Pelvic Floor Muscles Training: “Common mistakes that could slow down or undermine your progress”.
“Did you know that studies have found that when healthy women were tested on their ability to engage their pelvic floor, 30% were unable to contract their pelvic floor muscles voluntarily?”
“Did you know that in women with pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, 70% of women were unable to contract their pelvic floor muscles voluntarily?”
“Did you know that around 60% of women have at least one symptom of pelvic floor dysfunction?”
The following tips might help you.
1) Not engaging the right muscles. It is common for people who are asked to contract their pelvic floor muscles to engage other muscles instead. Muscles like the glutes, thighs, and tummy are activated when people think they are isolating their pelvic floor muscles. Incorrectly engaging pelvic floor muscles could mean you put pressure on the pelvic organs, pushing them downward.
Try this: You can imagine you are trying to stop the flow of urine. Imagine your back passage as the knot of a balloon you have tied. Imagine you are trying to tighten the outer ring of the knot to squeeze the inner area and draw it up inside.
2) Holding your breath. Poor breathing patterns are another typical pattern found in people with pelvic floor dysfunction. Holding your breath creates abdominal pressure.
Try this: Practice some breathing exercises before you start pelvic floor muscle training. Can you allow your belly to relax when you take a breath?
3) Relaxation. People can have too much tension in the pelvic floor, making it painful. Make sure to add some relaxation segments to your training routine.
Try this: As you inhale, notice how your belly gently lifts into your hand. As this happens, your pelvic floor will also respond and gently relax.
4) Only doing “kegel” pelvic floor muscle training. Your pelvic floor is part of a system. If you think of a can of fizz, the pelvic floor is the bottom of the container. The container needs balance and coordination to be functional and healthy.
Try this: Improve your breath for a more functional pelvic floor—core exercises to improve the abdominal area’s endurance, tone and flexibility. This way the can will not “explode” when put under stress.
5) Consistency. To see improvement, an exercise routine needs to be consistent. Once pelvic floor muscle contractions are confirmed, a 12-week supervised training programme is recommended. Neural connections need to be built, and it takes time to build strength and endurance. If you have a pelvic floor problem, you are going to have to wake the area up. You must consciously activate your pelvic floor when exercising in the early stages so that it becomes routine.
Try this: Do a few pelvic floor exercises two to five times daily. A couple where you try to contract strongly, 10-20 where you contract and release as if turning a light on and off, and lastly, a few where you aim to slowly build the tone, hold it for a couple of seconds, and then control the slow release.
6) Overtraining. A muscle that is weak or dysfunctional is going to get tired.
Try this: Build up slowly. When you begin training, you might do more breathing exercises than pelvic floor-specific exercises. Everybody is different.
7) Lack of professional guidance. A lack of proper instruction can lead to incorrect technique.
Try this: Consider consulting a pelvic floor therapist, especially if you have any symptoms affecting your pelvic floor.
These include:
• Leaking when you cough, laugh, exercise or lift something heavy
• Wanting to pee often
• Feeling that you have not fully emptied
• Sudden urge to pee and not quite making it to the bathroom
• Getting up often during the night to pee
• Pain during sex
• Muscle spasms
• A feeling of heaviness in the pelvis
• You might be able to see or feel something in the vagina
• Painful sex
• not being able to control the bladder or bowel
• Relying on incontinence products without investigating why
