Your Health

At-Home Pelvic Floor Therapy: How to Do Pelvic Floor Exercises

Posted on by thehawthorn
22
Jan

If you have symptoms of pelvic floor disorders such as urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, painful sexual intercourse or pelvic pain, learning how to do pelvic floor exercises in the comfort of your home could help you avoid surgery, relieve symptoms and regain your quality of life.

Recently, the FDA declared1 that transvaginal mesh surgeries are unsafe as a treatment for pelvic organ prolapse. This is something that I’ve believed for years. An astounding one-quarter of the women2 in the U.S. have experienced symptoms of pelvic floor disorders and dysfunction. Symptoms like:

In many cases, the vaginal mesh surgery that was being performed is unnecessary, provides less than optimal results, and leaves women traumatized, in more pain than they were in, to begin with, and looking at additional surgery9 to remove it.

Other alternatives offered by the conventional medical community, like opioid pain killers or vaginal injections aren’t any better. But I understand the frustration that so many women feel that drives them to choose these options.

After the birth of my daughter, I myself spent years searching for help, being dismissed, and trying ineffective methods to heal my leaking bladder and painful intercourse. I lost years of my life and thousands of dollars trying to find the physician that would actually listen to me and help me get better.

Then, I discoverd pelvic floor therapy and was able to heal myself. Since that time, I’ve worked with almost 15,000 women to do the same for them. Because solid, science-backed information on this subject is so hard to find, I’ve made it my mission to educate as many women as I can about it, and I’m hoping that by sharing this information with you today that you’ll be inspired to share with others too.

What is pelvic floor therapy?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and tissues that form a hammock of support in the pelvis. These tissues and muscles support the vagina, bowel, bladder, and uterus.

These muscles can become injured during childbirth10, weakened from excessive sitting11, or degraded in tone as we age. In fact, 50% of women over 80 and 40% of women aged 40-69 have symptoms of pelvic floor disorders2.

Pelvic floor therapy is designed to strengthen, relax, and tone the pelvic floor muscles. It involves gentle exercise, massage, breathwork, and meditation. Often, pelvic floor therapy includes yoga, abdominal exercises, and Kegel exercises.

There are 13 different kinds of Kegel exercises that I teach to my students. These exercises can be easily learned and performed regularly, even if you’re not particularly athletic or coordinated.

Sometimes, women have been told that “Kegels aren’t right for them” or that “Kegels don’t work.” Usually, this is because they are either doing Kegels wrong, or they are doing the wrong Kegel. It’s important to note that there’s also an exercise called a reverse Kegel, and it’s just as important to learn as a Kegel is.

Great pelvic floor therapy programs include a variety of Kegel exercises, simply because the science shows that they work. In a variety of studies, Kegels, when done properly, have shown to heal prolapse12, improve incontinence13, and even increase satisfaction with sex14.  

The most effective programs also include a component of physiological and social support, since many women who experience pelvic floor dysfunction also experience depression15. Having others to talk to who feel the same way you do is absolutely critical to the healing process.

How can I perform pelvic floor therapy at home?

Pelvic floor therapy can be performed by a licensed and trained physical therapist in an office setting. However, it can also be performed in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

In fact, studies have shown that home-based pelvic floor training16 is just as effective, even after 5-years, as weekly visits to an outpatient facility. Thanks to the magic of the internet, I have been able to help thousands of women, just like you, who were suffering, to reclaim their pelvic health and thrive. Even when doctors said they couldn’t be helped. Even after they had lost all hope.

I’ve poured every ounce of my expertise into creating online, in-home programs that work. After seeing thousands of women in my clinic in New York City, writing fve books, and educating every woman I meet in coffee shops about the importance of pelvic health, I turned my attention to creating programs that combined the most effective techniques to quickly transform lives.

How do I get more information?

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction — including pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence or dyspareunia, or even if you’re simply wondering how to improve your pelvic health and engage in some preventive measures…I’d like to give you the opportunity to learn all of the knowledge I’ve compiled over the years for free.

Take the Next Step

Sign up for my complimentary masterclass “5 Steps to Happier “Lady Parts”: Stop Leaking, Heal Prolapse, and Relieve Pain without Setting Foot in the Doctor’s Office“. Discover tips and tools you won’t find anywhere else that will help you to feel whole again and in control of your pelvic, sexual and bladder health. It’s simply your birthright to understand your divine female anatomy. And it’s time you claimed it.

This is the same information that I’ve used to improve the lives of almost 15,000 women across the globe. It’s the information that you need to go from confused and suffering to vibrant and pain-free and symptom free.

Before you consider having surgery or injections — please check out this free resource and tell your friends to do the same. I want every woman to have access to this life-changing information. Sign Up Here 

References

  1. “Urogynecologic Surgical Mesh Implants | FDA.” 16 Apr. 2019, https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/implants-and-prosthetics/urogynecologic-surgical-mesh-implants.
  2. “Roughly One-Quarter of U.S. Women Affected By Pelvic Floor ….” 17 Sep. 2008, https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/roughly-one-quarter-us-women-affected-pelvic-floor-disorders.
  3. Pelvic organ prolapse | womenshealth.gov.” 14 May. 2019, https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/pelvic-organ-prolapse.
  4. “Urinary incontinence | womenshealth.gov.” 31 Jan. 2019, https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/urinary-incontinence.
  5. “Fecal incontinence – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic.” 12 Oct. 2018, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fecal-incontinence/symptoms-causes/syc-20351397.
  6. “Treatment of Obstructed Defecation – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3348733/.
  7. “What is Vulvodynia? – National Vulvodynia Association.” https://www.nva.org/what-is-vulvodynia/.
  8. “Painful intercourse (dyspareunia) – Symptoms and causes ….” 12 Jan. 2018, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/painful-intercourse/symptoms-causes/syc-20375967.
  9. “‘Scandal’ of vaginal mesh removal rates revealed by NHS ….” 15 Aug. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/15/scandal-of-vaginal-mesh-removal-rates-revealed-by-nhs-records.
  10. “Post partum pelvic floor changes – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3279110/.
  11. Joint Prevalence of Sitting Time and Leisure-Time Physical ….” 20 Nov. 2018, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2715582.
  12. “Pelvic organ prolapse: Pelvic floor exercises and … – NCBI.” 23 Aug. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525762/.
  13. “Pelvic floor muscle motor unit recruitment – American Journal ….” https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(16)00035-1/pdf.
  14. “The effect of pelvic floor muscle exercises program on … – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462060/.
  15. “Depression symptoms in women with pelvic floor … – NCBI.” 22 Feb. 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6390859/.
  16. “Physiotherapy for female stress urinary incontinence – NCBI.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15382186.
isaherrera

Isa Herrera, MSPT, CSCS is a New York City-based holistic women’s pelvic floor specialist, author of 5 books on pelvic health, including the 2017 international best seller Female Pelvic Alchemy and the ground-breaking self-help book, Ending Female Pain, A Woman’s Manual. She has dedicated her career to advancing awareness of pelvic floor conditions so that more women can find relief from this silent epidemic that affects over 30 million women in the US alone. Ms. Herrera holds a BA in Psychology and Biology from Fordham University and also a Masters in Physical Therapy from Hunter College. For more info, go to https://www.PelvicPainRelief.com

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.