Many women mistakenly believe that constantly contracting (bracing) their pelvic floor muscles during exercise is beneficial. However, this approach can actually make your pelvic floor issues worse. Let’s explore how your pelvic floor muscles should function during exercise, why constant contraction is problematic, exercises to avoid pelvic floor bracing, and exercises where pelvic floor contraction is necessary.
1. How Your Pelvic Floor Muscles Should Work During Exercise: During exercise, your pelvic floor muscles play crucial roles in controlling bladder and bowel functions, supporting pelvic organs to prevent prolapse, and stabilizing the pelvis and spine. Ideally, these muscles should contract strongly, then relax and recover before contracting again. Regular Kegels or pelvic floor exercises help strengthen and maintain the health of these muscles.
2. Why You Must Avoid Constant Pelvic Floor Contraction: Constantly bracing the pelvic floor muscles during exercise can lead to fatigue, reduced support and control, muscle spasms, and pelvic pain. This can worsen pelvic floor problems such as prolapse, incontinence, constipation, and pain during intercourse.
3. Exercises to Avoid Pelvic Floor Bracing: During sustained general exercises like walking, running, dancing, or using cardio machines, actively contracting the pelvic floor muscles is unnecessary and can worsen pelvic floor issues. Instead, focus on training these muscles to work effectively without active contraction during these activities.
4. Exercises to Contract Your Pelvic Floor: There are specific exercises where actively contracting the pelvic floor muscles is beneficial, such as jumping exercises, lifting heavy weights, intense core abdominal exercises, or during Kegels/pelvic floor exercises. However, it’s crucial to allow these muscles to relax completely between contractions and to avoid continuous and repeated contractions during prolonged intense exercises.
Key Points:
- Avoid constant pelvic floor contraction during sustained general exercises.
- Contract pelvic floor muscles during isolated exercises that load the pelvic floor, then allow them to recover.
- Continuous bracing during general exercise can worsen pelvic floor problems and cause additional issues like pelvic pain or constipation.
- Regular Kegels or pelvic floor exercises are essential for maintaining pelvic floor health.
- Consulting a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist can provide guidance on proper pelvic floor contraction and relaxation techniques.
Understanding how to properly engage your pelvic floor muscles during exercise is essential for maintaining pelvic floor health and preventing issues. By incorporating the right approach to pelvic floor activation, you can enhance your overall fitness without compromising pelvic floor function.
