It doesn’t matter if your kids are under one or starting college, you deserve to feel confident, sexy, and adventurous.
Dr.Sarah Duvall
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: What is the Fix?
It’s extremely common for women, after giving birth, to be confronted with a slight problem in the pelvic area.
Like many, you may notice that your pelvic floor muscles have weakened.
This was the case for me. Pregnancy can cause softened ligaments which had a knock on effect with my body.
Don’t be alarmed, this is a common occurrence especially as you get older or go through childbirth.
The pelvic muscles are responsible for supporting the bladder, uterus and bowel.
When these muscles are contracted, your organs are tightened, when they are relaxed your muscles release.
Considering the organs that these muscles control, you probably understand the importance of keeping them in top form.
So if you are wanting to prevent pelvic floor problems or help tighten your pelvic floor post pregnancy, read on.
As well as some effective exercises I will reveal the amazing program you can complete from the comfort of your own home. Designed by the leading expert in postpartum pelvic floor problems (as well as diastasis recti).
What happens to your pelvic floor muscles after birth?
Both being pregnant and giving birth, stretches the muscles of your pelvic floor.
Everything from the hormones, the weight of the baby and labour will put pressure on your pelvic floor muscles, causing them to become weaker. So, this means that even if you had a c-section your muscles may have still been affected.
Your pelvic floor muscles are affected as you get older too.
So, if you think you dodged the pelvic floor muscles weakening when you were younger, you might not have been so lucky later in life.
An absolute worst-case scenario, usually occurring after several pregnancies is a pelvic organ prolapse – where your pelvic organs slip down your pelvis.
What are the symptoms of weakened pelvic floor muscles?
The most telling symptom of a weakened or damaged pelvic floor muscles is leaking urine.
It’s known as stress incontinence and occurs when you sneeze, cough, run, jump, laugh, run or lift something. It can be anything from a few drops to something very visible. These are the most obvious weak pelvic floor muscles symptoms.
Don’t panic, don’t feel ashamed.
I can honestly tell you so many of us Mom’s go through this – I have had a little tinkle in my pants on more than one occasion whilst out in public !!
It’s extremely common, and maternity pads will often absorb any leaks. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to fix it as soon as possible – a healthy body is a healthy mind.
Occasionally weakened pelvic floor muscles also cause faecal incontinence.
If you’re experiencing a pelvic organ prolapse, you will feel a dragging type feeling in your vagina – this is your womb, bladder and bowel pushing up against the walls.
It’s not all doom and gloom – these things can be prevented and helped through pelvic floor exercises. In fact, the thought of a prolapse alone is what kept me motivated to carry on with these exercises.
What is the importance of exercises?
Trying out some exercises will strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and, consequently, help you to avoid the unpleasant side effects that come with the weakening.
You can practice pelvic floor exercises before you get pregnant, during pregnancy, and as soon as you feel comfortable doing so after pregnancy. There’s no limit – the more the merrier.
Some women, like myself, are scared about exercising the pelvic muscles too soon. A quick reminder that these are the muscles we use for coughing, sneezing and urinating, you’ll realize that it’s perfectly fine to start exercising them as soon as possible.
I’ve listed my top pelvic floor muscle exercises below, some easy and some a little bit less basic. If you can, try to practice at least one of these every day.
Kegels
These exercises are super important, and probably some of the most popular exercises.
It is just the simple practice of contracting and then relaxing your pelvic floor muscles.
These are really beneficial and can be done absolutely anywhere and everywhere.
Perfect for busy moms. If you’re leaking when you sneeze, laugh, jump or cough then you could benefit highly from these exercises.
No equipment is needed for these exercises, these are the most popular and loved pelvic floor exercises known. In fact, Kegel exercise during pregnancy is recommended.
You can even try a Kegel exercise device, this could save you a lot of time.
Squats
With every squat you take, you’re exercising some of the largest muscles in your body.
This makes it super beneficial to practice, especially as it’s a great pelvic floor toner.
You’ll be working your hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes when you squat. You can practice these with barbells just to intensify the workout.
Here are the steps:
♥ You will be standing in an upright position with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width. If you’re practising your squats with a barbell, make sure that it is safely rested behind your neck.
♥ From this position, bend your knees and push your butt and hips back, mirroring how you would if you were going to sit down. Your neck should be neutral and your chin tucked in.
♥ Drop right down, or as far as you can go, until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Your knees should be bowing slightly outwards and your weight being exerted into your heels.
♥ Go back up by lifting up your body and straightening your legs.
♥ Do as many reps as you feel comfortable.
Split Table top
Have you heard of the table top exercise? It’s harder than it looks and is the foundation for many more exercises, especially in Pilates. The split table top incorporates a little bit more, combining the pelvic floor muscles and the hips too.
