Exercising with weak pelvic floor...

stuntin666
stuntin666 Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,

What exercises should I completely avoid, with a weak pelvic floor (POP) and what exercises should I be doing?
I've heard that squats are a no but then I hear that they are good for pelvic floor, whats ur thoughts? Lately I've been doing low impact cardio, with growwithjo and walking with Leslie Sansone.

I really do not want to make anything worse as I have no insurance, and income is not enough for Dr. Bills ;)






Replies

  • astod4
    astod4 Posts: 49 Member
    There’s a specific field in physical therapy directed towards pelvic health. You may be able to find a pelvic floor specialist on YouTube. I’m in PT school right now and we just talked about this in class, but I can’t give any recommendations other than that because I’m not a specialist.
  • stuntin666
    stuntin666 Posts: 15 Member
    Yeah, I've looked some up on YouTube. I was following one but I'm just not sure, cause I feel like I'm doing nothing and the beast in me wants to do squats, which I hear a lot of back and forth about being ok or not.
    That's awesome that you going to school for PT. I actually went to a information session for PT assistant, after graduating from my medical administration program, which sadly administration, I found was not for me and only pays $10 an hour ugh haha

    I hope you enjoy your class, and maybe become a specialist.
    Thanks for taking the time to comment on my post.

  • astod4
    astod4 Posts: 49 Member
    stuntin666 wrote: »
    Yeah, I've looked some up on YouTube. I was following one but I'm just not sure, cause I feel like I'm doing nothing and the beast in me wants to do squats, which I hear a lot of back and forth about being ok or not.

    I bet if you’re able to get the help you need, you could get back to squatting. One thing I know you can do is practice Kegel training. Really try not to strain when going to the bathroom, and retrain your bladder by keeping track of how frequently you pee. It should be 5-8 times per day. Don’t do Kegels when you are peeing because that is counter productive. I hope that helps. Good luck!
  • stuntin666
    stuntin666 Posts: 15 Member
    5-8 times :o I need to get that under control. I will work on that.
    yes awhile back I was doing Kegels while peeing, because when I was a teen, I remember my aunt mentioning that all women should do that when they pee, but I actually read somewhere not to do that, so I stopped, at least I got that down.
    I will take your advice, Oh yeah I need all the luck I can get and lets hope for some health insurance in the future :)
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    When doing kegels, try not to flex your abs at the same time. They should be lax. Stomach Vacuums are supposed to help tremendously as well. I'm actually participating in a clinical trial for the Viveve procedure to see if it helps with stress incontinence. I'll let you know how it works next year once we get unblinded (I'm 3mo following procedure right now and I have the feeling I got placebo).
  • stuntin666
    stuntin666 Posts: 15 Member
    Man i have a really hard time, trying to tell if I'm moving the right parts of my body. I've thought about ordering one of the Kegel things from amazon but I just haven't yet. I really wish i had the insurance or the money to go to therapy. Hoping I will snag a decent job here soon.
    So how does the trial work, they are treating you but you don't know till the end if you had the actual treatment or the placebo? You havent noticed any difference yet? thats so interesting, i looked it up on google.
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member

    Just my own experience, it may or may not apply to your situation… after I gave birth to my child I had stress incontinence but it didn’t really affect my quality of life until I started running for exercise a few years ago. Turns out I actually have a strong pelvic floor overall but my urethra didn’t fully recover after I gave birth so I needed to have a little mesh surgically implanted to support it, it was an outpatient surgery so no hospital stay needed. That instantly fixed the stress incontence but I do still have a little bit of a tilted bladder, doesn’t cause any symptoms though and no amount of kegels will fix it. I asked my doctor what exercises I should avoid to keep it from progressing. He said just about any cardio was ok and running was fine for me to do (yay!) but I should avoid a lot of strength exercises done on the floor like sit-ups and yoga (some positions can add pressure) and if I didn’t already lift weights (I didn’t) then I shouldn’t really start. Anything that could trigger a valsalva maneuver would be advisable to avoid because it puts a lot of internal pressures on the pelvic floor. He was a very experienced urologist specializing in women’s health so I was definitely going to take his advice. I’m perfectly happy being a runner so following my doctors advice works great for me and I haven’t had any issues since the procedure 6+ years ago, the bladder hasn’t tilted further and no more stress incontinence. Of course your situation could be different. I’ve heard of women doing modifications to yoga and weight lifting to make it easier on the pelvic floor but in my case I’d just rather avoid it altogether. Wishing you all the best on your health journey! :)
  • stuntin666
    stuntin666 Posts: 15 Member
    Yes I avoid anything I think could make it worse lifting, squats exc. I've had close leaks, but usually I'm ok. For sure can tell its weak though. What I really have is pressure or like a heavy feeling off and on both vaginally and tailbone area. In 2018 I had an mri, and all they could tell me was i have cyst on my ovaries. I then had a rectal exam, because i have constipation which they also didnt see anything. Then in 2020 i had a kub xray, which they say was also normal, but i know my body. i know how it used to feel before giving birth twice and after each of those times it got worse. I also can see a difference. I'm thinking either vaginal wall prolaspe or rectocele, but its like these drs dont want to listen, to me atleast.
    Thank you, I also wish you the best.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,282 Member
    Do you have access to water fitness classes? Before Covid, that was my best pelvic floor workout. Those moves cannot be done without intense core work, and once you begin to strengthen it, it's not too hard to really focus on the pelvic floor when working out. Even swimming laps engages your core. I feel you. I have had three gigantic babies, and now I'm in my mid-50s and finding it to be more of an issue. I will highly recommend Thinx panties. They're for bladder leaks and they save me, especially at work :blush:
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    stuntin666 wrote: »
    Yes I avoid anything I think could make it worse lifting, squats exc. I've had close leaks, but usually I'm ok. For sure can tell its weak though. What I really have is pressure or like a heavy feeling off and on both vaginally and tailbone area. In 2018 I had an mri, and all they could tell me was i have cyst on my ovaries. I then had a rectal exam, because i have constipation which they also didnt see anything. Then in 2020 i had a kub xray, which they say was also normal, but i know my body. i know how it used to feel before giving birth twice and after each of those times it got worse. I also can see a difference. I'm thinking either vaginal wall prolaspe or rectocele, but its like these drs dont want to listen, to me atleast.
    Thank you, I also wish you the best.

