What are pelvic floor muscles?

The Pelvic Floor is a small group of muscles holding up your bladder while supporting your (uterus if you are a woman) as well as intestines.

Why Does Pelvic Floor Health matter at all? 

If you are having one/ many of the symptoms below:

·   After giving birth to a child, are you afraid of exercise and / or afraid of laughing?

·   Do you have stress caused by OAB-Overactive Bladder (where your brain is telling you to empty your bladder even when it isn’t full)?

·   Do you have stress caused by SUI- Stress Urinary Incontinence?

Well, then it matters significantly!

We have all been hearing about the importance of pelvic floor health for a very long time now. After attending the seminar presented by Hannah Willcutt (BeFit Physical Therapist) and Jenny Armstrong (UVAC Pilates Instructor), I realized how many myths are currently circulating.

·       Did you know that Pelvic Floor issues are as common in men as women?

·       Did you know Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) can occur even if you have not had children?

Now you don’t need to be stressed because “Pelvic Floor health” can be managed by following methods:

·   Making lifestyle changes

·   Postural corrections

·   Learning how to breathe while performing everyday functions and/or exercising

·   Simple learnings such as having the feet parallel while doing the dishes & practicing kegels a few times a day can change a whole lot.

Are you someone who already tried the above methods and are still struggling?

The reason might be that you aren’t doing them the correct way, or you just need additional assistance. In this case, contacting your Physical Therapist is the right thing to do for your pelvic floor health management. Then, gradually transition to Personal Training to strengthen your core and improve your posture accordingly. 

By Yogitha Malkireddy, UVAC Personal Trainer