Have you been having the following symptoms:

• Urine leaks during coughing, laughing, running, exercising or lifting objects?
• A sense of urgency to urinate and increased frequency of urination?
• Sensation of a full bladder as soon as you stand up from lying?
• A descending bulge in the genital area?
• Pain in the genital area during urination or sexual intercourse?

These are all signs of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. This means that your pelvic organs are not appropriately supported and the pelvic floor muscles are not functioning optimally.

Your pelvic floor is a diaphragm or sling of muscles and ligaments that extend from the pubisto coccyx and to the ischial tuberosities on either side.  When these muscle start losing their resting tone, or for various reasons have an increased tone than normal, it is termed pelvic floor dysfunction. These muscles have to contract as well as adequately relax to carry out the various functions of the pelvis. Loss of tone results in leaks, incontinence and organ prolapse. Some people have difficulty relaxing these muscles, and this is one of the causes for pelvic pain, constipation and urine retention.

There might be other medical reasons why you have the above symptoms. A visit to your GP can rule out other medical causes. If the causes are neuromuscular or musculoskeletal, a pelvic floor/women’s health physiotherapist will be able to help you choose the right intervention/exercises to help with your pelvic floor recovery.

Pelvic floor exercises which focus on strength and relaxation and strategies to manage your symptoms and guidance to improve your pelvic floor muscle function will help you overcome these symptoms. You need not wait for symptoms to take care of your pelvic floor muscles. Exercising can be a very good preventative measure for many of the above-mentioned problems.

There are no immediate results with pelvic floor training. A 3-6 months consistent and mindful practice is the key to a successful pelvic floor rehabilitation.  Understanding what the problem is and committing to consistent exercise training will give you the necessary results.

If you realise that you need help with this, call the practice to make an appointment with Jecy our women’s health physiotherapist, who can help you live your life to the full again.