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Do I need alternative pelvic floor therapy?
Alternative pelvic floor therapy or therapies can be great resources for those who do not feel satisfied with their current therapy plan or strategies. This can range from traditional pelvic floor therapies to home practices such as engaging in kegel exercises. In fact, while counterintuitive, excessive kegeling can actually be detrimental to the pelvic floor. Excessive kegeling can result in an over-tightening of the pelvic muscles, which subsequently results in weakening rather than strengthening of the muscles. This phenomenon occurs because the pelvic floor muscles become less flexible and more rigid. Muscles need to maintain flexibility to function properly, which is why strengthening exercises should be done in combination with relaxation exercises. Pelvic floor therapy can include yoga for pelvic floor and pelvic floor massages.
What is yoga for pelvic floor?
Yoga for pelvic floor is a form of pelvic floor therapy that can help manage symptoms of a weak pelvic floor including incontinence (you can also check out our blog post about managing urinary incontinence if you are interested in more strategies surrounding managing incontinence specifically). Along with safe and comfortable incontinence products, yoga for pelvic floor can help women with urinary incontinence feel more confident and in control during daily life.
There are various yoga exercises that can help maintain a healthy pelvic floor. For example, the cat-cow pose and engaging in crunch variations can be effective at creating strength in the lower abdominals and pelvic floor through breath and movement. For more information on how to practice yoga for pelvic floor, you can talk to a specialist.
Why should I consider yoga for pelvic floor?
A strong pelvic floor is linked to accurate balance, healthy bladder and even supports pre-and post-childbirth vaginal strength. The group of pelvic muscles is located between the pubic bone and coccyx and consists of muscles, ligaments and nerves that act like hammocks to support your organs, specifically the bladder and urethra.
Yoga exercises are great at engaging pelvic floor muscles through both relaxation and strengthening. This pelvic floor therapy provides the complete strengthening needed to successfully manage symptoms of a weak pelvic floor. Subsequently, this avoids an over-strengthened or weak pelvic floor by engaging muscles completely.
What are pelvic floor massages?
Another form of alternative pelvic floor therapies is pelvic floor massages, which is an effective way to relax the pelvic floor muscles to regain strength that may have been lost over time. These massages may be done by a licensed therapist, but can also conveniently be done at home with the help of tools such as pelvic massagers and wands.
Pelvic wands and massagers tend to come in a curved shape, which makes it easier to reach painful trigger points in the pelvic muscles for alternative pelvic floor therapies . One end comes tapered, making the vaginal wand easier to insert and control. When added, you can press down on the painful area with focus. For men, an enlarged prostate may cause tight pelvic muscles, and a rectal wand can ease the tension.
When should I consider pelvic floor massages?
This form of alternative pelvic floor therapy is great for people who have not found success in traditional pelvic floor therapy or other treatment managements, and who may want to engage in exercises at home without their physical therapist.
When muscles are tight and constricted, there are specific trigger points that, when pressed, can release the nagging pressure. With the pelvic floor massage approach to pelvic floor therapy, you can use the smaller end for massaging critical areas in the vagina or rectum, and alleviate some of the pain and/or tension experienced in the pelvic area.
Want More on Pelvic Health Therapy?
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Learn More About Urinary Incontinence:
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Normalize This: Urinary Incontinence