Pelvic floor: what it is, why it weakens and how we can restore it.
Perineum or pelvic floor
This is a collection of muscles and ligaments that seal and support the entire lower abdomen, keeping the bladder, uterus and rectum in the correct position and in suspension, against the force of gravity. For the pelvic floor organs to function properly, the pelvic floor muscles must be healthy and strong.
Weakening of the pelvic floor causes one or more of the following problems, both in the short and long term:
– Incontinence
– Prolapse: prolapse of intra-abdominal organs
– Sexual dysfunction: lack of pelvic floor muscle tone means that the blood supply in this area is poor and reduces the strength of contractions, sexual sensitivity and intensity of orgasms and causes the sensation of pain during penetration.
To prevent or treat this dysfunction, it is first important to have good body awareness of our pelvic floor and train this muscle directly or indirectly to tone it.
Why do the pelvic floor muscles weaken?
Pregnancy and childbirth: they are the main causes of weakness, although sometimes the effects don’t appear until years after having children. The setback will be greater if there are striae, if the baby is heavy or with a large cranial circumference, if there is a lot of weight gain during pregnancy and with each new birth.
Postpartum: after giving birth, abdominal exercises are usually done without considering how the pelvic floor muscles work. In the immediate postpartum period, women should not jump, lift weights, exercise or do abdominal exercises.
Sports training: sports involving jumping or impact (athletics, tennis, basketball, aerobics, jogging…) increase intra-abdominal pressure, and if no action is taken, it worsens pelvic muscle tone.
Menopause and aging: Menopausal hormonal changes can cause a loss of flexibility in the pelvic floor muscles, and over the years they atrophy like any other muscle that is not used.
Heredity: Nearly 2 in 10 women have congenital weakness in the pelvic floor muscles.
Daily habits and other factors: There are several other daily habits and causes that also harm these muscles:
– Holding urine for a long time and straining hard to empty the bladder.
– wear bandages or very tight clothing.
– obesity and constipation.
– chronic cough and generally increased intra-abdominal pressure.
How to restore pelvic floor muscle tone
– You need to know that this disease can be prevented, treated and cured.
– It’s always better to prevent beforehand.
There are several treatments for pelvic floor recovery, such as:
– Exercise “Kegel” which is an active and regular contraction of the pelvic floor muscles.
– Vaginal cone therapy.
– Chinese ball: inserted into the vagina, inside there is another ball which when we walk or move, produces a slight vibration that stimulates the vaginal muscles. Progressive usage time: start with 15 minutes daily increasing by another 15 minutes weekly until you reach a total time of about 1 hour.
– Hypopressive abdominal exercises: helps reduce abdominal girth, is an excellent prevention for all types of hernias, and for urinary incontinence because we work indirectly on the pelvic floor muscles.
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