By Dr. Allison Feldt, PT, DPT
2 min read
There are a few lifestyle habits that we do almost automatically that can actually affect the pelvic floor in a negative way. Here are some of the common pelvic health mistakes we see:
The pelvic floor is the foundation of your core strength and many of these habits seem harmless enough but the key to a strong pelvic floor is GOOD PRESSURE.
So avoid straining while using the restroom and stop doing Kegel’s in my time as a Pelvic Floor PT there have been less than 5 clients that actually needed to do Kegel’s most people need to learn to relax these muscles so that they can regain their full range of motion. A tight pelvic floor can increase the urge to use the restroom, cause constipation and leaking. Here’s a helpful video on how to do a diaphragmatic breath. this type of breathing is helpful to do during bowel movements.
Hydration is key to the health of these muscles so continue to hydrate appropriately and if you get the urge to pee try to delay it 15 minutes, if we empty our bladders as soon as we feel the urge it actually decreases the bladder capacity so to restore that HYDRATE + HOLD IT.
These tips will help with leaking as well, restoring good pressure and keeping these muscles hydrated will decrease the acidity of your urine which will decrease the urge to go. The pelvic floor muscles will regain their range of motion so that when you cough or sneeze you can contract these muscle from a relaxed state vs. trying to contract a muscle that is already tight.
If you implement these tips and still have symptoms reach out! Our Pelvic Experts can do manual therapy on your pelvic floor muscles to restore blood flow and help you connect with these essential core muscles.
About the author
Allison is a pelvic floor physical therapist and the founder of Body Motion PT in Edmonds. A mom who knows the aftermath of pregnancy and birth firsthand, she's on a mission to help women restore their core and pelvic floor at every stage of life.
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