This article contains generic advice only. For specific medical advice please consult a pelvic floor physical therapist or your trusted health care professional.
- What exactly is your pelvic floor?
- Why is a strong pelvic floor important?
- How can you strengthen your pelvic floor?
- Do’s and Don’ts with training and lifestyle.
Please enjoy this 15 min live video recording where we cover these questions …. or you may prefer to read on for a brief overview.
What is your pelvic floor:
- The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and connective tissue that extends from the front of the pelvis to the tailbone.
- Think of your pelvic floor like a trampoline holding up all your organs within the pelvis: urethra, bladder, bowel, uterus.
- The pelvic floor has passages that pass through it: urethra, vagina and anus. The pelvic floor muscles wrap tightly around these passages.
Why is a strong pelvic floor important:
- Prevents incontinence of the bladder and bowel.
- Prevents prolapse of the organs within the pelvis ie. organs dropping down.
- Important for sexual function in both women and men.
- Helps stabilise the hips and trunk when standing and walking.
What can weaken your pelvic floor:
- Pregnancy.
- Child birth.
- Cancer treatment.
- Being overweight.
- Chronic constipation and excess straining.
- Injury to the pelvic area.
- Hormonal changes during menopause.
How do you know if you have a weak pelvic floor…
- Leak urine when you cough, sneeze, jump or laugh.
- Constantly needing to go to the toilet.
- Not making it to the toilet in time.
- Pass wind when bending over or lifting.
- Reduced sensation in the vagina.
- Tampons dislodge or fall out.
How do you strengthen your pelvic floor:
The first step is to know how to activate ALL your pelvic floor muscles:
- Step 1. is to stop or slow the flow of urine whilst going to the toilet – or even just imagine yourself doing this and contract those muscles.
- Step 2. is to imagine you need to pass gas but you don’t want to let it out by squeezing your rectum and anus.
It’s important to remember that we need to activate both areas simultaneously when working on strengthening our pelvic floor.
Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises (or just simply “kegels“) are a basic contract and release exercise of the pelvic floor muscles.
Exercise 1: Squeeze and Hold
- Try this sitting, standing, lying down and kneeling on all fours.
- Engage your pelvic floor muscles as tightly as you can and hold for 3 – 5 seconds.
- You should feel your pelvic floor muscles lift up inside you and then a distinct release as the muscles relax.
- Repeat this 8 – 10 times or until you feel muscles fatigue.
Exercise 2: Pulses
- Contract your pelvic floor muscles as tightly as you can and relax as quickly as you can.
- Repeat this 10 – 20 times or until you feel muscles fatigue.
Exercise 3: Elevator
- Imagine your pelvic floor is an elevator and ground floor is when you’re relaxed.
- Engage your pelvic floor about 25% intensity and take the elevator up to the first floor.
- Increase the intensity to 50% and take the elevator up to the second floor.
- Increase the intensity to 75% and take the elevator up to the third floor.
- Increase the intensity to maximum effort and take the elevator up to the top floor.
- Return to the ground floor stopping at each level on the way back down.
- Repeat this 2 – 3 times or until you feel muscles fatigue.
How often should you be training your pelvic floor:
At least once a day, every day for the rest of your life!
Unless of course you have overly tight pelvic floor muscles (hypertonic pelvic floor ) in which case you should seek advice from a pelvic floor physical therapist or your trusted health care professional.
Dos and Don’ts:
- Pelvic floor exercises outlined above.
- Regular exercise like walking.
- Relax your pelvic floor muscles between contractions of your kegel exercises.
- Put on excess weight.
- Strain with bowel motions or get constipated.
- Hold your breath when doing your kegels
- Tighten your inner thighs or glutes when doing your kegels.
- Continue with your kegels if you feel any pain.
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