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#1 A "tight" pelvic floor is a weak pelvic floor
Our body is always striving for balance. If one part of the body is weak, another part jumps in to help. It all sounds good, but that compensation is not always good.
If your body knows that it leaks (or your prolapse gets worse) when you jump, sneeze or cough, then the body automatically tightens your pelvic floor. This happens as soon as you are about to jump, sneeze or cough. Your body does this in protection to prevent leaks or prolapse symptoms.
Pelvic floor is more responsive to demands of these activities if it can continuously contract and relax and not when it is just held-tightly. Relaxed position of pelvic floor might sound more vulnerable which jumping, sneezing etc. but it is significantly better than constantly gripping it.
If all components of your core four are moving (no gripping), then the pelvic floor is more relaxed and more available and you achieve… no surprise… NO accidental leaks!
#2 Your jaw holds the key to your pelvic kingdom.
Jaw and pelvic floor have a deep, fascial connection. When you relax your jaw, the pelvic floor relaxes, and the reverse is also true.
You may not know, but the jaw and pelvic floor are where women hold their emotional concern or distress.
It’s a vicious cycle, emotional concerns leading to a tight jaw, the tight jaw leads to a tight pelvic floor, a tight pelvic floor hurts your bladder health, and that leads to more emotional distress and it keeps going on and on.
#3 Tap your heels to keep your tap closed.
Ok. I love this one. It’s also my go-to and something that you might instinctively do as well.
When you tap your heels while standing or sitting, in situations where you just HAVE to go (even if you went to the bathroom 30 mins ago), heel taps can help reduce the urgency to pee and also reduce the frequency of your going to the bathroom.
Want to know why ? It's because bladder and heels have the same nerve supply. So, when you tap your heels, you create a distraction away from your bladder and that gives you the time and opportunity to manage your urgency.
#4 Medications are messing up your long-term bladder health.
This is another one of those “vicious cycle” situations. Medication which is supposed to help reduce bladder leaks commonly causes constipation as a side effect.
What do women do then ? They push when they are using the toilet for bowel movement and that wreaks havoc on the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is now even less available to help you keep your continence.
So, you took the medication to contain your incontinence, but you are now back to the same situation.
#5 Those “just in case” bathrooms trips are bad for you.
How many times have you decided to go to the bathroom “just in case”? Before a drive? a commute? getting into bed ? before going for a walk ?
What do you do then? You are in there, pressuring your bladder to push it all out. This “power peeing” is bad for your pelvic floor and can lead to pelvic organ prolapse.
Let the bladder do its job. When your bladder tells you it’s ready, just get yourself on the seat and relax. Don’t strain.. there is nothing to gain.
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If you want to get your recovery started, my FREE recorded masterclass is a great first step. In 30 mins, you will try some things with me and get a better handle on your bladder and pelvic health.
See you there ?
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