In our last blog post we discussed the 10 sign that you may have pelvic floor dysfunction.
If you missed that post, CLICK HERE to read it.
Did you answer YES to any of the 10 signs in our last post? Are you wondering what you can do about it? Read on…5 things you can do today to help pelvic floor dysfunction
- Learn to kegel. A “kegel” is a contraction or squeezing of the pelvic floor muscles. Try to contract your pelvic floor muscles as if you are trying to stop the flow of urine or hold back gas. If you can feel a squeezing sensation or successfully stop a flow of urine, then you are likely able to kegel. If you cannot kegel or aren’t sure if you are doing a kegel correctly, a pelvic physical therapist can help assess your kegel and then teach you how to properly contract your pelvic floor muscles. It is worth saying that it’s not all about squeezing your pelvic floor muscles or kegeling! The pelvic floor muscles need to be able to relax too.
- Avoid bladder irritants such as caffeine, alcohol, fried foods, citrus fruits and fruit juices, spicy foods, tomatoes and tomato based products, and/or artificial sweeteners. Once you have eliminated the potential irritants for a couple weeks, you can try to add them back in one by one to tease out which substance seems to have the most effect on your symptoms.
- Avoid constipation and straining. Keeping your stools soft through a diet rich in fiber and plenty of fluids (ideally water) will reduce the strain and stress placed on the pelvic floor. Tools such as the “squatty potty” can position you properly to further reduce the strain on the pelvic floor making bowel movements easier. Pelvic physical therapy can also be helpful in teaching you how to properly relax your pelvic floor muscles to reduce constipation or straining with bowel movement.
- Breathe! A few repetitions of deep belly or diaphragmatic breathing throughout the day can help pelvic floor dysfunction. When you breathe diaphragmatically, as you inhale your diaphragm moves down and your belly expands, and as you exhale your belly retracts and your diaphragm goes back up. Deep breathing helps calm the nervous system and reduce urgency and pain symptoms. Not sure how to belly breathe? Pelvic physical therapists can teach you the proper technique.
- If you think you have a pelvic floor dysfunction, the best thing you can do is to have an evaluation done by a trained pelvic floor physical therapist. In your evaluation, you and the pelvic physical therapist will discuss what your symptoms and goals are; the therapist will perform an evaluation to determine the source of your problem; and you will decide together what the best treatment plan for you will be.
It is our mission at Legacy Physical Therapy to help people overcome pelvic floor dysfunction. We would be honored to partner with you in your care. If you are wondering if you are dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction and you would like to talk with one of our talented pelvic physical therapists, you can email or call us at 636-225-3649 to set up a free discovery session.
