Pelvic floor health has long been relegated to whispered conversations about pregnancy or aging, often reduced to vague instructions to \u201cdo your kegels\u201d.<\/p>\n
But according to experts, daily maintenance of the pelvic floor is important.<\/p>\n
The pelvic floor consists of the muscles at the base of the pelvis and \u201ceverything above it, including ligaments\u201d says Lisa Birmingham, a senior physiotherapist and director of All Women\u2019s Health in Brisbane. It extends from the pubic bone in the front to the coccyx in the back. These muscles are responsible for \u201cpulling everything in from below\u201d and supporting the bladder, bowel, and \u2013 in females \u2013 uterus.<\/p>\n
Pelvic health is vital for all genders and ages, says Shan Morrison, a specialist physiotherapist and director of Women\u2019s and Men\u2019s Health Physiotherapy in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen per cent of men experience persistent pelvic pain at some stage,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Here are some key strategies for maintaining a healthy pelvic floor.<\/p>\n
Squeeze, release, relax<\/p>\n
Before strengthening the muscle, you must find it. Birmingham says the goal is a strong, \u201cbulky\u201d muscle. The pelvic floor is made up of an \u201centrance group\u201d of muscles and a \u201cdeeper group\u201d of muscles, she says.<\/p>\n
For women, strengthening the muscles takes a two-part movement. \u201cSqueeze at the front as if you\u2019re holding onto a wee and an anal squeeze at the back which feels like a lift,\u201d Birmingham says. She adds a good visualisation is to imagine you are in a crowded lift \u201ctrying to hold in a fart.\u201d<\/p>\n
For men, the cue is to \u201clift up the testicles,\u201d Morrison says.<\/p>\n
She suggests everyone aim for 10 repetitions of 5\u201310 second holds.<\/p>\n
However, relaxation is equally important. Angela James, founder and principal physiotherapist at Sydney Pelvic Pain Clinic, warns excessive physical activity is not always conducive to a healthy pelvic floor, using the example of \u201coverzealous gripping\u201d of pelvic floor muscles sometimes seen in pilates.<\/p>\n
James advises checking in with yourself to ensure you aren\u2019t constantly clenching and learn to relax these muscles.<\/p>\n
Pelvic floor health is vital for all genders and ages and can be managed with daily maintenance. Photograph: imageBROKER\/Alamy<\/p>\n
She says many people \u201cchronically over-engage their core muscles\u201d in an effort to maintain \u201cgood posture\u201d throughout the day. \u201cThis can create excessive tension in the abdominal wall and pelvic floor, contributing to pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get \u2018the knack\u2019<\/p>\n
Birmingham recommends a technique called \u201cthe knack\u201d: bracing your pelvic floor muscles immediately before a sudden increase in abdominal pressure, such as a cough, sneeze or laugh.<\/p>\n
To build the habit, she suggests \u201chabit stacking\u201d \u2013 popularised by James Clear\u2019s Atomic Habits \u2013 to attach the exercise to an existing daily routine, such as performing a hold every time you stand up after using the toilet.<\/p>\n
\u2018Your rectum is not a storage facility\u2019<\/p>\n
How we approach our daily toilet routine can have a significant impact on the strength and function of the pelvic floor.<\/p>\n
Constipation is a major stressor for the pelvic floor, says Dr Millie Mardon, a pelvic pain researcher at Western Sydney University.<\/p>\n
Birmingham explains that the resulting straining creates unnecessary pressure that can weaken the pelvic muscles over time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rectum is not a storage facility,\u201d she says, warning that workers often cause constipation by holding off on the urge to poo.<\/p>\n
To help alleviate pressure, Mardon suggests anyone can use a footstool during bowel movements, to better mimic the natural squatting position and reduce straining.<\/p>\n
Morrison adds that it is equally important to avoid going \u201cjust in case\u201d.<\/p>\n
Add colour to your plate<\/p>\n
What you eat and drink plays a significant role in maintaining healthy bowel and urinary function, which directly impacts your overall pelvic health.<\/p>\n
To keep things moving, aim for five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily alongside at least a third of a cup of lentils or chickpeas, Birmingham says.<\/p>\n
Mardon agrees \u201cadding colour to your plate\u201d at every meal to ensure you get enough fibre to \u201chelp your gut and pelvis feel good\u201d.<\/p>\n
For a gut-friendly breakfast, she suggests chia pudding: \u201cSoak chia seeds with berries, flaxseeds, and a little maple syrup.\u201d Chia is a \u201cfabulous\u201d tool, creating a slippery effect on the bowel wall, she says \u2013 and it\u2019s easy to prep a week\u2019s worth in one go.<\/p>\n
Morrison reminds that regular fluid intake will also help with optimal stool and bladder movements.<\/p>\n
\u2018Muscles love to move\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no such thing as bad posture,\u201d Mardon says. The real problem is staying still for too long is. \u201cOur pelvic floor muscles love to move,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She recommends simple changes, such as getting off public transport one stop early, opting for the stairs and regularly changing positions if you sit at a desk.<\/p>\n
Morrison suggests a \u201cbalanced movement diet\u201d of cardio, stretching and strengthening. This doesn\u2019t need to be vigorous \u2013 gentle walking, swimming, or yoga are effective.<\/p>\n
James says that a multimodal approach that is tailored to individuals and includes mindfulness is best for pelvic health.<\/p>\n
And because of progressive bone and muscle decline after the age of 30 \u201cwe have to lift heavy\u201d to maintain and improve pelvic floor health, Birmingham says.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor people who are hesitant because they know that they have leakage or prolapse, it [heavy weight lifting] does not worsen those symptoms,\u201d she says. \u201cIf anything, it can increase the strength in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Belly breathing<\/p>\n
\u201cPoor breathing patterns often develop alongside sedentary work,\u201d Morrison says.<\/p>\n
\u201cShallow chest breathing, rather than diaphragmatic breathing, affects pelvic floor function and can increase overall body tension.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing calms the nervous system, reduces muscle tension and promotes healthy pelvic floor movement.<\/p>\n
Make diaphragmatic breathing your default with slow, deep breathing into the belly, especially during stressful moments, she says.<\/p>\n
When to seek help<\/p>\n
Pelvic pain is not normal, nor \u201c\u2018part of being a woman\u2019,\u201d Mardon says.<\/p>\n
She says this includes any internal or external pain between the navel and thighs \u2013 symptoms can be debilitating even if scans appear clear.<\/p>\n
Morrison warns against delaying care, citing the six and a half-year average wait for an endometriosis diagnosis. \u201cEarly intervention is much more effective than waiting until pain becomes severe,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
If you experience leakage or pain, Birmingham recommends seeing a specialised physiotherapist. She says internal exams are never mandatory if you are uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people have good pelvic health, they don\u2019t think about it \u2013 it all works as it should,\u201d James says. \u201cWhen it doesn\u2019t, it has a major impact on quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pelvic floor health has long been relegated to whispered conversations about pregnancy or aging, often reduced to vague…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-406962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}