What is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor is the group of muscles that lies in the base of the pelvis. In women, these muscles support our abdominal organs, particularly our bladder, bowels, and uterus. Just like any other structures in the body, these muscles can become injured or weak, which can cause not only issues with the muscles themselves but also affect the function of the organs they support. Recent data shows that over 60% of women in the UK experience at least one symptom of poor pelvic floor health, however over half of these women have not spoken to any healthcare professionals for help with their symptoms (RCOG, 2023).
What does Pelvic Floor Dysfunction look like?
The symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction are extremely varied. They can include issues such as leakage of urine or faeces, pain with sexual intercourse, low back or pelvic pain, increased frequency of urination, abdominal separation due to pregnancy, and many more.
These muscles go through many changes in a woman’s lifetime, as they are very hormonally sensitive and can be impacted by monthly hormone changes, pregnancy and postpartum, and menopausal changes. They also go through a lot of stress from day to day, even from activities such as weightlifting or running. These movements can put pressure on the pelvic floor if done incorrectly and without the proper strength in the pelvic floor to support them. Sometimes it’s something as simple as a cough or a sneeze that makes you leak a bit of urine, and you have no idea why!
How can a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist help me?
These issues are very normal and treatable and don’t have to impact your life. It is a common misconception that just doing a few ‘kegel’ exercises is enough to prevent problems. These can be a good start, however, for a lot of women, a more detailed program is required to prevent or improve their symptoms. A simple assessment and a targeted strengthening and education program may be enough to resolve these issues and get you back to your day-to-day routine without having to deal with the pain and discomfort from these symptoms. Ensuring that you are completing your pelvic floor strengthening exercises in the proper way is vital to building the proper strength, as you need to know that you’re putting the correct amount of load into the muscles in the appropriate way.
In order to get the best treatment options possible, it is beneficial to see a pelvic health specialist for a full assessment.
To learn more about our Pelvic Health Service and more, please follow the link provided.