The importance of Pelvic floor EXERCISES.
Now I know that most of you will know how important your pelvic floor is before reading this, but sometimes a little bit more information is really helpful.
So what is the pelvic floor? Well this is a set of muscles that support the bladder, bowel and uterus, they are important working hard preventing prolapse, incontinence in the bladder and bowel, and is also important in sexual function.
What happens if your pelvic floor is weak? The pelvic floor can be weakened by pregnancy, childbirth, prostate cancer treatment, obesity and the straining of chronic constipation, or even just natural ageing. If you struggle with any of the below then pelvic floor exercises are for you.
· Leak a few drops of urine while sneezing, laughing or coughing (stress incontinence)
· Have a strong, sudden urge to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine (urinary urge incontinence)
· Leak stool (fecal incontinence)
What can I do to improve this? Kegals, kegals when performed correctly can help to improve the muscle of your pelvic floor,
How to perform a Kegal?
· Find the right muscles. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urination in midstream. Once you've identified your pelvic floor muscles you can do the exercises in any position, although you might find it easiest to do them lying down at first.
· Perfect your technique. To do Kegels, imagine you are sitting on a marble and tighten your pelvic muscles as if you're lifting the marble. Try it for three seconds at a time, then relax for a count of three.
· Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.
· Repeat three times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions a day.
Don't make a habit of using Kegel exercises to start and stop your urine stream. Doing Kegel exercises while emptying your bladder can actually lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder — which increases the risk of a urinary tract infection.
i teach a specialised pelvic floor class on thursday evenings at 6.15 where we focus on your pelvic floor and excercises that help to strengthen this and the muscles around it. i would love to see you there so we can get stronger together.