    Pressure and heaviness are something that need further explanation for sure, don’t give up until you find out what’s going on.

    Might be a TMI post but I thought I’d share some more pelvic issues I’ve been through in case it helps anyone. I also suffered from heaviness and pressure in the tailbone area and uterus but it was cyclical with my periods. Felt like my abdomen was full of heavy rocks :/ In my case it was multiple large fibroids that were continuing to grow larger. I had a large one compressing my colon and causing constipation. Not to mention the extremely heavy periods they caused me and made me anemic. I didn’t want to get a hysterectomy so I just put up with the discomfort. At one of my yearly visits my gyno mentioned a procedure called Uterine Artery Embolozation (UAE) and referred me to a specialist since gynos don’t perform the procedure. I had an MRI and it showed all the fibroids clearly. I went ahead with the procedure and it kills all the fibroids at once by cutting off their blood supply but leaves my uterus intact so I got to keep my womb even though I’m done childbearing which is what I wanted. All my symptoms have resolved. While I researched about UAE I read about another elusive ailment called Adenomyosis that can mimic fibroids in heaviness and bleeding but isn’t as clearly seen on imaging. Also Endometriosis can cause a lot of similar symptoms too. I’m surprised all that imaging they put you through showed nothing concrete but don’t give up, you are right about the fact that we know our own bodies and can feel when something just isn’t our normal. I really hope you find answers and relief soon! :)
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
    Hello. Just popping by to mention an app that I find useful. Squeezy.

    It’s made by the NHS, and is very helpful.

    https://www.squeezyapp.com/useful-contacts-and-further-information/
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
    The more core work I have done, including working my way up to Boat Pose while lying in bed (I have tons of sacral trigger points; I can't lie on the floor) the more I do better with my stress incontinence. Losing weight has also helped.

    Started with Boat pose by just lifting my legs up in the air, straight up, and then lowering them to the bed without letting them fall of their own weight. Eventually I started increasing the hang time.
  • HawkingRadiation
    HawkingRadiation Posts: 31 Member
    Everyone mentions kegels, but after childbirth I noticed I had better days after doing my ab workouts. I googled it and only found one website that even mentioned abs for this issue, but I have to say that focusing on ab exercises helped me tremendously.
  • wi1234567890
    wi1234567890 Posts: 57 Member
    Have you looked at Lauren Ohayon on YouTube? She has a comprehensive paid 13 week program called Restore Your Core that deals with diastasis recti and POP. She also has a lot of free information on YouTube and Instagram about movement and breathing that you mind find helpful.
  • stuntin666
    stuntin666 Posts: 15 Member
    I didnt know i got more replys. . l'll try boat pose, and yes ive been working on my abs but low impact so im sure it i will take more time, i can actually see them flex now when im laying down so i guess thats something. Ive looked into some pelvic programs but i cant really afford them right now, but when i can i will try one out and see how it goes.
    thank youuuu for the suggestions everyone.
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,997 Member
    stuntin666 wrote: »
    I didnt know i got more replys. . l'll try boat pose, and yes ive been working on my abs but low impact so im sure it i will take more time, i can actually see them flex now when im laying down so i guess thats something. Ive looked into some pelvic programs but i cant really afford them right now, but when i can i will try one out and see how it goes.
    thank youuuu for the suggestions everyone.

    The NIH ap I mentioned above is free.
    If nothing else, it can remind you to do your kegels. Up to 6 times a day. Which is something aI find helpful.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 921 Member
    If you are able - I'd HIGHLY recommend seeking an appt with a physical therapist that focuses on the pelvic floor. Doing or not doing certain exercises might be good or bad for you depending. Like...some women just go off and do a bunch of Kegels....bc they think "It must be good for everyone"....but I think you should check with a specialist.

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