The pelvic floor is one of the most important muscles in the women’s body as it supports all the organs. In association with the core muscle, together they assure continence, support the back and the organs, hold the bladder, uterus and bowel in place. The pelvic floor also plays a vital role in your posture, your overall wellbeing and allows painless sexual intercourse. It is when these muscles lose their balance, become weak or lose their tone that it creates a chain of reaction that affects women’s entire body. In order to fix or avoid these issues, pelvic floor rehabilitation is your best ally.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is also necessary after certain surgeries such as a hysterectomy. It also helps fix conditions such as prolapse, reduce symptoms of endometriosis, vaginismus, vulvodynia and many more.
A proper pelvic floor rehabilitation done by a specialist doesn’t only consist in a set of exercices. A women’s health physiotherapist will also help you understand how to properly contract the right muscles. They will teach you the correct breathing patterns in order to relax your nervous system including your muscles, how to relax your pelvic floor before giving birth or if you suffer from sexual pain such as vaginismus.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is the ultimate tool for women’s health and is necessary throughout every phase of a woman’s life.
In this article, we will explore what is the pelvic floor and how pelvic floor rehabilitation can help the different women’s health pathologies.
What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a muscle that holds your bladder, your bowel and your reproductive organs in your pelvis. It’s here to ensure they get on with their daily function (continence, bowel function, sexual sensations) and with the help of your core muscles, also protect your spine and organs.
It’s when these muscles lose their strength, become tight or fall out of sync that you start feeling discomfort. Your bladder control weakens, your bowel movements become irregular, your sexual sensation dimishes, your posture and your core suffer from instability which often causes pain in the back or hip.
How pelvic floor rehabilitation can help with incontinence
One out of three women experience incontinence, sadly many women are afraid to talk about it. The first symptom is usually a small leak when laughing or jumping. It can also be that they feel a small pain in the pelvis area or some pain during intercourse. Due to the lack of awareness, many women think that these symptoms are normal, not knowing that it can be fixed with simple pelvic floor rehabilitation exercises. Incontinence is due, most of the time, to aging, menopause or most commonly after giving birth and can be easily reverted.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation helps to restore the strength, the coordination and the control of the pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor rehabilitation with a specialised women’s health physiotherapist will fix the root cause of your symptoms in order to regain your continence and overall confidence.
How pelvic floor rehabilitation can help with postpartum and pregnancy recovery
The growing weight of the baby during pregnancy adds a significant pressure on the pelvic floor muscle and the organs it supports. After birth, the pelvic floor is often weakened and stretched, which can cause postnatal conditions such as incontinence, organ prolapse or abdominal separation (also called diastasis recti). Not only the pelvic floor is affected but it also can have an impact on your core muscles, your posture, your back and your neck.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is essential in your postnatal recovery. With the help of a pelvic health physiotherapist and following a full postnatal assessment, pelvic floor rehabilitation helps to prevent and revert symptoms of postpartum conditions, by using tailored strengthening exercises, ongoing advice and lifestyle adjustments.
How pelvic floor rehabilitation can help with endometriosis
Endometriosis is a complex women’s health condition that has been dismissed for a long time. As more and more women now finally manage to get a proper diagnosis, pelvic floor rehabilitation is the most natural way to support them by easing some of the symptoms such as muscles tension, spasms and stiffness.
A pelvic health physiotherapist is here to assess the condition and provide a pelvic rehabilitation plan that will help relieve pain and symptoms that are associated with endometriosis. While pelvic floor physiotherapy cannot fully treat endometriosis, it has for main goal to reduce the tension, improve the blood flow and decrease the nerve irritation in order to manage the pain and to restore as much comfort as possible.
How pelvic floor rehabilitation can help symptoms of menopause and aging
The menopause comes with both physical and hormonal changes. Your oestrogen level decreases and a lot of women come to experience symptoms such as vaginal dryness, urinary urgency or stress incontinence, pelvic pain or even symptoms of prolapse. Pelvic floor related problems don’t necessarily happen to only women who gave birth.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is the perfect ally to manage these physical changes and overcome the symptoms they sometimes bring along with them. A women’s health physiotherapist will help restore the pelvic floor’s strength and coordination via targeted exercises and manual therapy. Pelvic floor rehabilitation helps women to reduce risks of incontinence or prolapse, to enhance sexual comfort in all ages and it is the best tool to stay active and confident during this new stage of life.
How pelvic floor rehabilitation can help sexual dysfunctions such as vaginismus
Another type of women’s health conditions that are not enough talked about is sexual dysfunction. One of the most common sexual dysfunctions is vaginismus, which is characterised by the involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles during sex and leads to a painful or even impossible penetration. Other related conditions that also provoke a discomfort are dyspareunia (a genital pain felt during or after sex) and vulvodynia (where the pain is mainly located in the vulvar region).
A pelvic health physiotherapist is the best practitioner to assess the condition and to provide a safe and efficient treatment plan where pelvic floor rehabilitation is key to resolve the symptoms of sexual dysfunctions. With targeted exercises and advice, pelvic floor rehabilitation helps relax the pelvic floor muscles and teaches you to control them the right way in order to improve your comfort, to ease the pain and to rebuild your overall confidence.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation also helps women who lack sensation during intercourse. By using a similar process, the pelvic health physiotherapist creates a plan with monitored exercises to help regain control of your pelvic floor muscles, so you know how and when to contract or relax them.
