Pelvic Floor Strengthening
The Pelvic floor muscles span the bottom of the pelvis and support the pelvic organs (bladder and bowel, and uterus (womb) in women). When pelvic floor muscles are weakened, they can create problems with bladder and bowel control. To prevent injury or conditions of the pelvic floor it is advised to avoid straining with bowel movements, persistent heavy lifting outside of your capabilities, repetitive coughing, or straining. Like any muscle in the body, pelvic floor muscles can be trained with regular, targeted exercise. Pelvic floor strengthening can help to improve bladder and bowel control, reduce risk of prolapse, better recovery from childbirth and surgery, better recovery after prostate surgery, improved sexual function, and increased social confidence and quality of life. It is important to make pelvic floor training a part of your life by tightening your pelvic floor muscles every time you cough, sneeze or lift, doing regular exercise, and progressing your exercises by doing them during the day in different positions. Here are some cues to help you activate your pelvic floor muscles 1) Sit, stand tall, kneel on your hands and knees, or lie on your back with your knees bent. 2) Imagine what muscles you would tighten to stop yourself from passing wind or to “hold on” from passing urine (if you can’t feel a distinct tightening of these muscles, seek help from a women or men’s health professional). 3) Now that you can feel your pelvic floor muscles working, tighten them around your front passage, vagina, and back passage as strongly as possible. By doing this you should feel your pelvic floor muscles ‘lift up’ inside you and feel a definite ‘let go’ when the muscles relax. The EMSELLA chair is a completely non-evasive treatment that stimulates the entire pelvic floor area and helps with restoring neuromuscular control. A single session causes thousands of pelvic-floor contractions, perfect for those that struggle to find the time to fit in regular pelvic floor strengthening exercises, are unsure what it feels like to activate the pelvic floor muscles, or anyone requiring that bit of extra help.