We Need to Talk About Pelvic Floor and Perinatal Rehab

Why do we need to talk about it? To start, it could dramatically improve your well-being.
The only thing is, well, a lot of us are embarrassed to talk about it.

What is Pelvic Floor Rehab?

Right, first things first, the pelvic floor is a network of muscles that support your pelvic organs. For a man, that means the bladder and bowels, and for women it also supports the vagina and uterus.

Pelvic floor and perinatal rehab aim to strengthen these muscles to treat issues relating to incontinence and sexual dysfunction. These issues may be uncomfortable to talk about, but are undoubtedly better to address and resolve.

Pelvic Floor Issues

You may benefit from pelvic rehab if you experience:

• Bowel incontinence
• Bladder incontinence
• Painful intercourse
• Lower back pain
• Pelvic pain

These conditions can be caused by hypertonicity (tight muscles), hypotonicity (weak muscles), or a combination of the two. Pelvic floor rehab begins with a physiotherapist working with you to identify the root of your issues and then designing plan to address those causes directly.

The Trouble with Kegels

You might be familiar with Kegel exercises and think that they are the answer. That is where a physiotherapist’s guidance can prove useful. Kegel exercises strengthen weak or unresponsive muscles, however if your pelvic floor rehab concerns include tight muscles or involves a tear in pelvic muscles, Kegel exercises might do more harm than good.

Perinatal Rehab

Both sexes can benefit from pelvic floor rehab, but perinatal rehab keeps women healthy during and after pregnancy (gents can visit this site for more pelvic floor rehab info).

Perinatal rehab helps pregnant women relieve or even pre-empt some of the strain caused by the changes to their bodies during pregnancy. By learning how to move or exercise correctly, women can lower the risk of bladder and bowel incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and relieve back, pelvic, and groin pain.

Perinatal rehab can also help a pregnant woman learn to relax her pelvic floor in anticipation of delivery. A relaxed pelvic floor allows the uterus to expel the baby with minimal strain to the body.

The Role of a Physiotherapist