How pelvic floor rehabilitation can help with core, spine and stability
Pelvic floor rehabilitation with a women’s health specialist is a great way to promote your overall core strength. It does not only strengthen your pelvic floor but also your core muscles which automatically improves your posture and your balance. Pelvic floor rehabilitation helps prevent or revert muscle weakness and pain associated in the back or hips.
What are the different techniques used in pelvic floor rehabilitation?
Pelvic floor rehabilitation uses a range of various techniques to help restore the muscles strength, their coordination and their relaxation. Following a first assessment, the pelvic health physiotherapist selects different methods of pelvic floor rehabilitation in order to target each patient’s needs and their symptoms.
The most common techniques of pelvic floor rehabilitation include manual therapy with hands-on internal or external treatment to release the tightness in the muscles, and an exercise program that will help you manage your symptoms and their evolution at home, between each women’s health physiotherapy session. Breathwork is another type of exercises that trains your core to work along with your pelvic floor and reduces any strain as well as improves your coordination.
The women’s health physiotherapist is also here to ensure that you are provided with personalised lifestyle advices and a proper education on how your pelvic floor works and how you can protect your pelvic health.
Biofeedback is also a method sometimes used to measure the muscle’s activity and to help you understand how your pelvic floor works. It promotes the awareness and a better control of your muscles during your exercises. In addition, an electrical stimulation with specific devices is sometimes also implemented as a complement of treatment to help activate the weak muscles and restore their function.
In this modern world, more and more techniques are now being developed. Some of the most recent methods include advanced devices for the pelvic floor rehabilitation such as EMsculpt, an equipment that uses a high intensity focused electromagnetic energy to trigger the deep muscle contractions. It aims to build the muscles strength, to improve their core stability and to support the recovery for conditions such as diastasis recti.
Another type of device is called EMsella, which is a non-invasive chair treatment that helps strengthen the pelvic floor muscles through a powerful electromagnetic stimulation. This one helps to improve the control of the bladder, to reduce the symptoms of prolapse and enhances the sexual function.
Last but not least, UltraFemme 360 combines radio frequency and ultrasound to boost the collagen, the blood flow and the tissue elasticity. It helps with the dryness, the laxity and with conditions such as stress incontinence.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation will help you find confidence and wellbeing
We understand that it is difficult for women to see their body changing, whether it is after their pregnancy, due to a medical condition or simply as part of aging. These changes don’t just affect your body but also the way you see yourself. It can impact you mentally as well as physically, and often leaves many women frustrated, isolated or self-conscious.
Working with a women’s health physiotherapist who understands what you’re going through and who can answer every question you have with no judgment, thanks to her expertise and care, is the first and most important part of your recovery.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is here to improve the strength of your muscles but also to help with your awareness and to reconnect you with your own body. It restores sexual self-esteem and relieves anxiety or trauma caused by pelvic dysfunctions or childbirth. By regaining your control and your comfort, you will experience a higher quality of life and confidence in your daily activities and relationships.
Signs you need pelvic floor rehabilitation now
You can benefit from pelvic floor rehabilitation if you experience the following symptoms:
- Leaking when you cough, laugh or sneeze
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Lower back or pelvic pain
- Constant urge to go to the bathroom
- Heaviness in your pelvis
- Feeling of pressure in your vagina
- Difficulty controlling gas or stool
The above symptoms can be the signs of pelvic floor dysfunctions and it’s important to recognise them early and to seek the help of a pelvic health physiotherapist.
What happens during our pelvic floor physiotherapy sessions
A pelvic floor physiotherapy session takes place in a welcoming and professional environment where you will feel supported and understood. The women’s health physiotherapist will conduct a physical and verbal assessment to have a better understanding of your symptoms and medical history. She will be able to answer all the questions or concerns you have about your condition and will provide you with the safest pelvic floor rehabilitation program, that will go along with your needs.
You will be able to exchange safely and privately with your pelvic health physiotherapist, who will make sure to give you all the tools in hands through various techniques and exercises, to self-manage your symptoms and enhance your recovery. Pelvic floor rehabilitation will not only strengthen your pelvic muscles but is also your best weapon to treat or prevent related discomfort and conditions, as well as helping you regain confidence and self-esteem in your daily activities.
Where can I find the best pelvic floor rehabilitation in London?
If you’re looking for a trusted women’s health physiotherapist able to provide the best pelvic floor rehabilitation, our pelvic health specialists are here to help.
We understand how pelvic floor issues can affect your daily life and this is why we’ve been tailoring pelvic floor rehabilitation plans for thousands of women since 2008. Our team of experts in women’s health physiotherapy have over 15 years of experience in advanced treatment for pelvic floor dysfunctions, specialising in pregnancy and postnatal recovery, post-surgery rehabilitation, menopause, endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, prolapse and incontinence treatment, sexual pain and discomfort, and many more.
Reach out to our team on 0207 125 0262 if you need further information or have any questions. Our women’s health physiotherapists offer clinic appointments on a daily basis in Belgravia, Clapham and Monument but also offer home visits throughout London.
For more information about the EMsculpt, EMsella and UltraFemme 360 devices, visit https://seanwhiteaesthetics.com/.
