Kegel exercises, often touted as the go-to solution for postpartum and pelvic floor issues, may not always be the magic fix. Surprising, right? Especially when you're dealing with leakage, prolapse, or other pelvic floor concerns. But hang on, there's more to the story.
The Pelvic Floor Lowdown
Let's start with a bit of anatomy and physiology. The pelvic floor is a marvel, made up of muscles, organs, nerves, ligaments, and bony structures. The pelvic floor muscles play five crucial roles:
Bladder and bowel function
Support for pelvic organs
Integral part of your core (along with the diaphragm and abdominal muscles)
Contribution to intimacy
Pumping blood and lymphatic fluids for healthy circulation
Efficient muscle function relies on the ability to lengthen before contracting. So, when your pelvic floor muscles are too tight, attempting a good contraction (yes, that's what a Kegel is) becomes inefficient.
Wait, doesn't tight mean strong? Not necessarily. Tight pelvic floor muscles indicate tension, which, over time, leads to unwanted symptoms like pain and leakage. It is likely that abnormal tightness is compensating for something.
How To Spot Tight Pelvic Floor Muscles & What Causes It?
Wondering if your pelvic floor muscles are holding abnormal tension? Clues may include pelvic pain during penetration, deep glute/hip/tailbone pain, or discomfort during Kegel exercises, to name some of the common symptoms. To truly know if your pelvic floor muscles are abnormally tight is having a pelvic floor physical therapist or OB/GYN perform an internal assessment.
Pelvic floor muscles can tighten for various reasons – the demands of pregnancy, just how the muscles respond postpartum, trauma, unknown causes, or weakness. These hard working muscles often go unnoticed and, like any other muscle, can develop symptoms over time, it is our body's way of telling us, they need some attention and help!
The Catch-22 Of Tight Pelvic Muscles
The irony is that for effective Kegel exercises, pelvic muscles need to lengthen and fully relax before contracting. Constant tension disrupts this process, making it challenging to get the desired results from your Kegels.
Have you been practicing your Kegels exercises and it has not helped with your heaviness with your prolapse, pain, urinary leakage, etc? Then, seeing if your pelvic floor can fully lengthen and contract is something to get checked for!
The Moral Of The Story…
Don't jump to Kegel exercises as the ultimate solution for pelvic floor issues. Consider seeking an assessment to understand if your pelvic floor muscles are normal, can contract correctly, and efficiently. Long-term treatments may not be necessary; re-education often helps in reminding the pelvic floor muscles how to engage correctly.
Investing time in building a strong pelvic floor foundation can pave the way for a safe return to exercise, reduce overall muscular issues like lower back and hip pain, and improve overall movement. It's all about laying the groundwork for lasting benefits!
Remember, the suggestions on this and other blog posts on this website is not to be used as substitution of medical advice given by your provider. The information on this website is also not to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease but for educational purposes only. It is best to consult with your medical professional.