All women and men have a pelvic floor and can suffer from pelvic floor disorders.
First of all, do you know where your pelvis is located? Yes, it’s between your tummy and legs and has prominent bones that we sit on. Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and tissues that form a bowl on the bottom of your pelvis. They physically support pelvis organs like your bladder, bowel, and sexual organs. They are responsible for supporting the function of urination, bowel movements, intercourse and pregnancy and delivery. Your pelvic floor works with your hip muscles, lower back muscles and your diaphragm to stabilize your trunk and hips helping you stand upright and walk. They are also the same muscles used to increase sexual sensation. In case you haven’t gotten the hint, your pelvic floor muscles are SUPER important.
Certain problems can happen when your pelvic floor muscles are too weak or too tight. If the muscles are too weak, it can cause urine and/or bowel leakage, reduced sexual sensation and pelvic organ prolapse. If the muscles are too tight, it can cause pain while having sex, constipation, incomplete bladder emptying and burning with urination. In order to avoid these things and improve your pelvic health, the goal is to have a functional pelvic floor.
What this means is that you don’t only want it to be strong, you also want it to be responsive to pressure and load. Anything that puts pressure on your pelvis such as during pregnancy and delivery, chronic constipation, constant
straining while on the toilet, or a chronic cough can lead to the aforementioned issues. Here are some tips to get you started on your pelvic health journey:
1. Strengthen your pelvic floor. Think about incorporating kegels into your daily routine
2. Just as important as strengthening your pelvic floor, think about relaxing your pelvic floor. Bring awareness to these muscles and reduce tension through guided relaxation and meditation
3. Avoid any prolonged sitting on the toilet (this helps with hemorrhoids too!)
4. Avoid straining on the toilet in any case
5. Maintain a healthy weight, decrease your caffeine, alcohol and artificial sweetener intake, and don’t smoke
6. Change your diet (increase fiber and water) to improve your stool consistency and bowel health
Pelvic floor disorders should not be accepted as normal parts of aging. They are common medical problems that can be treated successfully and conservatively at any age. If you feel like you need a little help or a push to get
started, book an appointment with a pelvic floor physiotherapist, such as myself, to learn more.
Contact us @ Info@movetherapeutics.ca for more information.
