1. Continence
If you have any bladder leakage when you laugh or sneeze or a cough, that may indicate that your pelvic floor is weak at one part of the area where it helps to control the flow of your urine. The pelvic floor is like a hammock that goes from the front of your pubic bone all the way back to the anus. It helps to control not only the flow of all of your bodily functions in that area but it helps to hold your organs. It plays a big stability in your pelvis. It’s really important for bladder and bowel control in both men and women. Men who have prostate problems, like prostate cancer and if they’ve had treatment, sometimes they need to retrain the pelvic floor for bladder continence. Women who have given birth or had hysterectomies, who had any gynecological surgeries, they also need to retrain their pelvic floor.
2. Reducing the Risk of Prolapse
If you have troubles with constipation, you may be at risk of your pelvic floor pushing down and some other vital organs pushing out or putting too much pressure. You want your pelvic floor to contract when it needs to contract and relax when it doesn’t need to contract.
3. Sexual Health
When we have a strong resilient pelvic floor, sexual health improves. The ability to have orgasms, the ability to enjoy sexual intercourse is way higher when your pelvic floor is resilient and able to contract and relax. Contracting and relaxing happen during sexual intercourse so it is really important for pelvic floor health.
4. Confidence and Quality of Life
If you are worried about your bladder when you go out or bowel health, or worried that you may have an accident, this is a really important issue to address so you don’t feel that you are stuck in your home. A healthy pelvic floor helps you improve confidence in being able to go out and enjoy life.
5 Exercises For A Healthy Pelvic Floor
#1 – Inner Thigh Ball Squeeze
Squeezing something between your knees actually gets your groin muscles activated and it automatically gets a little bit of activity happening in the anterior part of your pelvic floor. If you’re starting from a very low level and you just want to get some activity happening in your pelvic floor, squeezing a ball and gently tightening the muscles that are responsible for stopping urinating. This is where you can initially start to hold and get a little bit of training activity on your pelvic floor. You can do it in sitting or lying down.
Inner Thigh Ball Squeeze (Seated)
Alternative Exercise:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place the ball between your knees. Engage your core and lift your head. Squeeze the ball with your knees, getting a gentle tightening in your lower abdominal muscles and a gentle pulling up in your pelvic floor. Hold this position in 5 breaths and repeat this exercise a few times a day.
Inner Thigh Ball Squeeze (Lying on the Floor)
#2 – Hook Lying Single Knee to Chest
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Straighten one leg out. Engage your core and bring one knee up towards your chest. Lower your leg back down to return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
Hook Lying Single Knee to Chest
Alternative Exercise:
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold a ball between your hands, bringing the ball overhead and straightening one leg out. Engage your core and lift your head, bringing one knee up towards your chest. Lower your leg back down to return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
Hook Lying Single Knee to Chest with a Ball
#3 – Bridging with a Ball
Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, relaxing your upper body. Place the ball between your knees. Push from your heels to lift your hips up. Hold this position for a few seconds, squeezing your glutes at the top. Lower your hips down to return to the starting position and repeat the movement.
Bridging with a Ball
#4 – Cat-Cow Stretch
Begin in a 4-point position, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Tighten your abdominal area. Slowly round out your mid back and drop your head towards the floor. Then alternate by bringing the head up and dropping the mid back. Repeat the movement.
Cat-Cow Stretch
#5 – Relaxation
Begin in a 4-point position, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Lean your upper body on top of the stability ball. Rest and relax your pelvic floor for at least 2-3 minutes.
Relaxation
Take Care,
Rick Kaselj, MS
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