummy. You should feel a natural lengthening of your pelvic floor as you breathe in.
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3. Pelvic Floor Exercises - they can feel a bit boring to do but as I mentioned earlier they are such an important group of muscles. Setting time aside to perform a pelvic floor exercise program can help improve many pelvic health conditions even if you have had these symptoms for many years.
If you would like an assessment of your pelvic floor muscles to get you started on an individualised program please get in touch by requesting a callback from the team with our form below or calling the clinic direct on 01949 485084.
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