Your hips, abs and pelvic floor are all worked in this movement. You will need a yoga/exercise mat to practice this one, as your back will be led against the floor.
Here’s how to do it:
♥ The starting position – Back on the floor, knees bent and thighs vertical to the floor.
♥ Tense your abs and begin to feel a burn in your legs.
♥ Slowly split your legs apart, as controlled as you can. Your knees will fall outwards – stretch yourself a little bit but not too much that it’s unbearable.
♥ Raise back to your starting position.
♥ Again, do as many reps as you feel comfortable for or have enough time for. I know that being a mum can sometimes cut exercises short.
The bridge
An easy but really effective exercise. It’s most commonly associated with the glutes but if you do it correctly, you can also exercise the pelvic floor muscles.
No need for weights or fancy equipment, this move will certainly get your blood pumping.
♥ Starting position – lie on the floor with your spine directly on the floor, your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, arms straight on your sides, feet flat to the ground.
♥ Inhaling through your nose, push your heels into the ground and raise your hips to the sky. Squeeze your glutes, pelvic floor muscles and hamstrings and you have a multi-functional workout. Your body should now look a little bit like a bridge.
♥ Stay in the bridge position for a few seconds and then return to your original position.
♥ Complete about 15 reps and 3 sets of these, don’t worry if you can’t do that many, though.
The Importance of Posture
A great posture can make such a big difference to your pelvic floor muscles. With proper alignment of the body, your pelvis is in the best position to support everything it needs to.
Two of the biggest posture mistakes you can make are:
Number 1 – Clenching your glutes all day. If you’re a serial glute clencher, you can actually be making them weaker and harder for your pelvic floor muscles to come into action when you really need them.
You can find out if you’re a glute clencher by standing up, clenching your glutes and then releasing them. If you feel a difference, then you’re a glute clencher. You should make an active decision to try and correct this.
Number 2 – A forward head posture. Those with this posture are more likely to have pelvic floor issues, which is quite crazy when you really think about it.
Where to find out your pelvic floor muscles
The best way to identify where your pelvic floor muscles are, is by stopping the flow.
Yes, try to stop the flow of your urine half way through a wee.
If you can stop the flow and then start again without straining, then you’ve probably got no need to worry. If you have a bit of difficulty, it’s likely that you have a weak pelvic floor.
Getting professional medical help
As we say, it is completely normal and natural but you may want to seek professional help, especially if your exercises aren’t helping.
It’s always worthwhile just speaking to a professional about any concerns, what have you got to lose, really? These people deal with all kinds of issues every single day. Health first ladies.
There are also women’s health physiotherapists that specialize in pelvic floor therapy. These can assess your personal needs and create an exercise program that it tailored for you.
Is there any way i can fix my Pelvic Floor problem at home ?
There is!
Do you want a leading online Doctor, who has created their own bestselling programs, to help fix your weakened Pelvic Floor?
Meet Dr. Sarah Ellis Duvall, PT, DPT, CPT, CNC (Thats a lot of qualifications right!). Dr Sarah owns the website Core Exercise Solutions – go take a look.
She offers many Postpartum courses for not just Pelvic Floor. Diastastis Recti, Hip Problems, and general Mom Fitness too.
There are free challenges on there too as well as some awesome articles and advice. I loved just listening to the other Mom’s – it made me realize i wasn’t some kind of freak that pee’s when i sneeze.
The Pelvic Floor Perfect Course is fantastic and so easy to follow.
12 Week Pelvic Floor Series includes the following:
- 48+ Exercise Videos, includes tutorials, troubleshooting, and exercise along with videos
- 6 Educational Videos on alignment, posture and a deeper understanding of how the pelvic floor works
- Free access to Dr. Sarah in the secret group for one month and then easy continued access option
- Perfect progression from the basic exercises to the most complex over the 12 weeks
- Exact instructions so you can just hit play
- Downloadable PDFs with every video
- Bonus videos on lifting, walking, and other everyday tasks
Pelvic floor dysfunction IS something that can be fixed.
And YOU can fix it with the proper help and guidance – Kegel exercises just won’t do it.
It’s a great starting point but it’s only a starting point. In fact, I’ve had some patients where doing kegels has made them worse.
The Pelvic Floor Perfect Series will teach you how to correct your body so you get the results that you need.
Treatment involves strengthening the surrounding muscle groups, thereby naturally strengthening the core and pelvic floor to relieve your symptoms and enable you to live a fuller, more worry-free and pain-free life.
There’s no harm in trying to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
It’s nothing to be embarrassed about and, most of the time can be fixed with a few simple exercises. Give them a try.
RATING
5/5
Sara
FATSENSE.COM