10 Best Exercises To Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
You should know about pelvic floor dysfunction and symptoms that show that your pelvic floor muscles have weakened & also know about exercise. Women are more prone to weakening of pelvic floor problems due to the following reasons:
- Overstretching of muscles during vaginal childbirth
- Low levels of estrogen after menopause
- Painful periods or endometriosis cause pelvic floor muscle tension
- Supporting the weight of the uterus during pregnancy
What Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common medical condition that creates an inability to correctly relax and coordinate the muscles while passing urine or during bowel movement. Women having pelvic floor dysfunction also feel pain during sex. But men have erectile dysfunction.
The pelvic floor contains muscles and soft tissues that attach to the bones at the bottom of the pelvis. The organs controlled by pelvic muscles include the urethra, bladder, intestines, rectum, and vagina in women. Even a little weakness in the pelvic muscles could result in dysfunction of the connected organs.
Since the pelvic floor muscles are critical to daily functions of urine and bowel movements, it becomes necessary for you to be very careful about the health of your pelvic floor muscles. You need strong muscles to stabilize your hips and trunk, especially while walking or standing. These muscles also contribute to sexual health and function. They can help in arousal and reaching orgasm.
Find Your Pelvic Floor Muscles With This Exercise
- Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
- Exhale gently and draw in your lower abdominal muscles
- Now squeeze in your muscles to stop gas or urine
- Hold it for a couple of seconds and then let everything go
This exercise will help you feel your pelvic floor muscles release and drop. Women will feel the lifting or squeezing of the muscles around their vaginas.
If you often pass gas while standing or bending, you should try to hold the gas to feel your pelvic floor muscles. This activity will help you squeeze your rectum and anus.
Symptoms Of Pelvic Muscle Dysfunction:
- Recurring UTI
- Leaking urine while coughing, sneezing, and running
- Reduced vaginal sensation
- Pain during sex and inability to orgasm
- The vaginal opening has a distinct bulge
- A feeling of heaviness in the vagina
How Does Pregnancy Effects Pelvic Floor Muscles?
Pregnancy can strain the pelvic floor muscles and tissues, especially when the labor is long and difficult. It is for this reason that expectant mothers are more likely to experience pelvic floor dysfunction post-pregnancy.
Could Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Be Hereditary?
Yes, it could and there are many pieces of research to prove that pelvic floor dysfunction could run in families. If you have a family history of pelvic floor dysfunction, you are likely to experience the problem at a certain time in your life.
How Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Diagnosed?
If you have any of the above mentioned symptoms, you should visit a doctor to get a complete checkup. The doctor will ask certain questions related to your daily life like problems with urine, bowel movement, and sex to determine whether you are experiencing these problems.
Here’re 10 Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Kegels
- Lie down on your back with your knees flexed and soles joined
- Keep cushions under your outer thighs for comfort
- Take a deep breath and exhale while drawing the muscles between your sit bones together
- You will feel as if your pelvic floor muscles are working as elevator doors
- Do five reps
Seated Breathing
- Sit down on your hips with your knees flexed and soles joined
- Take a deep breath and stretch your diaphragm and the pelvic muscles
- When you exhale, you will feel a slight lift in your pelvic floor muscles
- Practice this exercise for 10 breaths
Runner’s Lunge
- Bend down on your left knee while keeping your right leg stretched behind
- Reach your hands to the floor to maintain balance
- Move your hips forward so the right thigh is opened
- Hold this pose for a couple of seconds before releasing
- Repeat it with the right foot forward and do 3 reps with each leg
Side Lunges Are Best Pelvic Floor Exercise
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Bend to your right while extending your left leg as wide as you can
- You can reach your hands to the floor or on a table
- Raise your right toe to the ceiling to feel the stretch
- Hold the pose for a couple of seconds and repeat it with the left leg
Hamstring Stretch
- Come down on all your fours
- Take your left leg forward and stretch the left toe to the ceiling
- Hold the stretch for 10-12 breaths and release
- Repeat it with the right leg forward
Supported Pigeon
- Lie down on your chest with your hands folded and placed under your head
- Bring your left foot forward and bend the knee
- Your right foot should be stretched
- Maintain the pose for 10-12 breaths
- Repeat it with the other leg
Glute Bridges
- Lie down on your back with your knees flexed and feet flat on the floor
- Reach your hands to your heels and raise your hips to your chest
- Hold the pose for a couple of seconds and then release
- Do 5 reps of this exercise
Bird Dog
- Come down on all your fours
- Extend your right hand and left leg and feel the stretch
- Hold the pose for a couple of seconds and then release
- Repeat the exercise with the left hand and right leg
Pelvic Tilt
- Sit on a stability ball with your back straight and feet flat on the floor
- Tilt your pelvic floor forward and stick out your glutes with an arched back
- Tuck and untuck your pelvis floor muscles with 20 reps of this exercise
Deep Squat
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Extend your hands before your chest to start
- Come down to half sitting position with your hands stretched
- Hold the pose for 10-12 breaths and release
- Do 5 reps of this exercise
Disclaimer: The above information is for educational purposes only and the readers are advised to do exercises only under the guidance and supervision of experts.
