 | Some younger women who over
exercise their outer abdominal muscles also learn to lock on their pelvic
floor muscles. Holding the waist and pelvic floor muscles constantly tight
may eventually make their pelvic floor hyperactive. Symptoms are pain,
urethral burning, difficult bladder and bowel emptying and uncomfortable
sex. (Some S.T.D’s can cause similar symptoms) |
| Sit-ups strongly increase
pressure within the abdomen that pushes down on the pelvic floor. One role
of the female pelvic floor is to tension and hold up the bladder, vagina
and bowel against this downward intra abdominal pressure. If a woman has a
weak, un-coordinated or ineffective pelvic floor action, sit-ups will
force the pelvic floor to bulge down promoting bladder urgency and vaginal
prolapse. Learning the correct pelvic floor/deep abdominal tensioning
before starting an exercise programme is vital. |
| Research shows 6 out of 10
women incorrectly work their pelvic floor. ‘At Risk’ women include new
mums, women who have undergone pelvic or spinal surgery, women with
hypertonic pelvic floor muscles, unfit/un-coordinated, overweight women,
and menopausal women. After childbirth, women no longer have an intact
pelvic floor and should train differently from men. |
Which
exercises effectively work the pelvic floor and abdominals?
Despite popular exercise opinion, abdominals should not be worked in
isolation. They are designed to work together in a coordinated pattern when
we move. Let me explain this statement. With any movement, the pelvic floor,
Transversus Abdominis and spinal Multifidus ‘tension’ as an inner cylinder,
milliseconds before the outer Rectus Abdominis and Obliques ‘brace’ and hold
or move the trunk.
Abdominal exercises should encourage this pattern whereas sit ups cause
narrowing and hollowing of the waist, instead of bracing and widening with
exertion. For abdominal strength focus on this bracing pattern with
·
Slow exercises with stretch bands
·
Balance work on a disc or wobble board
·
Pilates reformer and mat exercises
·
Pilates ring slow squeezes
·
Fitball holds with arm or leg movements
CAUTION
Women with pelvic floor pain syndromes and trigger points should avoid
exercises strengthening pelvic floor tension as their muscles are already
too tight.
Your
challenge is to learn ‘letting go’ of your chest wall, waist and pelvic
floor muscles; to ‘unlearn’ pelvic floor tensioning as a response to stress;
to learn correct diaphragmatic breathing so your diaphragm can coordinate
with your pelvic floor and other core muscles.
Mary O’Dwyer
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist
www.mypelvicfloor.com.au
‘My Pelvic Flaw’-preventing pelvic
floor problems throughout life
