Why your pelvic floor matters, and how to connect with it.
The pelvic floor...
A place of mystery and intrigue. Often neglected, forgotten, unknown. Until symptoms show up. The most commonly recognised symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction is bladder leakage. And most women assume it only happens women who have had children. Or women with a weak pelvic floor.
But leakage can happen with a tight pelvic floor too. Other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction include: difficulties with bladder or bowel emptying, slow flow, a sensation of incomplete emptying, pain with penetration, a sensation of heaviness or bulge, difficulty controlling wind, or soiling.
These symptoms don’t always mean that the solution is to get stronger, or tighter.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, fascia and connective tissue at the base of the pelvis, vital for bladder and bowel control, for supporting pelvic organs (the bladder, bowel and uterus) and for sexual pleasure.
And like any muscle in the body, the pelvic floor needs to be able to contract (the sensation of squeezing and lifting) AND relax. And even lengthen - especially important for vaginal birth. The problem – around half of all women do pelvic floor exercises incorrectly.
The breath can be a simple way to connect in with the pelvic floor and support full relaxation. When the breath comes in on an inhale, the diaphragm descends and supports relaxation, on an exhale, the diaphragm lifts, and the pelvic floor lifts.
Inhale – relax
Exhale - lift
The beauty of both yoga and pilates, is they connect breath and movement, enhancing greater body awareness and connection. The next time you finish a class, you might like to lay quietly for a few moments, connect in with your breath and see if you can feel the rise and fall of the pelvic floor with the breath. And if you gently contract your pelvic floor, is there a squeeze and lift, can you relax easily and fully?
And if you can’t, seek support from a women’s health physiotherapist.
Kelly Pendlebury, Principal Physiotherapist and Women’s Pelvic Health Somatic Practitioner at Somatic Womankind.
