Let’s talk about your Pelvic Floor
IF PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES WERE EASY THEN MORE OF US WOULD DO THEM EVERY DAY AND LESS OF US WOULD LEAK WHEN WE LAUGH, COUGH OR JUMP…FACT!
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHY YOUR PELVIC FLOOR IS IMPORTANT, WHAT IT DOES AND HOW TO USE IT EFFICIENTLY – SAY “HELLO” TO YOUR PELVIC FLOOR HARMONY
1:3 ladies suffer with urine leakage when they laugh, cough, jump, run, sneeze which is known as STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE (SUI for short).
But did you know there are other types of leakage problems that a lot of women quiety “put up” with?
Let’s talk about incontinence and all it’s forms, but first of all what is INCONTINENCE?
INCONTINENCE: INVOLUNTARY LEAKING FROM YOUR BLADDER OR BOWELS.
URGE INCONTINENCE = When you need to get to the toilet quickly and don’t make it in time and leak urine. The amount can be big or small.
FLATAL INCONTINENCE = When you can’t control the wind that leaves either your vagina (AKA queefing) or bowel exit.
COITAL INCONTINENCE = When you leak urine during intercourse.
FAECAL INCONTINENCE = When you can’t control your back passage and you leak faeces.
Some of these you may have heard of, others you may not.
If you are someone living with any of these pelvic floor dysfunctions then YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
I know many women feel embarassed, ashamed, silly, fed up, anxious, guilty, distraught, lonely, depressed and so many more negative feelings that they do not seek help about it.
However, 75% of SUI can be completely improved by pelvic floor exercises alone.
If you are regularly doing your pelvic floor exercises but seeing no improvement in your symptoms after three – six months then please do not suffer in silence. Book to go see a women’s health physiotherapist who can assess your pelvic floor muscle function and help tailor an exercise programme to suit your individual needs.
WHERE ARE YOUR PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES?
They attach directly to the pubis bone at the front of your pelvis and your tailbone (sacrum) at the back of your body.
They encircle all pelvic outlets, your bowels, your vagina and your bladder and they fill the bottom of your pelvis like a basin.
They are deep and superficial in structure which is why they have two different functions.
When we squeeze our pelvic floor muscles quickly (fast) our superficial muscles (sprinters) act fast to stop us leaking with sudden increases of pressure like a cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, etc. These are our sprinter type muscle fibres.
When we squeeze our pelvic floor muscles for a longer duration, the deeper muscles (marathon) engage to keep our pelvic outlets closed until we get to a toilet for example. These are our endurance type muscle fibres.
Why are pelvic floor muscles so important?
Your pelvic floor muscles help to…
Prevent pelvic organ prolapse
Prevent incontinence from all passages
Open and close pelvic sphincter muscles as needed
Prevent lower back pain
Allow sexual pleasure
Support a growing foetus in utero
WHAT EXACTLY DOES YOUR PELVIC FLOOR DO EXACTLY?
Your pelvic floor is the basin of muscles that cover the bottom floor of yourpelvic ring.
They house your pelvic organs: Bladder, Uterus & Bowel and keep them elevated and in your pelvis cavity when working well.
They control your outlets of your bladder and bowel permitting you to wee and poo when you want to.
They have a role in sexual intercourse as they surround the vagina.
When functioning correctly, pelvic floor muscles help prevent low back pain.
They also lengthen and expand to support the weight of a growing baby(s)during EACH pregnancy.
They are affected by hormonal changes.
So as we can see the Pelvic floor muscles have more than one job! In fact they do way more than just contract and relax to let us go to the toilet.
This is WHY THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT.
They are INCREDIBLE MUSCLES THAT DESERVE WAY MORE LIMELIGHT THAN THEY CURRENTLY GET.
HOW TO WORK YOUR PELVIC FLOOR EFFICIENTLY SO IT’S EFFECTIVE IN YOUR DAY TO DAY LIFE.
Let’s now get down to the nitty gritty about the HOW the pelvic floor muscles work.
Watch this video and/or read my excellent blog post explaining all about it.
It’s NEVER TO LATE to start your pelvic floor exercises – can we shout that one out please!
Related blog posts to Pelvic Floor…
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RESOURCES
Websites
POGP: Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecology Physiotherapy professional body in the UK
PELVIC FLOOR FIRST, Australia
BLADDER AND BOWEL COMMUNITY
ERIC: Children’s bladder and bowel charity
PELVICROAR: Uniting pelvic health campaigns
THE WELL HQ: Health and training with a female filter
THE CONTINENCE FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA
KNOW YOUR FLOORS: Not for profit pelvic health awareness page
Jilly Bond HOW TO perform pelvic floor muscles correctly video
@mypelvicfloormuscles | @ clarebournephysio | @physiomumuk | @pelvicguru1 |@physiodetective |@absolute.physio |