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Introduction
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What are the pelvic floor
muscles?
A weak pelvic
floor plays a part in many ailments
How does a healthy pelvic
floor help?
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A healthy pelvic floor is crucial for every woman at all stages of her life.
Bringing tone and vitality to this area will help protect you from many
problems that might occur. By exercising your pelvic floor you will help to
strengthen the muscles which support the urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum. In
turn this could dramatically alleviate urinary incontinence, support childbirth
and discourage pelvic disease and menstrual problems. Many women are aware of
the need for pelvic floor exercises but few carry them out regularly and
effectively. Kegel exercises
are often taught at ante-natal classes but are soon forgotten. Only the
disciples of yoga and Pilates are likely to fully appreciate their benefits. In
yoga, the pelvic floor exercise, or mula
bandha, is one of the fundamentals of core health.
Your pelvic floor (pubococcygeal or PC) muscles are responsible for holding
all the pelvic organs within the pelvis. Slung like a hammock at the base of
your pelvis, the pelvic floor consists of a deep muscle layer and a superficial
muscle layer that work together to keep your pelvic organs healthy and in good
working order. As well as creating strength and tone to the muscle itself,
exercises increase the blood flow to this region which helps with healthy cell
renewal. Like any other muscle within the body they benefit from exercise and
toning on a regular basis.
When the pelvic floor muscle weakens, a number of things can happen. A woman
may develop urinary or stool incontinence, that is, an inability to control the
bladder or bowel.
A weak pelvic floor muscle can also lead to poor muscle action during labour
and delivery; a decrease in sexual pleasure; or genital prolapse, an
uncomfortable condition in which the bladder, rectum, or uterus moves down into
the vagina.
 | Over 200 million women suffer from incontinence world wide |
 | Over 3 million women in the UK suffered incontinence in the past
year |
 | Stress incontinence affects one in three new mums |
 | Research shows that 38% ($4.5 million) of all menstrual pads sold are used
to self treat incontinence - this only addresses the symptom, not the root
cause of the problem, and also poses major environmental issues |
 | At present there are over 150 operative procedures for stress
incontinence. |
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A weak pelvic
floor plays a part in many ailments: Contrary to popular myth, urinary incontinence is not a normal part of
ageing. It affects women of all ages, and especially new mums. Because of the personal nature of the
problem, and the belief that no help is available, many women do not report
their symptoms to their doctors. Continence Foundation research indicates that
women will suffer, on average, for 4 years before consulting their doctor. Yet today's health care professionals offer a
number of treatment options for bladder control, such as pelvic muscle
exercises, biofeedback, bladder training, and even pelvic surgery. Doctors
recommend pelvic floor exercises as the first approach to urinary stress incontinence.
For most women, weak pelvic floor muscles are the real problem behind an
overactive bladder and diminished sexual stimulation. Weak pelvic floor muscles
are not normal at any age and may be reversed through simple exercise.
There are two types of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence and urge
incontinence.
In stress incontinence, urine leaks out occasionally when doing such things
as coughing, sneezing, lifting, or exercising.
Urge incontinence means that a woman is unable to hold her urine when there
is a strong need to urinate. Women that suffer from U.I. also tend to have more
urinary tract infections and skin problems than other women. The risk of U.I. is
especially high during or after pregnancy, following childbirth , during and
after menopause, in cases of obesity and cigarette smoking, following prostate
enlargement and/or surgery, hysterectomy, radiation therapy to the pelvis; in
cases of diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease, back injury, cerebral vascular
accident and dementia.
A strong
pelvic floor muscle can enable a woman to carry a baby more comfortably during
pregnancy and will help both the mother and baby during labour and delivery.
Stimulating blood flow in the pelvic area after childbirth quickens recovery
from any stitches or episiotomy (an incision made between the vagina and rectum
to ease delivery of a baby). Women who have had Caesareans also need to
strengthen their pelvic floor muscles as it is the gravitational pressure of
pregnancy that weakens the muscles not the physical event of birth.
It is especially important to exercise your pelvic floor
muscle before getting pregnant as it has to support a greatly increased load at this time.
Most midwives suggest moderation in the strength of exercise during
pregnancy and under no circumstances should you use any device, such as a
PelvicToner, if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant. You can
begin to exercise again as soon as you are signed off by your midwife or
practitioner, and when any episiotomy scars have healed.
Sexual difficulties in women can occur because of a weak pelvic floor muscles
or because a woman is not producing sufficient lubrication (the fluid produced
in the vagina when a woman is sexually aroused). These difficulties include:
vaginismus (an extremely uncomfortable spasm of the muscles surrounding the
vagina), painful intercourse, and an inability to experience orgasm.
As women enter the menopausal years (35-54) their oestrogen levels decline.
Oestrogen is a female hormone that readies the body for childbirth and is no
longer produced in large amounts once menstruation ends. This decrease in
oestrogen can cause changes in vaginal tissue and a decrease in vaginal
lubrication. This loss of adequate lubrication can cause painful intercourse and
increases the chance of injury and infection to the vagina or bladder.
Genital Prolapse
Genital prolapse can result from a weak pelvic floor muscles or from
stretching of the ligaments that support the uterus. Symptoms include:
discomfort when bearing down to have a bowel movement; occasional, slight
vaginal bleeding; vaginal infections; or loss of bladder or bowel control. Kegel
exercises are recommended for the treatment of mild
to moderate prolapse and to supplement other treatments.
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Most doctors agree that exercising the pelvic floor muscles is the best way
to protect and treat yourself against these ailments. Whilst exercise
may not provide a complete solution for all women it is certainly a good first
step and one that you can maintain with very little effort or disturbance to
your daily routine.
However, there may be other factors at work such as infection, inflammation,
injury, abnormalities of internal pelvic organs, or emotional factors. It is
important for women experiencing any of the symptoms described to check with
their health care professional to determine the cause and proper treatment of
the problem.
Exercises can strengthen the pelvic floor muscle and improve blood
circulation to the pelvic area. Increased blood circulation, combined with
strengthened muscles, work together to improve and regain vitality.
· For incontinence, exercise helps by
strengthening the muscles around to rectal opening and the urethra, preventing
the loss of body waste.
· During pregnancy they help to support the baby
and mother throughout the pregnancy, birth and post partum.
· The increased blood flow creates extra
lubrication by causing secretions to seep through the walls of the vagina. This
can help prevent discomfort during sexual activity. In addition, there are many
nerve endings in the PC muscle. If it is firm, the pelvic floor muscle responds
to stimulation by contracting (tightening). This increases pleasurable
sensations.
· Genital prolapse can be greatly helped as
exercises help to improve all the muscles supporting the organs at risk.
The development of well-toned muscles has been shown to help 86% of women
with symptoms due to weak pelvic floor muscles.
Every couple that has experienced the natural beauty of childbirth also knows
the changes in the vaginal embrace after delivery. As ageing enters the picture,
weakened muscles can affect the enjoyment and performance of both partners.
Pelvic floor exercises can improve the vaginal embrace and restore youthful
inner strength.
You have the option of choosing exercise to help relieve and even eliminate
incontinence or improve the vaginal embrace instead of submitting to more
complex surgical procedures. The following sections explain how you can practice
the best forms of exercise.
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For more information and scientific papers related to incontinence and pelvic
floor exercises
click
here or visit the site of The Continence Foundation
, or Continence-hq.com
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