“Whether you’re an athlete or an everyday exerciser, often overlooked is the role that tight pelvic floor muscles play in creating pain or dysfunction.\u00a0 As a physical therapist with additional training in pelvic floor rehabilitation, a passion of mine is working with patients on pelvic floor health.<\/p>\n
There are many reasons someone may seek pelvic floor physical therapy.\u00a0 Here is a short, but not complete, list of reasons:<\/p>\n
The pelvic floor muscles sit like a bowl at the base of your pelvis & assist with many important tasks including bowel and bladder function, sexual function, & support of your abdominal & pelvic organs.\u00a0 These muscles work throughout the day, often without us even thinking about them!<\/p>\n
Part of a pelvic floor physical therapy evaluation is to check how well these muscles are working.\u00a0 This includes not only strength & endurance testing but also assessing how well these muscles can relax or ‘let go’.\u00a0 Being able to both contract (often called ‘kegels<\/a>‘) & relax the pelvic floor is very important for our pelvic health.<\/p>\n Just as some people hold stress & muscle tension in their neck & shoulders, some people hold similar stress & muscle tension in their pelvic floor which can make it quite difficult to relax.\u00a0 This can contribute to pain in the back, hips & pelvis & sometimes to bladder issues such as incontinence.\u00a0 Learning ways to relax the pelvic floor can be helpful to reducing these symptoms.\u00a0 Here are 4 of my favorite exercises to help relax the pelvic floor:<\/p>\n Lie on your back with legs straight or elevated.\u00a0 Place one hand on your chest & one hand on your lower abdomen.\u00a0 Inhale slowly through your nose & imagine filling your belly with air.\u00a0 You should feel the hand on your abdomen lift more than the hand on your chest.\u00a0 As you inhale the intrabdominal pressure helps the pelvic floor muscles lower (or relax).\u00a0 As you do this exercise, see if you can tune into that subtle movement.\u00a0 Practice this for 5-10 min each day.<\/p>\n (NOTE:\u00a0 If you’d like more info on the benefits of belly breathing, check out Coach Michelle’s article on “Breath Control:\u00a0 It’s All in Your Head<\/a>“.)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Grasp the outsides of both feet with your hands.\u00a0 Gently pull your knees up towards your chest, separating your knees apart.\u00a0 You should feel a mild stretch in your hips, but no pain.\u00a0 Hold this stretch for 30-60 sec.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Kneeling on the ground with knees apart, bring your hips towards your heels.\u00a0 Bend forward stretching your arms straight out in front of you.\u00a0 Sometimes it is more comfortable to rest your forehead on stacked fists instead of reaching straight out (not shown).\u00a0 Belly breathe in this position for 1-2 min.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stand with feet hip width apart.\u00a0 Bend at the knees & hips as you bring your hips towards your heels.\u00a0 Do not go deeper than you are capable of as this should not be painful.\u00a0 You can hold onto a supportive structure for support (shown).\u00a0 Holding this deep squat position (especially if you are able to relax into the position) helps to stretch the pelvic floor.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you are dealing with a pelvic floor issue or are unsure if you are doing pelvic floor exercises correctly, I recommend following up with a physical therapist to further discuss your specific condition & together develop a plan to help you reach your functional goals.”<\/p>\n Feel free to contact Lynsey at lynseywagnerdpt@gmail.com<\/a> or reach out to her the Rock and Armor Garden City<\/a> clinic at (208) 375-5511.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “Whether you’re an athlete or an everyday exerciser, often overlooked is the role that tight pelvic floor muscles play in creating pain or dysfunction.\u00a0 As a physical therapist with additional training in pelvic floor rehabilitation, a passion of mine is working with patients on pelvic floor health. There are many reasons someone may seek pelvic<\/p>\n1. Belly Breathing<\/h4>\n
2. Happy Baby Stretch<\/h4>\n
3. Child\u2019s Pose<\/h4>\n
4. Deep Squat<\/h4>\n