How To Strengthen Pelvic Floor Muscles

The first thing we hear after getting pregnant is to start pelvic floor exercises and to keep doing them for the whole pregnancy and after.

The pelvic floor muscles pay huge role in our health and happiness. Pregnant or not, weak pelvic floor muscles can cause massive problems.

Where are pelvic floor muscles?

Pelvic floor muscles hold pelvic organs in place. They are responsible for supporting uterus, bladder and rectum. They also play key role in sexual performance (orgasm) stabilising connecting joints.

Problems with pelvic floor starts when pelvic floor muscles are too stretched, weak or simply too tight.

How to find pelvic floor muscles?

You can easily locate them by trying to squeeze those muscles responsible for holding urine back. Just imagine you have to go to toilet and try holding it back.

1. Stopping urine flow

While in a toilet and passing urine try to stop the flow of urine midway through emptying your bladder. Remember this is not an exercises but the way of finding pelvic floor muscles.

2. Use your imagination

Instead of sitting on the toilet and trying to find pelvic floor muscles use you imagination:

• squeeze muscles around vagina and suck upward
• squeeze muscles as you were trying to stop passing wind

Signs of weak pelvic floor muscles

• bladder incontinence
• bowel instability
• weak abdominal muscles
• back pain
• diastasis recti
• problems with future pregnancies
• you may leak pee when exercising, laughing, coughing, sneezing
• not managing to get to the toilet in time
• more need to use toilet
• having problem to empty bladder or bowel
• accidental passing wind
• loosing control over bladder or bowel
• painful sex
• pain in pelvic area

Who may experience poor pelvic floor weakness?

• pregnant women
• new mom’s
• elderly women
• women with history of difficult pregnancies
• women who have had difficult labours
• women after many pregnancies
• those exercising them too much or not at all
• those with constipation history
• overweight or obese people
• heavy lifters (work related heavy lifters too)
• people with asthma, hay fever
• previous injury to pelvic area

Exercises for pelvic floor muscles

1. Squats

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulders- width apart, toes slightly pointed out, long tall spine.
• Lower your hips down and slightly to the back as you were trying to sit on sofa. If you are beginner do not go too low. Perfect level is to get your tights pararel to the floor.
• As you go down try to shift your weight mostly into your heels.
• Go back to start position. Repeat in steady pace 10 -15 times

2. Bridge (glutes bridge)

• Lie on the floor. Feet flat on the ground hip distance apart, knees bend, arms on the side of the body and back pressed against the floor. Make sure you can reach to your heels with fingertips.
• Inhale and push throughout your heels raising hips toward the ceiling. As lifting squeeze glutes, hamstrings and of course pelvic floor.
• Go to the top, hold for up to 10 seconds and go back to start position.
• Repeat 10- 15 times.

3. Side leg drop

• Lie on your back, knees bend, feet flat on the ground.
• Lift your legs so your shins are pararel the floor, knees still bend.
• Brace your abs and tighten pelvic floor muscles as slowly drop knees out toward the floor. As you drop knees out keep your feet close to each other in the air.

4. Opposite leg arm lift

• On your fours with legs hip distance apart and hand placed under shoulders. Keep spine in neutral position.
• Brace your abs, contract pelvic floor muscles and lift opposite arm and leg at the same time in opposite direction (for example: left arm forward, right leg backward). Hold for 5 seconds and in slow controlled move return to start position.
• Repeat on other side
• Do 10-15 repetitions

5. Wall squat

• Stand with your back against the wall. Feet hip distance apart, toes pointing forward, arms on the side of the body.
• Slide down against the wall until your shins become pararel to the floor.
• Hold for 5-10 seconds and go back up. As you slide down brace your abs and contract pelvic floor muscles.
• Repeat 10 times.

6. Toe taps

• Lie on the back with legs bend to 90 degrees and shins parallel to the floor. Hands on the side of the body pressed to the floor.
• Brace your abs, contract pelvic floor muscles and bring one leg at the time toward the floor (remain legs bend so hinge from the hips).
• Switch legs.
• Repeat 10 times with each leg.
• Make sure your back is in contact with the floor and you are not arching it during this exercise.

7. Squeezing ball between knees

• Lie on your back, legs bend, feet flat on the floor, arms on the side of the body.
• Place softball between knees and try to squeeze it.
• As you press knees, contract pelvic floor muscles and brace your abs.

8. Transverse abdominals strengthening exercises
   –Bracing – isometric contraction. Imagine you are just about being punched in your belly or to lift really heavy item. In both situation you will tighten your abdominal muscles without sucking them in. To practice TVA with bracing, hold belly in that position for about 10 seconds. Try to perform this exercise during different daily activities, like walking, standing up, lying down. Use bracing during core exercises. During contracting tva muscle you can place your fingers on belly and feel tension underneath them. If your fingers been pushed upwards during bracing, it means you have been using external and internal obliques instead of TVA.

• start in lying down position on your back, legs bend and feet on the floor
• perform this exercises in sitting position
• move to standing position
• walking, moving, exercising

9. Happy baby pose

Lie on your back, bend legs and point your feet to the sealing. place your hands on the inside part of your feet. now try to press feet into your hands. at the same time you may roll side to side on your back.

11. Opening hip adductors

12. Knee to chest stretch