5 Pelvic Floor Myths

In the last 18 months the coaches at BHP Functional Fitness have been undertaking training and attending courses both in person and online to learn more about the pelvic floor and how we can be leaders in the fitness industry by creating a GYM based class, all for the Pelvic Floor.

We believe that this is a very under discussed area when it comes to strengthening and workouts when programming.

We have also found a few myths along the way. Here are 5 of the best we have found.

1. You should go to the toilet 'JUST IN CASE' !!

FALSE. If you do not have a full bladder then you do not need to empty it. Doing this routinely can actually cause your body to get confused and think that it is always supposed to empty when it is partially full. This may lead to frequent urination or urinary urgency.

2. When jumping/running/laughing/sneezing its 'NORMAL' to pee a little!!!

FALSE. Just because it is common does not mean it is normal. This is called stress urinary incontinence and it can occur because of a change in anatomy, namely pelvic floor muscles that are too weak or too tight, a weak abdominal wall or hormone changes.

3. Only WOMEN go to Pelvic Health Physiotherapists!?

FALSE. Pelvic physical therapists treat men and women. Even gynecologists can treat men with pelvic pain. The anatomy is remarkably similar with the one obvious exception. Men, women, everyone who has a pelvis can go to pelvic physical therapy.

4. A 'NORMAL' bowel movement requires me to strian on the toilet?

FALSE. A normal bowel movement should be soft yet formed, like toothpaste or soft serve ice cream. It should come out easily with a deep breath with your feet up on a stool, such as the Squatty Potty.

5. A Pelvic Floor PT or Physiotherapist can Help!?

TRUE. Pelvic PT can help people with pelvic pain, urinary or bowel symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and pregnancy or postpartum concerns.

Monitoring your diet and proper exercise can help too.

There are pleanty of other False statements out there in respect to the Pelvic Floor however these are my faves..... :-)

If you have concern about pelvic floor strength issues, possible prolaps that you havent had looked at yet by a pelvic floor Physiotherapist or PT then do so. You are NOT alone and there are steps that can be taken that can improve your standard of living, no matter what age or gender you are.

We can definitely point you in the right direction if you are not sure where to start :-)

Research came from https://pelvicpainrehab.com/