A PTA Shares 5 Things That May Negatively Impact Your Pelvic Floor Health
Although pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is not necessarily new, there is more of a widespread range of educated providers that are referring to physical therapy to help improve the lives of both men and women. PFDs can occur for many reasons, some of those being: weakness, tightness, tears in the connective tissue that could lead to things like pelvic organ prolapse, and poor management of abdominal pressure.
Luckily, surgical intervention is not always the first line of defense, and contrary to popular belief PFD is NOT a normal part of pregnancy or aging. Some types of PFD can be brought about by some of our daily habits (or lack thereof) and can be easily fixed or even prevented. As a pelvic floor physical therapist assistant, I would like to share with you a few things that I would not do and educate you on why/how this could negatively impact your pelvic floor.
1. Squat/hover over the toilet seat
When you squat over the toilet your hip muscles are contracting to keep you upright which could lead to your pelvic floor muscles also contracting as well. When those muscles stay contracted, or tightened, it can be hard to fully relax and empty the bladder, leading you to have the urge to go again very soon after.
2. Kegel excessively, especially when using the bathroom
Excessive kegel’ing, especially if done incorrectly, can lead to overactive pelvic floor muscles. If the muscles are always in a contracted state, it can become difficult to relax or even lengthen those muscles. Full range of motion is important for pelvic floor function. Overactive muscles can lead to things like: pain with penetration, leakage with coughing/sneezing/heavy lifting, and/or difficulty emptying the bladder just to name a few. Also, if you kegel when you’re voiding, this disrupts the communication between the brain and bladder and can lead to urgency or frequency.
3. Go to the bathroom just in case
We call this “JIC’ing” in the rehab realm. Some examples of JIC’ing include: before leaving your house/work, before going on a long car ride, or going when you have a few spare minutes before you get busy again. Doing this every once in a while will not be problematic, however if you make a habit out of doing this, you can very easily confuse the way your brain and bladder communicate. Habitually using the bathroom “just in case” never allows the bladder to fill to its full capacity, and therefore the next time you reach that “trained” threshold your brain will tell your bladder it needs to empty. This can create a vicious cycle that could lead you to making more frequent trips to the bathroom. SIDE NOTE: on average it takes the bladder 2-4 hours to fill with an appropriate amount of urine to warrant making a trip to the bathroom to void.
4. Pee in the shower
Have you ever had the urge to pee at the sound of running water? Well, your bladder is an organ that can be easily swayed. If you make a habit of peeing in the shower, this may cause your bladder to associate urination with running water. So the next time you need to wash dishes, you may find yourself making a beeline for the bathroom instead.
5. Leave your constipation untreated
Sitting on the toilet for longer than 10 minutes can leave you more susceptible to developing or worsening hemorrhoids due the positioning of your body and gravity. Straining to have a bowel movement can put undue pressure on the pelvic floor muscles and cause them to weaken, or again, cause/worsen hemorrhoids. Some things that may help with constipation include, but not limited to: drinking more water and eating more fiber.
If you suspect you are experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction, I encourage you to seek out a specialized pelvic floor rehabilitation clinician and schedule an evaluation. We have a great team here at ProActive Rehabilitation and Wellness and we would love to have you. Give us a call or book an appointment online today. PFD does not have to be a “normal part of aging” and it certainly does not define you!
