By Sujata Martin, MS, OTR/L
By being out of sight, the pelvic floor is also out of mind for most people. Most of us don’t realize the impact that a healthy pelvic floor has on our overall health and wellness until we experience troubling symptoms. Throughout our lifetime, the pelvic floor keeps our bowels and bladder in good working order, and keeps us pain-free in the hips, low back, and pelvic region. It also plays an important role in intimacy and in labor and delivery.
By learning to take care of our pelvic floor, most of us can avoid embarrassing accidents and expenditures on incontinence products, medications, and even surgery. Pelvic floor strengthening is also extremely valuable to pregnant women in preparing for a smoother delivery and better postpartum healing.
The easiest way to have a healthy pelvic floor is to include it in your wellness routine, and seek out a pelvic floor specialist when problems arise. By adding 10-20 Kegels (strengthening) and reverse Kegels (flexibility) to your daily routine, your pelvic floor will be in top working order.
How to do Kegels. Start sitting on a firm surface, or in a comfortable standing position. Bring your focus to the muscles in your pelvic region. Do a pelvic floor contraction, or Kegel, by pulling in your tailbone towards the pubic bone. Alternately, you can also draw in or squeeze your sitz bones towards each other. Hold for 1-3 seconds, and then let your muscles relax.
How to do reverse Kegels. Follow the Kegels above with reverse Kegels, which involves a conscious opening or relaxing of the pelvic floor muscles — similar to the action of releasing flatulence. By visualizing the movement of the tailbone away from the pubic bone, or by the sitz bones moving away from each other, you are effectively doing a reverse Kegel. Like any other muscle, the pelvic floor needs to do both — contract and relax — to be in optimal shape, so don’t forget to add reverse Kegels to your exercise routine.
Similar to any new exercise routine, please consult with your physician before regularly practicing pelvic floor exercises, especially if you have an abdominal or pelvic health condition. If you experience any increase in symptoms with pelvic floor exercises, discontinue them and seek a pelvic floor assessment. A pelvic floor assessment may also be necessary if you have experienced incontinence, pelvic pain, or chronic low back and tailbone pain.
A pelvic floor specialist is typically a physical therapist or occupational therapist with advanced training in rehabilitation of the pelvic muscles. You can find one close to you by searching the national registry www.pelvicrehab.com using your zip code.
Sujata Martin, MS, OTR/L is an occupational therapist with advanced training in rehabilitation of the pelvic muscles. Visit https://pelvicfloorbuffalo.com. You can make an appointment online or call 324-1208 for an appointment.
