Pelvic Floor - What is it?

Many women feel that difficulty controlling their bladder is something that they have to live with and have the impending doom of wearing pads for life……. But this is not the case.

More women are now talking about the condition and getting the help they need.

This extremely common condition is at the forefront of the news with TENA under scrutiny for the normalisation of wearing pads for leakage.  NHS England has said many continence problems can be cured or managed better through lifestyle changes and correct exercise.  

Are you doing your pelvic floor exercises every day, correctly and with confidence?

How many of us really know how to do a pelvic floor squeeze?.  Do we understand what is what down there and what should and does feel normal?

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is a band of muscles  that support the pelvic organs and span the base of the pelvis. In women the pelvic organs are the bladder, bowel and utuerus. Think of the pelvic floor as a muscular hammock that stretches from the tailbone, known as the coccyx, to the pubic bone at the front.

This muscular hammock has holes for the urethra, vagina and anus to pass through. The muscle of the pelvic floor will normally wrap around these holes to help keep the passages shut.

What can go wrong?

Causes of leakage and pelvic floor dysfunction can include

·       pregnancy

·       labour

·       menopause

·       heavy lifting

·       chronic cough

·       high impact exercise

·       smoking

·       being overweight.

The pelvic floor muscles are just like any other muscle in your body, they can be weak, overstretched, slow to work, too tight or injured.

But these muscles can be strengthened and returned to a good healthy functional pelvic floor.

So what is the answer?

All of our bladder, bowel and sexual functions require a healthy pelvic floor. Evidence shows that specific exercises guided by a specialist can help to resolve pelvic floor dysfunctions. The choice of exercise is dependent on a thorough assessment from a specialist and it has been shown that there is a significant reduction in leakage following a 12 week course of targeted exercise.

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Easy…or is it?

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You shouldn’t have to live with any form ofl eakage.  If you are struggling with any of these issues and want to speak to a highly trained Physiotherapist in confidence then Claire can help.  She will talk you through and explain all you need to know.