The Pelvic Floor - General Information

posted on 19 January 2012 | posted in General

Because I massage pregnant and postnatal women, I feel it is vital to talk about one of the most important set of muscles we have, the pelvic floor.

The pelvic floor muscles are deep muscles that line the inner part of your pelvis. They also form part of your "core" muscles. They are essential muscles as not only do they provide support for your intestines and bladder, they also provide you with continence control for your urinary and anal sphincters.

During pregnancy and childbirth the pelvic floor muscles can become stretched and damaged as the baby descends through the pelvic canal. Damage can also be apparent even from a cesarian section as the baby, once dropped into the pelvic basin cause stretching to the muscles due to the increased pressure.

Trauma to the pelvic floor through giving birth can also cause a prolapse to either of the pelvic organs, bladder, uterus, vagina or rectum.

It may all sound worrying but there is help... PRACTICE THE PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES! (also known as the Kegel exercises)

It is important to start these as soon as possible... DO THEM NOW! And keep doing them!

Strengthening these muscles will help you regain control of your bladder and rectum and help to prevent urinary and faecal inconitnence later on in life.

In the next 2 blogs I will explain how to strengthen effectively the front pelvic floor and the rear pelvic floor.









 
Share this blog entry: