How to strengthen your pelvic floor at any age

The pelvic floor muscles are a muscle group that provides support for the bladder, bowel, and core. As part of their normal function, these muscles must be able to contract to maintain continence and to relax to allow urination and bowel movements.

However, pelvic floor muscles can become weakened or damaged due to several medical conditions, as well as childbirth and ageing. When these muscles are not functioning as well as they should, you may experience symptoms such as incontinence (bladder leakage), as well as pelvic pain. In fact, pelvic floor dysfunction is quite common and can occur in people of all ages, with up to 3 million Canadians suffering from incontinence due to weak pelvic muscles. When left untreated for a long time, pelvic floor dysfunction can result in long-term damage, significant discomfort, and psychological distress.

Fortunately, there are several non-invasive and effective ways to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, including lifestyle changes and exercises. Let’s explore how these techniques can help to improve pelvic floor muscle tone for people of all ages.

Techniques and exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor

If you suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction, you may be relieved to hear that strengthening your pelvic muscles does not need to involve invasive procedures or complicated treatments. In fact, there are some simple, convenient, and non-invasive techniques, treatments, and exercises to help tone and strengthen this muscle group. These approaches to strengthening the pelvic floor have been proven to be very effective in treating the uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms of a weakened pelvic floor, and improving bladder control, sexual health, and posture.

Kegel exercises

Kegels are a popular exercise for pelvic floor muscle strengthening. To start doing Kegel exercises, you will first need to locate your pelvic muscles. You can do this by lying flat on the floor with your knees bent, and tightening your pelvic muscles as if you were trying to hold back the flow of urine. It should feel like pulling these muscles up and in, and you should tighten them for 3-5 seconds and then relax them for 3-5 more seconds. It is recommended to do at least one set of 10 Kegel exercises in the morning and then another set in the evening.

Core muscle exercises

Doing core exercises helps to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles since these muscle groups are closely linked and work together. This is why strengthening your core muscles can help to improve the coordination between these two muscle groups, allowing the pelvic floor muscles to function better. To ensure you are doing these exercises properly, it is best to first consult a physiotherapist. Some of the essential core muscle exercises for strengthening the pelvic floor include squats, pelvic tilts, as well as the bridge pose and single leg extensions.

Biofeedback for pelvic floor muscle strengthening

Biofeedback exercises for pelvic floor muscle retraining is a type of treatment administered by healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists or registered nurses. It helps to strengthen and relax pelvic floor muscles to improve incontinence symptoms and reduce symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. It is a non-invasive technique that uses sensors and a computer monitor to monitor muscle activity.

The goal of biofeedback for pelvic muscle strengthening is to help the individual gain control over their pelvic floor muscle function. As part of this therapy, you can correctly identify the relevant muscles and learn to tighten and relax them on their own, strengthening them and achieving improved pelvic floor muscle function.

Freedom+™ Chair for pelvic floor strengthening

This cutting-edge treatment uses functional magnetic stimulation to re-educate and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Specifically, the Freedom+™ technology stimulates the pudendal nerve and detrusor muscle to effectively treat pelvic floor muscle disorders. Some of the main advantages of this treatment solution include it being painless, non-invasive, and convenient.

Since the Freedom+™ Chair can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles by stimulating them to contract without the strenuous effort required from the patient, it is also a great treatment solution for patients with physical restrictions.

Conclusion

Pelvic floor weakening and dysfunction happen when the muscles and ligaments stop working as well as they should. This can lead to uncomfortable symptoms such as incontinence and pelvic pain. While these symptoms can be quite disruptive to your daily life and make you feel self-conscious, you don’t have to endure them.

At Aniyah Care, we offer effective, non-invasive treatment solutions for pelvic floor dysfunction designed to address the root causes of your symptoms and help you get back to feeling your best. Our multi-disciplinary team is committed to providing personalized and holistic treatment to help you reclaim your health and well-being.

If you suffer from pelvic dysfunction symptoms, book your Freedom+ chair session with us today. You can also contact us by filling out our contact form, calling us at (905) 487-4411 (toll-free), or sending an email to info@aniyahcare.com.