Mastering ‘The Knack’: An Essential Exercise for Pelvic Floor Health
23/11/2024
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
23/11/2024Connecting to your Pelvic Floor
A massive 25% of women suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction, whether that’s weakness (prolapse, incontinence, increased frequency or urgency of urination) or tightness (constipation, painful sex, pelvic pain). And just to be tricky, your pelvic floor can be weak and tight at the same time! While it’s common to experience pelvic floor dysfunction and symptoms, it is certainly not normal and way too many people are just living with it. Seeing a pelvic health osteopath at Cranbourne Osteopathy can help you understand the cause of your symptoms and work with you to reduce or eliminate them.
Our pelvic health appointments are designed to assess and treat your pelvic floor and any dysfunction associated with it. You can read more about these appointments and what they may cover visiting this page of our website.
What many people are unaware of, is that we can change the quality of our pelvic floor by simply breathing and reconnecting to our pelvic floor. In most cases, this will be step one of our management plan for our pelvic health clients.
How does it work?
Focusing on diaphragm breathing will help us to find the natural function and movement of the pelvic floor and help us to better connect with it.
When we inhale, the diaphragm (main breathing muscle level with our lower ribs) descends to draw air into the lungs. At the same time, the pelvic floor descends to compensate and allow space for the abdominal organs. The same pattern occurs in reverse when we exhale; the diaphragm ascends and so does the pelvic floor.
They move together with each and every breath!
It helps to think of the abdominal space being a container with a constant size and shape. When the diaphragm descends and shifts the abdominal balloon downwards, the pelvic floor must also descend to create space for this abdominal container and all the organs it houses.
Once we get the pelvic floor and diaphragm moving well together in the manner they are designed to do, only then can we move towards the next phase of strengthening and/or relaxation exercises.
Step-by-Step Guide to Breathing for Pelvic Floor Connection
- Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie down in a comfortable and relaxed posture
- Inhale Deeply: Breathe in through your nose, expanding your diaphragm and lower ribs and allowing your belly to rise. Imagine your breath gently pushing downward, expanding the pelvic area (visualise the part of your body that would sit on a bike seat).
- Exhale Slowly: As you exhale through your mouth, gently draw your pelvic floor muscles in, as though you're lifting the muscles upwards towards your head. Avoid tensing your glutes or thighs.
- Repeat: Continue this rhythmic inhale and exhale, focusing on the soft engagement and release of your pelvic floor with each breath
Benefits
- Links your mind and body connection for the pelvic floor
- Encourages activation in the correct cycle of breath, improving breathing coordination and body awareness and allowing better function of the pelvic floor long term
- Allows for successful training to strengthen and/or relax the pelvic floor muscles
- Prepares your body for pregnancy and child birth
- Supports recovery after childbirth or pelvic surgery
Tips for Success
- Practice daily, starting with 5 minutes
- Focus on gentle activation; avoid over-squeezing as this will recruit other muscles and not just the pelvic floor
- Remember that pelvic floor retraining is about quality and not quantity, there is no point training the muscle if you are doing it incorrectly or recruiting other muscle groups. If its not working for you
- Pair this with relaxation techniques for overall pelvic health
Take home message
While the advice above seems simple and easy enough, it is important to know for sure if you actually are connecting with your pelvic floor and are not recruiting additional muscles, such as those around your hips and thighs. Our pelvic health osteopaths can assess you, either internally via the vagina or externally if you prefer, and give you guidance to better improve your connection.
Why not reach out to our team in Cranbourne today and get started on your journey to recovery. Book a pelvic health appointment with our osteopaths today.
