5 things you maybe didn't know about your Pelvic Health

#1 It's not all about Kegels

Experiencing urinary leakage, pelvic organ prolapse, or low back pain? Kegels are not always the answer! While it is important to be able to contract the pelvic floor properly, a lot of people have a tight pelvic floor. This means that the muscles are too tight to function optimally (as if you had tight neck muscles, leading to headaches and difficulty turning your head properly). 

#2 Drinking less water WON'T help with going to the toilet less frequently 

When you feel the need to go to the toilet every hour, it can be distressing. You may try to drink less water so that your bladder will be less full. However, dehydration actually irritates the bladder, making you need to go more frequently. Factors such as 'just in case pees', consuming bladder irritants, stress, and a tight pelvic floor play a bigger role.

#3 It is important to work on your scar tissue postpartum

It is important to aid our bodies in the healing process. When we have a scar (in the perineum or from a cesarian), the scar tissue itself can become an area of tension. Our body lays down new tissue to make the area robust, but it doesn't always align that tissue properly. Learning how to perform scar tissue massage is an important part of our postpartum journey. 

#4 Your breathing might be causing your pelvic floor symptoms

Our pelvic floor and diaphragm are meant to work together. When we inhale, our pelvic floor gets a chance to relax. However, when we take shallow breaths, we are actually causing our pelvic floor to tighten throughout the day. If you catch yourself holding your breath, or tensing your abdomen throughout the day, it may be a cause of your pelvic floor symptoms. 

#5. Before starting a high impact activity postpartum, please have your pelvic floor checked!

While the rest of our body might feel good postpartum, it is important to know how our pelvic floor is doing. Whether we have had a cesarian or a vaginal delivery, our pelvic floor is impacted by pregnancy and the birthing process. Optimal recovery includes making sure that our pelvic floor is able to sustain the demands of our activity of choice. This is especially important if you are wanting to get back into running, weight lifting, sports, and other high impact activities. 

Written by: Sabrina Ait-Ouali, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. Owner of Ottawa Pelvic Health

If you have questions or would like to learn more, Ottawa Pelvic Health offers complimentary 15 minute phone consultations. You can book one here.