8
Common signs that can indicate a
pelvic floor problem include:
• Accidentally leaking urine when you
exercise, laugh, cough or sneeze
• Needing to get to the toilet in a hurry
or not making it there in time
• Constantly needing to go to the toilet
• Finding it difficult to empty the
bladder or bowel
• Accidentally losing control of the
bladder or bowel
• Accidentally passing wind
• Pain in your pelvic area
• Painful sex, or
• A prolapse
In women, this may be felt as a bulge in
the vagina or a feeling of heaviness,
discomfort, pulling, dragging or
dropping. This occurs when one or
more of the pelvic organs (bladder,
bowel or uterus) become displaced and
sag down into the vagina. It is very
common in the United Kingdom and
occurs in about 40% of women.
Symptoms tend to become
exacerbated towards the end of each
day and if left untreated, they will
generally worsen over time.
In men, this may be felt as a bulge in
the rectum or a feeling of needing to
use the bowel but not actually needing
to go.
Like other muscles in your body, the
pelvic floor can be strengthened with
regular exercise. Building pelvic floor
strength enables the muscles to better
support your pelvic organs, improves
your bladder and bowel control and can
stop accidental urine, faeces or wind
leakage.
It can also reduce your risk of prolapse,
improve your recovery from childbirth
and gynaecological surgery, and
increase your sexual pleasure. A
continence therapist can help you learn
how to exercise your pelvic floor.
Doing just a few pelvic floor exercises
every day will help to treat bladder
weakness or prolapse symptoms, and
will help to prevent problems later on.
4.2. PERFORMING PELVIC
FLOOR EXERCISES
It is recommended to make Pelvic Floor
Exercises (sometimes called Kegel
Exercises) part of your daily life.
1) Kegel exercises can be done at any
time and are very discreet so you can
do them almost anywhere; lying in
bed, sitting at the computer or
waiting for a bus. It is a good idea to
try and develop a routine which you
can repeat each day.
2) First, it is important to find your pelvic
floor muscles and feel them working.
So here are a couple of techniques
which might help:
Try inserting one or two clean fingers
into your vagina and then squeezing
the surrounding muscles, lifting up
and towards your belly button – a
squeezing and lifting sensation.
Another way is to try and stop the
flow of urine during urination. If you
are successful, then you know you
are exercising the correct muscles.
Note: These techniques are
just to help you confirm that you
are using the correct muscles.
It is important to have an empty bladder
before starting the exercises.
3) Try to remember the lifting and
squeezing sensation and when you
are ready try to recreate it just using