Pelvic Rehab: An Article on Pelvic Health
Pelvic health and pain is not a topic commonly discussed in everyday life. Still, pelvic health is an important topic to explore. The pelvic region (not to be confused with the pelvic bones) represent the bottom region of the human torso. The primary organs within this region of the body are the urinary bladder and the private region. These organs are supported by a series of muscles, ligaments, and nerves called the pelvic floor. The pelvic floor ensures that the pelvic organs are all held in their proper place and that they can function as intended. There are many pelvic floor disorders, often of which come from weakening of the region. The consequences of the disorders may be embarrassing for the patient to mention, but they are important to talk about as they are key issues.
The pelvic floor often becomes weaker due to old age or a major injury to that region. Childbirth is also a common cause of damage to the pelvic floor in women. The weakening of the pelvic floor often leads to urinary incontinence or fecal incontinence. Patients with urinary incontinence will leak urine unintentionally, and lose the ability to control when they urinate. Other issues with the urinary bladder include frequent urination (urinating more often than normal, even if it is controlled), painful urination, and incomplete urination (urination which fails to expel all urine from the bladder, leading to a buildup of excess urine in the bladder). Patients with fecal incontinence will lose the ability to control when they evacuate their bowels. Patients may also suffer pain during the evacuation of their bowels, and may also strain their bowels in the process. Constipation may also result from a weakened pelvic floor, resulting in a buildup of fecal matter in the lower intestines which may cause further damage to the organ.
How does the pelvic floor become weak? One of the more common causes of a weak pelvic floor is childbirth. The process of giving birth puts a lot of strain on the pelvic floor, causing significant damage to the region. The more times a woman gives birth, the more likely she will develop a weakened pelvic floor. Another common cause of pelvic floor disorders is surgical or radiation treatments of the pelvic region. These treatments may damage the nerves and tissues of the pelvic floor, causing pelvic floor disorders in the patient. People who are overweight are also at a higher risk of developing pelvic floor disorders, due to the increased strain on the region. Excessive lifting of weights may also increase strain on the pelvic floor and thus increase risk of developing a pelvic floor disorder. Even factors such as genetics may increase risk. Risk for developing a pelvic floor disorder also increase with age. However, development of pelvic floor disorders and the symptoms entailed is not considered a natural or acceptable part of aging, and can be reversed with treatment.
The most common method of treating pelvic floor disorders is the use of Kegel exercises. The typical Kegel exercise consists of contracting the muscles you would normally use to use the restroom, taking care to avoid clenching. These contractions should generally last for ten seconds at a time, and be performed in two sets of twenty repetitions daily. Often, this training is aided by a biofeedback machine, which uses a probe to determine when the pelvic floor muscles are contracting. The biofeedback machine, while not completely necessary, does ensure that the patient is contracting the correct muscles during their Kegel exercises. Another option is bladder retraining, where the patient is assigned a strict urination schedule and attempts to adhere to it to the best of their ability. The patient suppresses their urge to urinate until they are scheduled to, and likewise, will urinate when scheduled to, even if they have no urge to do so. Using these methods, patients suffering from pelvic floor disorders can reduce and even eliminate their symptoms.
Due to the amount of restroom talk associated with it, discussion of pelvic floor disorders may be often shunned or avoided. Although there is no need for such disorders to enter everyday talk, there is an importance for patients to talk about the disorder and their symptoms when required. There is no shame when explaining the symptoms experienced. This is also why it may be important for others to also learn about such disorders.
References:
“Bladder Training.” UCSF Medical Center, www.ucsfhealth.org/education/bladder_training/.
Pelvic Floor Disfunction. www.mccc.edu/~behrensb/documents/pelvicfloordisorderpresentation.pdf.
“Urinary Incontinence.” University of Maryland Medical Center, www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/urinary-incontinence.
“About Pelvic Floor Disorders.” About Pelvic Floor Disorders | Women's Bladder & Pelvic Health Center, www.bladder-pelvic-health.wustl.edu/pelvic-floor-disorders.
“Frequently Asked Questions About Pelvic Floor Disorders.” UChicago Medicine, www.uchospitals.edu/specialties/pelvic/faq/pelvic-floor-disorders.html.
