Your Pelvic Floor: A Practical Guide to Solving Your Most Intimate Problems

Description

This is the first pelvic floor health book aimed at ALL women, not just women who are pregnant or menopausal, outlining the importance of prioritizing pelvic floor health and how it impacts on general health and wellbeing. Pelvic floor issues are common, but not normal. This book will show how important it is NOT to wish problems would magically disappear on their own. They won't. But physio works. Covering topics such as: What is pelvic floor prolapse - something that 50% of women will experience - and can it be prevented? Urinary incontinence - the 2nd biggest reason to be admitted to a care home - is treatable with physio. Women on average experience symptoms for 7 years before going to a healthcare professional. High impact exercise (running, HIIT, CrossFit) takes its toll, and women who've never been pregnant need to be aware of the importance of their PF muscles. Everyone needs to learn about how to future-proof their core strength. Women should not accept dysfunction as a "normal part of being a woman", but instead need to prioritize their pelvic floor health - it is never too early and crucially never too late to do so. CONTENTS About the author Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction Chapter 1 – Your Pelvic Floor – A Bit of Anatomy The Pelvis The pelvic floor The Core Four The diaphragm The transversus abdominis The multifidus Whole-body Movement and the Pelvic Floor Chapter 2 – The Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Incontinence Stress Urinary Incontinence What is “Intra-Abdominal Pressure”? Overactive Bladder Urge Incontinence Mixed Incontinence Faecal Urgency and Incontinence Vaginal Wind Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) Can prolapse be prevented? Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) Vulval/Vaginal Pain What Causes PGP and Can it Be Treated? Lower Back Pain Chapter 3 – What Causes Pelvic Floor Dysfunction? The Influence of Posture An Overactive Pelvic Floor Protective Postures Footwear Ageing Doing Pelvic Floor Exercise (such as Kegels) Incorrectly How Do I Learn How to “Do My Pelvic Floors” Correctly? Using Pelvic Tech Hormones Menstruation Days 1–7 Menstruation Days 8–14 Follicular Phase Days 15–20 Ovulation Days 20–28 Luteal Phase Endometriosis Menopause Hysterectomy Family History Connective Tissue Disorders Obesity and a Sedentary Lifestyle High-Impact Exercise Running Heavy Lifting Stress Toilet Habits Chapter 4 – Pregnancy, Birth and Pelvic Floor Recovery Pelvic Floor Exercises in Pregnancy Hormones in Pregnancy Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) Progesterone Oestrogen Relaxin Breathing Alignment The Abdomen Diastasis Rectus Abdominis The Impact of Birth on the Body How Pushing Affects the Pelvic Floor Episiotomy Surgery and the Pelvic Floor Birthing Positions Abdominal Birth (Caesarean Section) Abdominal and Scar Massage Pelvic Floor Massage Post-Birth The Mother’s Rebirth Postnatal Depression and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Postpartum Recovery The First 40 Days Retraining Your Core Returning to Running Chapter 5 – The Non-Physical Effects of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction The Affect on Mental Health Reduce or Avoid Exercise Relationships and Intimacy Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby! Painful Sex Chapter 6 – Solutions for Managing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels) Popular Cues for Finding Your Pelvic Floor What Happens When You Breathe In? What Happens When You Breathe Out? How Often Should I Be Doing My Pelvic Floor Exercises? Remembering to “Do Your Pelvic Floors” Building Pelvic Floor Work into Functional Movement Pelvic Floor Hypertonicity Kegel Weights Pessaries Fitness and Lifestyle Hypopressives Surgery Clothing Chapter 7 – Movement and Exercise Learn Your ABCs Retrain Before You Train Pelvic Floor Retraining Exercises Down-Training Exercises Beginner Up Training Intermediate Up Training Advanced Up Training Chapter 8 – Frequently Asked Questions And Final Tips Frequently Asked Questions Do I Need to Do Pelvic Floor Exercises Every Day? Should I Add Pelvic Floor Awareness to My Cardio Too? Is it Too Late For Me? How Long Will it Take For Me to See Results? Can I Do Crunches? Final Thoughts and Tips Do the Maths Book in to See A Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist Walk Every Day Build Your Pelvic Health Team Appendix 1: Movement Methods To Train The Pelvic Floor – Pfilates and Hypropressives Pfilates Hypopressives Appendix 2: The Core Collaborators The Psoas The Piriformis The Quadratus Lumborum The Glutes The Adductors The Obturator Internus Appendix 3: Pessaries Tips From The Global Pelvic Health Village – What Pelvic Experts Say Resources And Useful Organizations Pelvic Floor Exercises and Equipment Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhood Menopause Sex Incontinence and Bowel Issues Useful Websites Books Endnotes